Adaptation of Advocacy Toolkit on HIV/AIDS Prevention Education in Pakistan

The UNESCO Office in Islamabad has initiated the process of translating and adapting the Advocacy Toolkit on HIV/AIDS Prevention Education, which was originally prepared by the UNESCO Bangkok office. UNESCO Islamabad, in collaboration with its partner, World Population Foundation, organized a two-day workshop for the Adaptation of Advocacy Toolkit. Financial and technical assistance for the workshop was provided by UNESCO Bangkok’s office. The workshop was organized from 22-23 June 2005 at Margalla Hotel, Islamabad. Experts and officials from the following national, provincial, and international organizations attended this meeting.

• Federal Ministry of Education, Islamabad
• Provincial Institutes of Teacher Education in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and NWFP
• Provincial Bureaus of Curriculum in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and NWFP
• Federal College of Education, Islamabad
• Faculty of Teacher Education, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad
• Federal Directorate of Education, Islamabad
• UNAIDS
• National AIDS Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Islamabad
• NGOs working in the area of HIV/AIDS including Population Council, and Family Health International.

UNESCO Bangkok’s regional expert, Mr. Jan Willem de Lind van Wijngaarden, facilitated the workshop.

The workshop was successful in achieving following objectives:

• Sensitizing educational plans, teacher educators, and curriculum developers on the need and significance of HIV/AIDS prevention education, and the urgency of its integration into the school curriculum and teacher training programmes.
• Critical reviewing of the (Urdu) translated script and its improvment.
• Recommendations the promotion of HIV/AIDS prevention education in Pakistan

Subsequent works will involve improving the Urdu script of the Advocacy Toolkit based on recommendations provided by workshop participants. After finalization, the Urdu version of the Advocacy Toolkit will be published and disseminated within Pakistan.

For further information about the Workshop, please contact:

Arshad Saeed Khan
Senior National Specialist (Education)
UNESCO Office Islamabad
Islamabad, Pakistan
Office phone: (92 51) 2800083-4, 2800112
Fax : (92 51) 2800056
E-mail: ashkan[at]un.org.pk