This allocation served as IOM co-funding an HIV/AIDS focal point position for the Southern Development Community (SADC) countries. To address the link between migration and HIV/AIDS, a cooperation agreement was signed between IOM and UNAIDS in 1999. IOM and UNAIDS have worked together to develop mechanisms to share knowledge and to advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and care for migrant populations, as well as to initiate specific projects of action in the field.
The number of people affected by HIV and AIDS is increasing at a particularly alarming rate in sub-Saharan Africa where political instability and socio-economic precarity combine to force people to move internally and internationally.
The role of the HIV/AIDS focal point has been to: 1. Develop a regional strategy and programme for HIV/AIDS prevention, mitigation and access to care for migrants and mobile populations in the Southern African region; 2. Advocate for the integration of HIV/AIDS issues into ongoing migration activities, and migration issues into ongoing HIV/AIDS activities; and 3. Compile information and serve as a technical resource.