MANDATE

The IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) provides a global parliamentary focal point for legislative work in the field of HIV/AIDS and maternal, newborn and child health.

More specifically, the Advisory Group offers guidance to IPU Members on the implementation of international HIV/AIDS commitments; helps design information and training material for parliamentarians; conducts field visits to learn lessons from national responses to HIV/AIDS that can be shared with the wider parliamentary community; and expands the scope of the parliamentary response to HIV/AIDS by identifying more effective strategies.

In addition, the Advisory Group is part and parcel of the accountability mechanism for the IPU’s implementation of MNCH-related commitments. It monitors progress on the MNCH project in terms of implementing its work programme, approves and reports on the activities carried out under the MNCH project, establishes linkages between the IPU’s HIV/AIDS and MNCH portfolios and advises on possible areas for joint work where applicable.

GROUP MEMBERS

The IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS is composed of 12 members of national parliaments, appointed by the IPU President in consultation with current Advisory Group members and IPU Member Parliaments on the basis of attested expertise in the field of HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health. The Advisory Group will endeavour to ensure that its membership is geographically representative and gender balanced.

Advisory Group members shall serve for a single four-year term.

The mandates of members who fail to participate in three consecutive activities of the Advisory Group shall be automatically terminated.

Four international organizations active in the areas of HIV/AIDS and MNCH respectively will join the Advisory Group in a technical advisory capacity. These organizations are UNAIDS, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, the World Health Organization and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (or alternatively UNFPA).

CHAIRPERSON

The Advisory Group shall elect its Chairperson for a period of one year. He/she is eligible for re-election for one further term.

SESSIONS

The Advisory Group shall meet twice a year in regular session. The Advisory Group's sessions are held in camera. The Advisory Group shall set the dates for its sessions in the light of proposals made by the Secretary General. One of the sessions shall be held on the occasion of an IPU Assembly. Additional meetings may be held if the Advisory Group so decides.

AGENDA

The provisional agenda of the Advisory Group shall be drawn up by the Secretary General, in consultation with the Advisory Group Chairperson.

DECISIONS

As a general rule, the Advisory Group's decisions shall be taken by consensus. If it fails to reach a consensus, the Advisory Group shall decide by simple majority of the members present. The Chairperson shall have the casting vote.

MISSIONS

The Advisory Group may decide to carry out field visits, principally to examine the role played by a given national parliament in addressing the issues within the Advisory Group’s mandate. Such missions are conducted in accordance with the Concept note on field visits, hereto attached, adopted by the Advisory Group on 23 March 2007.

ADVISORY GROUP REPORTS

The Advisory Group shall report on its work to the Governing Council, of which it is a subsidiary body.

---

Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 127th Assembly and related meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" in PDF format (file size approximately 1392K). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

HOME PAGEGOVERNING COUNCILMAIN AREAS OF ACTIVITYIPU STRUCTURE AND DOCUMENTS