February 2021 Monthly Meeting of National AIDS Authority Top Managership
The February 2021 monthly meeting was held under the presidency of Senior Minister His Excellency Ieng Mouly, Chair of the National AIDS Authority, at the National AIDS Authority Headquarters from 9 AM of March 3, 2021. Participating in the meeting were Excellencies and Lok Chumteavs, the NAA vice chairs, secretary general, deputy secretaries general, directors, deputy directors, director of cabinet, and department chiefs present in the meeting room. Also taking part were Their Excellencies, the advisers, and ladies, gentlemen, and misses, the department deputy chiefs, office heads, and deputy office heads, who joined the gathering via BlueJeans video conference in a total number of roughly 50 participants.
The purpose of the meeting was to:
- Update the activities of the NAA top Managership and Secretary General.
- Review the situation concerning the HIV spread and response objective as well as interventions.
- Review the attained achievements and obstacles in the implementation of action plans and ongoing plans.
To begin, His Excellency the Senior Minister, Chair of the meeting, welcomed all the participating officials and informed them of the meeting process and agenda as follows:
1- Presentation on the report about the results of the work activities carried out by the top Managership and Secretariat General in February 2021 by H.E. Chhim Khindareth.
2- Presentation on the priorities of the Fifth National Strategic Plan for a Comprehensive, Multisectoral Response to HIV/AIDS (NSPV) by H.E. Tia Phalla, vice chair in charge of technical issues.
3- Conversation by His Excellency the Senior Minister.
4- Miscellaneous matters.
Next, His Excellency the Senior Minister permitted H.E. Chhim Khindareth to present a report on the results of the work activities conducted by the top Managership and General Secretary in February 2021 and the targets for March.
With the permission granted by His Excellency the Senior Minister, Secretary General H.E. Chhim Khindareth made the presentation, focusing on the key points related to the work activity results as follows:
I. Presentation on the work activity results achieved by the Top Management and Secretary General
1. Work activities achieved:
• Having completed the Public Investment Program for Three-Year Rolling 2022-2024.
• Having held the second meeting of the Technical Advisory Board.
• Having held weekly and monthly meetings.
• Having completed the joint monitoring progress of the indicators of the AIDS program implementation for 2019-2020 and the objective of the joint indicators from 2021 to 2023.
• Having held discussion with the deputy Phnom Penh governor, with a view to arranging a high-level meeting on the Sor Chor Nor 213 implementation.
2. Challenges:
• Men Having Sex with Men group assumes that having sex between them is not infected with HIV.
• It is easy for men having sex with men to get in contact. Only by winking at each other can lead to intercourse.
• The situation concerning COVID-19 persists in affecting the HIV/AIDS response activity implementation.
3. Steps for the coming month:
• To plan organizing a retreat (in Kratie Province on 28-31 March)
• To spur setting up the municipal, district, khan, commune, and sangkat AIDS committees.
• To promote integrating the HIV/AIDS response activities and budgets into the ministerial, institutional, capital city, provincial, municipal, district, khan, commune, and sangkat AIDS Committees.
• To continue cooperating with LHSS to create M&E framework in implementing the NSP V & SCN 213.
• To continue promoting the prevention intervention program for HIV transmission through intervening in the dissemination of education to key population, specifically the MSM group (Condom use, PrEP, PEP, U=U).
• To carry on with training sessions to build up the capacity of the NAA General Secretariat officials.
II. Presentation on the priorities of the Fifth National Strategic Plan for a Comprehensive, Multisectoral Response to HIV/AIDS (NSPV) and collaboration with key partners
NAA Vice Chair H.E. Tia Phalla presented the priority activities of the Fifth National Strategic Plan for a Comprehensive, Multisectoral Response to HIV/AIDS and collaboration with key partners, a role that shall be played by the NAA as follows:
• Having organized the GDJ meeting on February 23, 2021. This meeting focused on reviewing and discussing the process of the Joint Monitoring Indicator (JMI), looking into estimating the HIV/AIDS response, updating the partners’ prioritized plans in 2021, and strengthening the coordination mechanism and AOB. The second meeting, scheduled for April 9, 2021, will explore the action plans of each partner and discuss strengthening the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the action plans, making them highly effective.
• Leading, coordinating, monitoring, checking, and evaluating mechanism shall be strengthened.
• The mechanisms of the AIDS Committee, capital city and provincial AIDS secretariats, ministerial AIDS committees, institutional partners, and nongovernmental organizations shall be strengthened; district, khan, commune, and sangkat AIDS committees of the capital city and provinces established, and budgetary plans prepared to stimulate and enhance the AIDS-fighting work.
• National and subnational structures shall be strengthened in terms of role, budget, and indicator and shall be a joint responsibility.
• Priority implementation plan shall be developed and considered as mid-term priority action plan in the implementation of the Fifth National Strategic Plan by looking into each strategy coordinated by each department, according to responsibilities allotted at the recent vice-chairmanship and-General-Secretariat level meeting.
• Meetings with development partners should be arranged to attract assistance from them for the working groups, responsible for each strategy defined in the Fifth National Strategy, to hold discussion to look for joint priorities and mechanisms in order to spur the implementation of those priorities in the fight against AIDS.
III. Conversation by His Excellency the Senior Minister
Afterwards, the meeting moved to the third agenda item, with His Excellency the Senior Minister chatting and offering recommendations on the key issues as follows:
1. The main target is the intercourse between men and men, who could easily make contact with their partners for sex by just staring at each other and then asking, Top or Bottom. That’s it. On average, they can look for three-four partners a night. Sometimes they use condoms and some other times they do not use them.
2. Concerning the MSM group whose infection data are on the rise, the National AIDS Authority shall try to look for accurate data and update them in order to facilitate official control and make them useful.
3. Consultation shall be held to study the sources of transmission and seek preventive measures against HIV/AIDS transmission to be disseminated widely to the target groups (MSM, TG & EW)
4. The General Secretariat and Technical Working Group shall meet to look into priority activities defined in the Fifth National Strategy and prepare them as an action plan for combating AIDS and then present them to His Excellency the Senior Minister, the NAA Chair, for consideration and official decision.
5. As the Ministry of Interior has already had plan and budget for AIDS work, it is requested that AIDS committees be also set up at the provincial, district, and commune levels. H.E. Chea Por is asked to hold discussion with the Ministry of Interior AIDS Committee and then the NAA will request Samdech Krala Hom to issue an official guideline, instructing all the provinces nationwide to implement the AIDS work.
6. All the top managers shall concur to offer ideas (conception) about the mid-term action and technicians shall join listening to reach a consensus and then present a proposal to His Excellency the Chair for consideration and decision.
7. Excellencies and Lok Chumteavs in charge of ministries and provinces shall prepare priority action plans in conformity with each strategic policy to present them for ministries and provinces to implement the AIDS-combating work.
8. The fast-track cities project to respond to HIV/AIDS in Phnom Penh has already been in touch. However, in priority provinces, such as Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, and Siem Reap, consideration should be initiated, and if it is still impossible, ways may be found to have it held via video conference.
9. The General Secretariat should hold workshop to review the progress in and achievements of the action plan implementation and organize an action plan (Retreat) in Kratie Province ahead of the New Year, and should it be impossible, it may be considered to have it done via video conference.
10. As regards organizing the NAA plenary meeting, which is scheduled for June, the General Secretariat should consider organizing it in two ways, either 1) at the NAA Headquarters or 2) via video conference and it should prepare agenda and relevant documents as well.
11. All the documents should be copied and their copies kept in library.
At the end, His Excellency the Senior Minister encouraged and advised all the officials to carry on with their efforts by focusing attention on enhancing their tasks. We all have to further look into and monitor the implementation of Sor Chor Nor 213 to prevent new infections. The General Secretariat shall continue organizing training sessions to build up the officials’ capacity and smoothly perform institutional works to make progress. It shall also strive to work hard, shall not be apathetic, shall ensure good internal solidarity, and shall observe discipline and working hours.
The meeting concluded at 11.17 am in an elated and extremely cordial atmosphere.
info@naaa.gov.kh
+855 (0)23 885 129
+855 (0)23 885 279
ភាសាខ្មែរ
English
