Monitoring the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS

This article describes the development of the international reporting system to monitor the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS that resulted from the 2001 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS).

The UNGASS reporting system is based on the biennial submission of Country Progress Reports. These include data on a set of core indicators and are prepared and submitted by Member States using a transparent collaborative process.

This article reviews the evolution of the system and analyzes the quality and completeness of data from the most recent 2008 reporting round.

Over the course of 3 rounds of reporting response rates increased from 54% to 77%. This increase occurred alongside an increase in the completeness of the reported data. Increases in reporting are consistent across countries regardless of the severity of the HIV epidemic.

UNGASS reporting has resulted in an unparalleled body of evidence on the response to HIV. Data from 147 countries are now available on the patterns of HIV epidemics, the behaviors related to them, and the programmatic responses that have been mounted by countries. The ultimate goal is for national governments and their civil society partners to achieve ownership of the reporting process. The reporting system has provided a catalyst for the development of national systems for monitoring and evaluating HIV programs and for guiding more effective, efficient, and sustainable responses to the HIV epidemic.