According to the department of health, the aim of the National Aids Council will be to provide a co-ordinated platform where government and civil society can interact to organise a more multi-sectoral, less fragmented approach in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The mandate of the National Aids Council will be to:
Advocate for the effective involvement of sectors and organisations in the implementation of response programmes and strategies for the prevention of HIV and the mitigation of the impact of HIV/AIDS at various levels of society;
Monitor and co-ordinate implementation programmes and strategies of the national multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS developed within the framework of the National AIDS Strategic Plan;
Provide overall guidance on the implementation of the National Aids Strategic Plan;
Create and strengthen partnerships for an expanded national response among government agencies, NGO’s, donors, UN agencies, the private sector and people living with HIV/AIDS;
Ensure the periodic review of the National AIDS Strategic Plan with the view of revising strategies in line with prevailing and emerging scientific and socio-economic information on HIV/AIDS;
Mobilise resources including the SABC’s Action Against Aids initiative for the implementation of the AIDS programmes and strategies;
Recommend appropriate research;
Facilitate the strengthening of institutional capacity for the implementation of the national response.
