The National AIDS Commission (NAC) will host Monthly Partnership Fora for HIV and AIDS stakeholders, scheduled to take place at the UN House every last Thursday of the month.

One such recent Partnership Forum was held last Thursday April 30, 2009 at 2:30 to 4:00 at the UN House.

The objective of the Partnership Forum is to provide a platform for information and experience sharing by stakeholders in order to be on the same wavelength regarding interventions that are taking place in the national response against HIV and AIDS.

The theme for the recently held monthly partnership forum, held just a day ahead of Workers Day, was ‘Mainstreaming HIV and AIDS into the workplace’, noting the significance of HIV and AIDS issues in the workplace. During the forum, NAC provided a presentation on the Workplace Survey that was conducted and the way forward. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) through ILO/USDOL (PEPFAR) also presented the launch of the HIV and AIDS workplace programme, including the background and lessons learned.

Other presentations for the day included the one by Lesotho Electricity Corporation on their HIV and AIDS Workplace programme as an identified best practice. In addition, a presentation of the ‘goals’ model to HIV and AIDS programme planning was delivered and discussed.

Stakeholders invited to participate at the forum included representatives from Government Ministries, Civil Society, Private Sector and Development Partners.

The forum is a monthly event that is established in line with the National HIV and AIDS Coordination framework to manage the response environment and processes, and guide all partners in order to ensure synergy of action by maximizing the comparative advantages of each player; as well as ensuring compliance with the provisions and priorities of the National Strategic Plan.