[Ip-health] Job Posting-ITPC International Coordinator

[Gregg Gonsalves]

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PLEASE DISSEMINATE WIDELY TO ALL YOUR NETWORKS.

Please submit ALL applications and supporting materials to the
attention of the Search Committee of the International Steering Group
of ITPC at sg-itpc@yahoogroups.com by 15 July 2006.

International Treatment Preparedness Coalition

International Coordinator

JOB POSTING

The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a
coalition of over 700 members, primarily people living with HIV/AIDS
and their advocates from over 100 countries.  The ITPC advocates for
universal and free access to treatment for AIDS for all HIV+ people
and greater input from HIV+ people in decisions that affect their
lives. We work to achieve these goals at the local, regional and
international level.



ITPC is seeking to hire an International Coordinator, who with
supervision and guidance from the ITPC's governing body, the
International Steering Group (ISG), will manage day-to-day operations
of the coalition.  The International Coordinator will also work
closely with the members of ITPC, all of whom are volunteers. The work
of the International Coordinator will include:

=A7            Coordinating of communications for ITPC, including:

-          Organizing teleconferences for the ISG and for ITPC project
committees (e.g. AIDS treatment roll-out "report card" working group)

-          Coordinating communication to and from Regional Advisory
Committees and Regional Coordinators to ISG (see attached fact sheet
for description of ITPC governance structure)

-          Working with ITPC regional membership, develop methods to
provide on-going translation of ITPC list and documents

-          Acting as chief moderator for the ITPC email list

-          Coordinating translation and public dissemination of ITPC
documents, e.g. Report Card

-          Facilitating production and dissemination of press releases
and other public statements as determined by the ISG

=A7            Coordinating ISG meetings, including:

-          Logistics for meetings, including travel and hotel
arrangements, facilitator identification and contract arrangements,
per diem payments, health insurance, visa letters, group meals,
translation, meeting spaces

-          Development and dissemination of meeting agendas, minutes,
and follow up action items. Regional dissemination for input of these
documents for input prior to and after meetings.

-          Arrangement and facilitation of teleconferences

=A7            Budget development for ISG meetings and for other ITPC
project activities (in conjunction with project committees and ISG
members)



=A7            In conjunction with Regional Coordinators and RACs,
coordinating selection of regional representatives to ITPC meetings,
meetings where ITPC needs representation.



=A7            Working with coordinators of ITPC projects (e.g. World
CAB meetings, Report Card) to develop proposals, budgets, coordinate
logistics and communications for these projects.



=A7            Drafting policies for ISG review and approval for ISG
representative selection, Terms of Reference, confidentiality,
conflict of interest, and other policies as identified by ISG



=A7            Developing methods to build ITPC membership and visibility



=A7            Assisting coordinators of ITPC projects in volunteer managem=
ent



=A7            Working in conjunction with staff from Tides Foundation,
our philanthropic partner in the Collaborative Fund for HIV Treatment
Preparedness, develop coordinated ITPC and Collaborative Fund budgets,
fund raising strategies, and provide communication to Tides Foundation
staff about ISG priorities for grant making, technical assistance,
regional network support, monitoring and evaluation.



=A7            The Coordinator reports to an Executive Committee of the ISG

Selection Criteria

=A7            The Coordinator should be familiar with the work and
history of ITPC.



=A7            The Coordinator should have a background in HIV treatment
advocacy and/or literacy, and community mobilization.



=A7            The Coordinator should have experience in good
communications and organizational skills, communications systems
development and maintenance, volunteer management, meeting logistics,
facilitation, budget development and financial administration,
excellent computer skills, good writing ability, agenda development.



=A7            The Coordinator must be able to partner with or work out
of a community-based organization in the Global South that will
provide office space, computer and communications services,
administrative assistance, serve as a financial conduit for funds, and
support the work of ITPC. You must provide a letter from a
community-based organization that will act as a partner with ITPC as
part of your application for this position.



=A7            The Coordinator must be fluent in English, as this is the
language most shared by ISG members. Fluency in additional languages
is desirable.

Interested Candidates should send their applications to the attention
of the Search Committee at SG-ITPC@yahoogroups.com by 15 July 2006.


INTERNATIONAL TREATMENT PREPAREDNESS COALITION (ITPC)



Fact Sheet



Six Million People Need Antiretroviral Treatment Today, Less than Ten
Percent Have Access to It!



"Somewhere in the lives you lead, there has to be time carved out to
shout from the rooftops=85.tell the world and its governments,
especially the governments of the West, that an apocalypse has
unfolded, and it has to be stopped in its tracks before it engulfs us
all. If morality is found wanting in the actions of the governments,
let it be rediscovered in the advocacy of individuals."

- Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa



What is the ITPC?

The international Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a
worldwide coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS and their
advocates. The ITPC advocates for universal and free access to
treatment for AIDS for all HIV+ people and greater input from HIV+
people in decisions that affect their lives. We work to achieve these
goals at the local, regional and international level.



History of the ITPC

In 2002, a group of treatment activists from around the world
identified the need for a stronger international response to address
the need to provide HIV/AIDS treatment to millions of people who
require it around the world. In March 2003, one hundred and twenty
five people with HIV/AIDS and their advocates from sixty-seven
countries gathered in Cape Town, South Africa at the International
Treatment Preparedness Summit to discuss strategies to establish and
strengthen:
Local and regional efforts to educate communities about treatment and
mobilize them to demand access to these drugs and;
local, regional and international efforts to secure the commitment and
policy changes needed from governments, multilateral institutions and
the private sector to expedite access to treatment for HIV/AIDS.

The ITPC grew out of this meeting as activists from around the world
sought to join forces to advance these strategies.



What Makes the ITPC Unique?

ITPC is the only international coalition of people living with
HIV/AIDS and their supporters solely devoted to advocacy on HIV/AIDS
treatment access. It is a broad coalition of people from all affected
regions comprised of people working in and for the community in their
own countries and with strong expertise in HIV/AIDS treatment and
related issues. As a community voice, it combines the knowledge of the
grassroots with technical expertise, and has been successful in
communicating the concerns of people living with HIV/AIDS who need
treatment to governments, United Nations agencies, the large
pharmaceutical manufacturers among other public and private bodies
that influence the progress of the establishment, scale-up and
sustainability of HIV/AIDS treatment programs.



Collaborative Fund for HIV Treatment Preparedness

Currently, the ITPC has embarked on a partnership with the Tides
Foundation, to form the Collaborative Fund for HIV Treatment
Preparedness to directly fund local and regional treatment literacy
and advocacy efforts. The Collaborative Fund has set up Community
Review Panels in each region to locally define funding priorities and
make funding decisions on specific projects. Treatment advocacy and
literacy workshops have been held or are scheduled in every region and
a grant-making program has been initiated to support local
organizations' work on these topics. So far, the ITPC and Tides
Foundation have raised over US $4 million for Collaborative Fund
activities from various donors some of which include the World Health
Organization (WHO), the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Open Society
Institute.



Other Activities & Accomplishments
Solidarity Day in Support of Treatment Access in South Africa. In
April 2003, ITPC members joined in demonstrations in their own
countries to urge the South African government to sign and implement a
national treatment and prevention plan that includes antiretroviral
treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Solidarity Day in Support of Thai Drug Users Network. In June 2003
ITPC members joined in demonstrations in their own countries to
protest the extra-judicial killing of Thai drug users and to press for
HIV/AIDS treatment for Intravenous Drug Users.
First meeting of people with HIV/AIDS with the Director General of
WHO. In November 2003, a delegation of eight people with HIV/AIDS and
their advocates from ITPC travelled to Geneva for the first meeting
between a Director General of the WHO and people living with HIV/AIDS
from around the world. The group discussed the WHO's 3X5 initiative to
scale-up antiretroviral therapy to 3 million by 2005. The group also
met with senior staff at UNAIDS and the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria to discuss access to treatment.
Inclusion of active drug users in the WHO 3X5 initiative. In February
2004, ITPC members, supported by over two hundred people which
included drug users, HIV-positive people and their advocates from
around the globe, called on the Director General of the WHO to ensure
the equal involvement of active drug users in the scale-up of
antiretroviral therapy proposed by the WHO and take a leading role in
recommending governments to make healthcare principles a priority over
the law enforcement approach to illicit drug use.
Inclusion of Methadone on the WHO's List of Essential Drugs and
Medicines. In collaboration with harm reduction advocates across the
world. ITPC members pushed for the inclusion of methadone on the WHO's
list of essential drugs and medicines as a part of a comprehensive
approach to HIV/AIDS care. Methadone was approved for inclusion on the
list in March 2005. This issue was first raised in the ITPC meeting
with the WHO Director General in November 2003.
World Community Advisory Board Meetings with Brand-Name and Generic
Pharmaceutical Companies. In February 2004, ITPC members met with
Boehringer Ingelheim, Glaxo Smith Kline and Roche to discuss concerns
about drug pricing and research practices. In particular, ITPC
advocated for new policies by multinational companies on pricing for
middle-income countries. In January 2005, ITPC members met with
generic drug makers, Cipla, Ranbaxy, Hetero and Strides, to discuss
quality control over generic manufacturing, paediatric formulations,
second-line regimens and pricing policies.
Solidarity Day with FrontAIDS in Russia. In December 2004, ITPC
members sent faxes to protest to the police station in Kaliningrad
Russia, where dozens of activists from FrontAIDS were being held after
staging a demonstration to demand access to treatment and human rights
for drug users. All activists were promptly released from custody.
Advocacy for the revision of the antiretroviral procurement list in
Moldova. In 2003, ITPC members in the Newly Independent States
discovered that Moldova was procuring an expensive, sub-optimal
antiretroviral regimen with its grant from the Global Fund. Through
advocacy with the Global Fund, the WHO and others, ITPC was
instrumental in rectifying this situation.
Protest on Health Sector Spending Caps by the International Monetary
Fund and the World Bank. In September 2003, ITPC members sent a letter
to the Managing Director of the IMF and the President of the World
Bank to urge them to modify macroeconomic policies that keep health
sectors from growing to meet the needs of the AIDS epidemic.
Missing the Target.  In November 2005, ITPC published a report on the
roll-out of AIDS treatment in six countries: Kenya, Nigeria, South
Africa, Russia, Dominican Republic and India, describing the progress
and failures to date in making treatment available to those who need
it.  The report and the May 2006 update are available at
www.aidstreatmentaccess.org.



Governance & Structure of the ITPC

The ITPC is a social movement, a coalition of individuals committed to
treatment access, not a non-governmental organization or a network
with a secretariat. This loose structure allows us to invest our
energies and resources in our treatment advocacy and literacy work
instead of having to sustain an organizational structure and move
quickly to adapt and evolve to the changing realities of the epidemic.
A Code of Governance for the ITPC is available at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/internationaltreatment preparedness



International Steering Group, Regional Advisory Committees and
Thematic Working Groups

An International Steering Group (ISG) provides strategic guidance to
the movement and deals with critical operational issues. The ISG is
comprised of 30 treatment activists, 15 men and 15 women, from the
following regions:
Central & Western Africa;
Eastern Africa;
North Africa & the Middle East;
Southern Africa;
East Asia & the Pacific;
South Asia;
South East Asia;
Caribbean;
Central America;
South America;
The Baltic's & the Newly Independent States;
Eastern Europe;
Australia, New Zealand & Japan;
Western Europe;
The United States & Canada



Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) have been established to foster
treatment literacy and advocacy efforts in their respective regions
and identify issues to be addressed in the international setting.
Finally, Thematic Working Groups will been established to foster work
on specific issues (e.g. treatment literacy; women & girls;
intravenous drug users; health sector development; drug development,
pricing & procurement; trade and intellectual property; HIV-TB)



Funding

The ITPC does not raise funds for day-to-day activities. Members
donate their time voluntarily. Funds have been raised for certain
projects initiated under the aegis of ITPC (e.g. meeting with generic
antiretroviral drug manufacturers), but allied organizations act as
the fiscal sponsor and provide financial management for these
activities.



Membership

As of May 2006, ITPC had over 700 members from over 100 countries.
Membership is invited from all those individuals, people living with
HIV/AIDS and their advocates, who are committed to fight for HIV/AIDS
treatment access. Members are expected to participate and contribute
to the best of their ability. While members are free to act under the
name of the movement, they may only act in capabilities that enhance
access to treatment, but may not act in formal capabilities such as
fundraising without the approval of the International Steering Group.
There is no fee or other requirements for membership in ITPC. The ITPC
is a coalition of individuals, although members may be active
participants or leaders in other local, regional or international
networks, NGOs or other groups. Membership in the ITPC is initiated by
joining the ITPC email group at
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/internationaltreatmentpreparedness.



--
Gregg Gonsalves
AIDS Rights Alliance for Southern Africa

PLEASE NOTE: I don't have a new institutional email address or phone
number as of yet, but you can temporarily reach me via email at
gregg.gonsalves@gmail.com and via cell phone at +27-72-499-7590.
Correspondence can be directed to me at: Gregg Gonsalves, c/o AIDS Law
Project, 101 St. George's Mall, 7th Floor, Cape Town 8000, South
Africa.
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