Jargon buster
ABC
Abstain, be faithful, use condoms (an approach to behaviour change)
ABY
Abstain, be faithful, work with youth (an approach to behaviour change)
Adherence
The extent to which a patient takes his/her medication according to the prescribed schedule (also referred to as 'compliance').
AIDS
Aquired immune deficiency syndrome
ART
Anti-retroviral therapy
ARV(s)
Anti-retroviral(s)
ASO
AIDS service organisation.
BCC
Behaviour change communication
CAA
Children affected by HIV/0AIDS
CBO
Community-based organisation
CCM
Country co-ordinating mechanism (set up for the Global Fund)
Commodities
Condoms, lubricants and other HIV/AIDS prevention products.
Community
Commonly used to indicate the daily-life setting of most people’s experience of HIV/AIDS. For example, “AIDS is seen in the clinics, but it lives in the community” (quote from respondent to an Alliance consultation). While often used in the singular, in reality ‘community’ covers a wide range of settings. A community in a high-prevalence setting is likely to contain a high number of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Injecting drug users, on the other hand, might not see themselves as belonging to a community, or might have their own community that is hidden from or opposed by the general community around them.
CSO
Civil society organisation
Downstream support
Support to local community-based organisations.
EDF
European Development Fund
Emerging epidemics
Countries with a low HIV/AIDS prevalence, but vulnerable to a rapid increase in HIV/AIDS incidence rates.
FBO
Faith-based organisation
FPP
Frontiers Prevention Project (an International HIV/AIDS Alliance multi-country project funded by the Gates Foundation and active in countries with low prevalence and high vulnerability)
GFATM/Global Fund
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
GIPA
Greater involvement of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS
HAART
Highly active anti-retroviral therapy
Harm Reduction
Includes activities such as the provision of sterile needles to drug users, and lubricants for men who have sex with men (MSM).
HBC
Home-based care
High prevalence country
A country where a high percentage of the population has HIV/AIDS.
HIV
Human immuno-deficiency virus
ICPD
International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo)
IDU
Injecting drug use/user. This term is preferable to drug addicts, which is seen as derogatory, often resulting in alienation rather than creating the trust and respect required when dealing with those who inject drugs.
IEC
Information, education and communication
International HIV/AIDS Alliance (The Alliance)
The Alliance is a system of linked organisations which work with communities where people are most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and/or most affected by it. These organisations include key NGOs in developing countries, local offices initiated by the Alliance to help co-ordinate activities in developing countries, specialised partners and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance secretariat in Brighton.
Key population
A group within a population which is most likely to affect epidemic dynamics and/or be most affected by HIV/AIDS.
LO
Linking organisation (International HIV/AIDS Alliance partners)
MAP
Multi-sector AIDS Programme (a World Bank initiative)
MCH
Maternal and child health
MDGs
Millennium Development Goals
MSM
Men who have sex with men
MTCT
Mother-to-child transmission
NGO
Non-governmental organisation
OI
Opportunistic infection
OVC
Orphans and vulnerable children
PAR
Participatory assessment and response
PCA
Participatory community assessment
PLA
Participatory learning and action
PM&E
Participatory monitoring and evaluation
PSA
Participatory site assessment
PEPFAR
Presidential Emergency Programme for AIDS Relief (initiative of George W Bush)
PLHA
People Living with HIV/AIDS (variations include PLWHIV, PWA, PWHA, PWHIV)
PMTCT
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission
PR
Principal Recipient (body which receives Global Fund money)
PSA
Participatory site assessment (Frontiers Prevention Project)
RH
Reproductive health
SCM
Site coordination mechanism
Social capital
Skills, capacity and competence that empower communities to be able to organise, manage and sustain their own responses to the epidemic and other community challenges.
SRH
Sexual and reproductive health
SRHR
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
STI
Sexually transmitted infection
TAC
Treatment Action Campaign (based in South Africa)
TRIPS
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
UNAIDS
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNGASS
United Nations General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS
Upstream support
Support to facilitate effective civil society engagement with major donors such as the Global Fund and WB-MAP.
VCT
Voluntary counselling and testing
WB
World Bank
WHO
World Health Organization
