Strategic partnerships for co-ordinating the AIDS response: lessons emerging in Zambia

Jackie Mundy, Terri Collins, Alex Simwanza, and Confucious Mweene. HLSP and National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council, Zambia, May 2008

The Zambia’s National AIDS Council (NAC) is investing to improve its engagement with civil society. This is a rapidly growing and diverse sector, which poses significant opportunities in the AIDS response, but also coordination challenges.

The NAC is developing a unique and systematic approach to defining and enabling civil society’s contribution to the national AIDS response. The approach strengthens civil society’s self-coordination, as well as its capacity to engage with multi-sectoral initiatives at decentralised and national levels.

The process is supported by the STARZ programme. STARZ is a DFID funded programme managed by an HLSP-led team. STARZ supports Zambia’s NAC in its work across the public and private sectors and civil society.