The world YMCA Movement is actively working at all levels - international, regional, national and local - to combat HIV and AIDS. YMCA work takes many forms depending on the needs of each community and taking into account different cultural, economic and political realities.

In these pages you will find the global action plan that the YMCA as a world Movement has committed to and examples of how national YMCA Movements are responding to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

Global Strategy Meeting in Geneva

YMCA to revisit HIV and AIDS strategy

In March 2006, the World Alliance of YMCAs hosted a strategy meeting in Geneva to bring together key YMCA actors on the urgent issue of HIV and AIDS. The aim of the meeting was to identify ways in which the YMCA can be more effective in delivering programmes on HIV and AIDS and to develop a strategic relationship with the international institutions dealing with HIV and AIDS.  +more

Plan of Action of the YMCA HIV/AIDS Programme

The rapidity and severity with which HIV and AIDS has cut across boundaries and stunted progress across nations and entire continents is cause for urgent action. The disease has grown from being an isolated disease into a pandemic that is trans-national in character. Since the first clinical evidence of AIDS was reported in 1981, millions of people have lost their lives to HIV and AIDS, 42 million people are living today with HIV and AIDS - most of them women and young people - and poverty is increasing the numbers of the infected as well as the affected.  +more

Global Action and Recommendation

The World Alliance's first Global Forum on HIV and AIDS took place in Durban, South Africa, from 14-21 March 2004 and was attended by some 100 participants from 32 countries representing the five area organisations of the global Movement. +more

E-Forum

E-forums are one of the activities that provide follow-up to the Global Capacity Building Forum on HIV and AIDS held in Durban- South Africa last March 2004. 100 participants from more than 30 national YMCA movements around the world actively involved in HIV and AIDS programming shared their best practices and detected the areas that we need to improve as a global movement.

1. E-Forum on HIV and AIDS & Stigma

The E-Forum on HIV and AIDS Stigma participants have been sharing not only opinions but also feelings, experiences and personal stories. That was exactly the idea for this first week, to try to "sensitize ourselves" and share what happens in our hearts regarding Stigma.

2. E-Forum on Fundraising for HIV and AIDS Programs

The goal of this forum is to increase YMCA capacity at various levels in order to mobilize resources for HIV and AIDS related programs.

3. E-Forum on Capacity Building

The purpose of this four day Electronic Forum is to provide follow-up to the YMCA Capacity Building Forum on HIV and AIDS held in South Africa on March 14-22, 2004. This Electronic Forum will specifically provide follow-up to the recommendation on "Knowledge base and Networking".

You can download hereafter in PFD format the report of these forums.