JUNE 2006 — FHI and the World Health Organization jointly organized a Regional Training on HIV Counseling and Testing for AIDS specialists from 14 Middle Eastern and North African countries in February and March in Cairo. The latest UNAIDS prevalence figures reveal a rise in new cases in the region, increasing the need to expand the range and availability of counseling and testing services.

The goal of the training was to explore, assess and build the capacity of National AIDS Control Programs and NGOs to provide high quality, anonymous counseling and testing at a national level. Participants each developed a draft action plan for delivering counseling and testing services in their respective countries. Particpants' training obejctives focused on:

• sharing experiences and lessons learned
• designing effective CT delivery appropriate to target groups
• planning programs with standards for ethical service delivery
• acquiring skills for delivering high quality CT
• identifying resources needed to implement CT

The 14 countries participating were Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. The two participants from Palestine were supported by the Ford Foundation.

PHOTO: Training participants (FHI/Egypt)