Dear colleagues,

In September 2006, the UNAIDS Secretariat, assisted by the AIDS Vaccine
Advocacy Coalition, convened a meeting to initiate the process of developing
"Good Participatory Practice Guidelines for Biomedical HIV Prevention
Trials". The impetus for the creation of such guidelines was the
understanding that the success of urgently needed biomedical HIV prevention
trials depends on robust, mutually-respectful relationships between
researchers and involved individuals and communities.

Meeting participants agreed that a practical guidance document would outline
basic standards for community engagement, and provide systematic ways of
evaluating whether a biomedical HIV prevention trial succeeds in effectively
engaging community before, during and after a trial is completed. They were
unanimous that the framework would not provide specific answers for each
site and each context, but that the guidelines could provide the foundation
for locally-driven processes which could address critical questions and
issues. There was also unanimity on the need for an extensive consultation
process to review, pilot test, and validate the document.

Over the past several months, working group members worked collaboratively
to create a draft of the document as a starting point for the review
process. We are now seeking broad input to inform revisions of the document.

The current draft document is available at
http://data.unaids.org/pub/Manual/2007/goodparticipatorypracticeguidelines_0
70518_en.pdf. We would welcome your comments on this version, especially
overall impressions with a focus on the document's readability and
usability, any particular areas that you believe need more attention, and
what, if anything, you would like to see added. Your comments can be sent to
the dedicated e-mail address goodparticipatorypractice@....

We would be most grateful if you could provide comments by Monday, June
18th. The working group will then update the document and make the revised
draft available in July 2007 for further input, document experience with its
use in subsequent months and revise it accordingly.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions and do feel
free to circulate the draft document to other colleagues who might be
interested in reviewing it and submitting comments to the e-mail address
above.

Many thanks for your interest and involvement in this important process.

Best regards,

Catherine Hankins
Chief Scientific Adviser to UNAIDS and Associate Director, Department of
Policy, Evidence and Partnerships UNAIDS - Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS
Phone: 41(0)22 791 3865
Fax: 41 (0)22 791 4746
E-mail: hankinsc@...
internet: www.unaids.org

Mitchell Warren
Executive Director
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC)
Phone: +1-212-367-1084
Fax: +1-646-365-3452
E-mail: mitchell@...
Internet: www.avac.org and www.aidsvaccineclearinghouse.org

======

HEALTHGAP is a public list. To post, send to healthgap@.... To
subscribe, unsubscribe, or for help with your account, send an email to
info@...

www.healthgap.org

======

HEALTHGAP is a public list. To post, send to healthgap@.... To
subscribe, unsubscribe, or for help with your account, send an email to
info@...

www.healthgap.org