Tehran, February 28, 2009 - The First Reproductive Healthcare DIC was opened in Tehran specially targeting the needs of vulnerable women. The Centre which is led and organized by the Family Planning Association, a partner of the Ministry of Health’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) will provide female sex workers with the opportunity to get counseling, health exams as well as access to condoms and clean syringes.

There are more than 160 drop-in-centers (DICs) spread across Iran today, this is the first one targeting sex workers in Tehran. This is a very important step forward, as the current trend indicates that women are increasingly becoming a particularly vulnerable group in the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Statistics shows us that more than half of every new infected patient in Sub-Saharan Africa is a women. The majority of women living with HIV in Iran are indicated to be spouses of injecting drug users (IDUs). By opening a Drop-in-centre only available for women, a safe haven has been created for women where information, care and support can be utilized without the fear of stigma and discrimination.

The United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP’s) Resident Representative (RR) and the Resident Coordinator (RC) of the UN system in Iran, Mr. Knut Ostby expressed in his speech that "we hope that in the future we can reach a stage where no one is stigmatized for being HIV positive, regardless of how they contracted it. The opening of this centre is an important step towards this goal and an important contribution to the care and support we offer women in Iran".

DICs are a key attribute in Iran’s response towards the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These centers are both a place where patients with high-risk behavior can be supplied with accurate information and a place where care and support is available in order to fight against the stigma and discrimination that people living with HIV (PLHIV) face. These centers are therefore able to provide the hope that many of their patients need in order to overcome problems that are related to severe addiction or illness.

UNDP’s global experience has shown that it is possible to have an effective and sustainable response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But in order for this to happen, there is a need for a combination of strong national leadership, strong coordination of funding and strong partnerships. As a trusted partner of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, UNDP believes that it is the combination of these attributes which has led to the success of Iran’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

UNDP is the UN’s global development network to help people meet their development needs and build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working as a trusted partner with governments, civil society and the private sector to help them build their own solutions to global and national development challenges.