Activities

Areas of Intervention

 

Capacity building

UNESCO carries capacity building activities on HIV and AIDS prevention as well as on Comprehensive School Health in order to strengthen the capacities of Member States and individuals to better respond to the challenge of HIV and AIDS. UNESCO’s interventions are expected to:

  • enhance national capacities by building the knowledge base and capacities of trainers of trainers. <//span>
  • enhance awareness among students, teachers and parents. <//span>

 

In 2008 two regional training workshops were organized under the general theme of Comprehensive School Health in collaboration with the American University of Beirut - Health Education Resource Unit (AUB-HERU) in February and April 2008 respectively. The workshops brought together a core group of about 20 trainers including Directors of Health and Education Departments from 7 Arab States (Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen).

 

Information sharing

UNESCO will continue to produce and disseminate information on HIV and AIDS prevention in the region targeting especially young people in educational institutions.  

 

In Lebanon, a training toolkit has been recently developed titled “Psychological and Physical Changes Teenagers Experience”. The publication addresses health issues, including sections for HIV and AIDS prevention for parents, teachers and students. The toolkit was developed with the support of UNESCO Beirut in cooperation with the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association.

 

Future activities

UNESCO’s effort will concentrate in bringing about systemic institutional changes in planning for HIV and AIDS prevention through education so that it becomes part of national education sectoral plans.

 

UNESCO will also continue to carry out capacity building activities through regional interventions.

 

Past activities

UNESCO Beirut Office worked on a number of programmes in the region, within the framework of HIV and AIDS prevention through Education including: technical support for Formal and Non-Formal Education and Learning Institutions on Knowledge Sharing and Advocacy on HIV and AIDS Prevention; capacity building activities targeting schools and civil society (NGOs) to develop effective teaching and learning materials on HIV and AIDS prevention in Arabic; capacity building activities for media personnel on mainstreaming HIV and AIDS information and awareness within Arabic media programmes (press, radio and TV) in the Middle East Cluster Countries.