HEARD Appointment as Secretariat of the  UNAIDS/World Bank Economics Reference Group ( ERG)
The UNAIDS/World Bank Economics Reference Group (ERG) was formed in 2001 as an advisory body to provide expert economic advice on policy and operations around HIV. The ERG serves as a forum for analysis and review, and informs UNAIDS, the World Bank, the UN and national policymakers on key findings and research trends.
Every three years, different agencies are appointed to serve as its Secretariat. HEARD (represented by Jacqui Hadingham and Alan Whiteside) has achieved this status as third incumbent, for the period 2006 to 2009. HEARD’s role will be to govern and implement the ERG agenda, convening eight to 10 core members from sub- economic disciplines.
Topics and focus areas emanate from the World Bank and UNAIDS and are tied to its grant to the Secretariat agency. This appointment is therefore highly significant, both strategically and materially.
Meetings
The second ERG meeting of the UNAIDS/World Bank Economics Reference Group (ERG) was held on 8 and 9 November 2007 in Geneva. The ERG Secretariat (Jacqui Hadingham and Alan Whiteside) coordinated and participated in the meeting. It was was also attended by members of the ERG and representatives from the World Bank, UNDP, UNAIDS and UNESCO.
The topic of the meeting, The Impact of HIV and AIDS on Educational Attainment and Human Capital, generated interesting debate and produced a set of draft policy recommendations for UNAIDS, its co-sponsors and The World Bank.
Three background papers were presented at the meeting:
Some of the points of debate around policy included ensuring that teachers are present in schools and classrooms, and that they remain HIV-negative. In addition, it was suggested that ART provision to teachers might be prioritised, perhaps though Teachers Unions. It was noted that the implementation of birth registration would facilitate education planning and access to schooling. The special vulnerabilities of children affected by HIV should be borne in mind, as should the quality of education for all children.
HIV UNAIDS/WORLD BANK ECONOMICS REFERENCE GROUP MEETING - 8/9 Novemer 2007
The next ERG meeting will be held in April 2008.
The first meeting of the new UNAIDS/World Bank Economics Reference Group (ERG) was held on 3 and 4 May 2007 in Washington DC, focusing on the theme: "Analysis of the Labour Market Implications of Scaling Up Services for HIV Prevention and AIDS Treatment, Care And Mitigation".
As the Secretariat to the ERG, Jacqui Hadingham and Alan Whiteside co-ordinated and attended the meeting, along with economists from various sub-disciplines, as well as representatives from the World Bank and UNAIDS. Three background papers were presented at the meeting to stimulate discussion and provide information on issues being researched in the field.
Gaps in the current economic knowledge base were identified. It was apparent that much information is still needed in order to make informed and effective decisions with regard to setting policy around HIV programmes and funding at the global level.
After two days of interesting debate and discussion around the substantive topic, six topics emerged that will be considered as possible foci for future meetings:
* Labour Market implications of scaling up HIV and AIDS interventions: distribution, equity and cost-effectiveness of interventions
* Socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS
* Poverty reduction; effectiveness of response * Impact on human capital formation
* Positive and negative externalities of HIV programmes
* HIV and AIDS and the private sector: the Global Disease Survey
mat *Working Papers Series: Background Papers from the Economics Reference Group meeting helod 3 and 4 May 2007 in Washington DC. Economic and health Systems Research on Health Workers in Sub Saharan Africa: Drawing out themes from a case study of Malawi click on the link to download the information - McCoy Draft
David McCoy, B.Med, M.Phil, DrPH University College London
Aids and human capacity in the health sector click here to download the ERG McPake information.
Barbara McPake, Institute for International Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
mat "Conditional Scholarships" for HIV/AIDS health workers: educating and retaining the workforce to provide antiretroviral treatment in sub-Shaharan Africa - Bloom Paper
Till Bärnighausen, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University and Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and David E. Bloom, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University
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