business.un.org, Partnering for a better world

Overview

Why Prevention of HIV mother to child transmission (PMTCT)
In 2008, around 430,000 children were born with HIV – >90% are a result of mother-to-child transmission. Across the world, each year over a million pregnant women risk passing along HIV to their child.
A comprehensive PMTCT program includes:
Prevent HIV among women of reproductive age (primary prevention)
Prevent unwanted pregnancies among women living with HIV
Prevent HIV transmission from women living with HIV to their infants, and
Provide appropriate treatment, care and support to mothers living with HIV, their children and families, provide support for infant feeding
The provision of ARV and replacement feeding can reduce transmission from 30-35% with no intervention to 1-2%

In May 2009, UNAIDS Executive Director called for the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015. This is feasible

In September 2009, UNAIDS signed a MOU with the Millennium Villages Project on PMTCT.
The Millennium Villages Project is an innovative model for helping rural African communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty over 5 years with community-led action plans that are tailored to the villages’ specific needs.
The The Millennium Villages Project is focusing on 14 villages across 9 African countries located in disadvantaged rural areas: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria. The villages are home to approximately 500,000 people.
The lead partners of The Millennium Villages Project are: Earth Institute at Columbia University,UNDP.
UNAIDS is mobilising resources and generating political will to help local governments create "Mother to child transmission-free zones” , i.e. to keep babies free of HIV

To create "Mother to child transmission-free zones, we need :
—PMTCT and Family Planning commodities (condoms, contraceptive pills, injectables, IEC materials, examination gloves, urine sticks, iron, Rapid HIV test kits, drugs, etc)
—Combination prevention expertise to address biomedical, behavioral and structural barriers and to help change behavior
—Training of health workforce (which can be done via the secondment of personnel)
—Modern technology
—Food and nutrition support (including education)
—Financial support
You will be in good company: BD, Ericsson, GE, GSK, JM Eagle, KPMG, Monsanto, Motorola, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Sumitomo, TechnoServe, etc.

Partnership types of interest
Advocacy of global issues; Business opportunities in low income communities/countries ; Project funding; Provision of services / personnel; Provision of goods

Further information

UNAIDS and Millennium Villages Project

Timing

2010-2015

Global issues

Children, youth and family welfare; Community development; Gender issues; HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, health and medical; Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)