On the 30th-31st December 2009, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya and the General People’s Committee for Education collaborated on a workshop aimed to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS amongst teachers. Forty-five music, sports and art teachers attended the event.

“There is a vaccine against HIV. It is awareness.” Ramanathan Balakrishnan, UNDP Libya Resident Representative a.i, said in his opening speech. “And teachers are amongst the best placed to administer this vaccine.”

The prime issue under discussion at the workshop was how teachers could use their position to educate pupils on HIV/AIDS, and on the risks associated with drug use. It is estimated that there are around 1,600,000 children and young people enrolled in school and university. The organisers considered that teachers are far better placed than outside actors to pass on important messages about HIV/AIDS and drugs to students.

The event attracted considerable media attention and was discussed on the popular nationwide TV programme, “Sabah Al Khayr Al Jamahiriya.”

The workshop marks the tenth such event organised under the project “Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS”, signed by UNDP Libya and NCID in 2009 and funded by the Austrian Government. The project aims to strengthen NCID in its role to coordinate and lead a multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS in Libya.

Previous workshops have targeted key groups such as the media, judiciary, people living with HIV/AIDS, youth, drug outreach workers and religious leaders, in order to raise societal awareness of HIV/AIDS transmission and protection.