HARPAS -Written by Ahmed Balah – 22 July 2011: "Zohra" left her country, Somalia, where persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) face the threat of death, even before the moment of death comes. Zohra abandoned her homeland, in which she was born, brought up and where she lived, after she was informed of her and her child's infection. She departed to Yemen, believing that she can start a new life there.
Cairo – 24 June 2011: Following seven years of hard work and painstaking efforts through which Dr. Khadija Moalla assumed the responsibility of managing HIV/AIDS Regional Programme in the Arab States (HARPAS), the time has come in which she will leave her office at the UNDP by the end of next August.
In a message of love and appreciation sent to all those who shared her trip, Moalla underlined that the Programme accomplished work plans during seven years with a budget that amounted to 6700000 dollars, with a percentage of 100%. The programme also managed to attract about 5000000 dollars via the support of donor agencies, enabling it to expand within the scope of its work so that it reaches horizons further to what was anticipated by any person at the beginning of the project, according to Dr. Moalla.
Dr. Moalla was keen on attributing thanks and appreciation to all those who accompanied her through this hard road.. Read the message text below
Cairo, 24th July 2011: In August, the AIDS and Law Exchange (AIDSLEX) will host an Ask the Expert session on HIV in the Arab region with Shereen El Feki and Khadija Moalla. They will respond to user questions on the impact of the disease in the region, particularly concerning women, sexual minorities and other vulnerable groups, as well as the challenges faced by advocates there to promote greater understanding of the issue and greater respect for the right to health.
Rome, 19 July, 2011 - Thirty one lawyers and advocates from Latin America, Southern Africa, the United States, Northern Africa and the Middle East gathered in Rome on the 15 and 16 July for the Second International Consultation on HIV-Related Services and Rights, co-organized by IDLO and the Ford Foundation and supported by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
Interview by Ahmed Balah – 26 July 2011: Dr. Mangia Al-Swaihi, Professor of Islamic Sciences at Al-Zaitouna University in Tunisia and specialized researcher in the issues of women and reproductive health in the Islamic culture, sees that Islam made a big revolution on behalf of women and that there is a misinterpretation of the Islamic Religion text, which made it divert away from its real purpose.
Cairo - 10 October 2010: Dr. Fattouh El-Chazli, Professor at the Faculty of Law, Alexandria University, Egypt, urged the Arab society to approach in a more positive way population groups which are most vulnerable to HIV infection, so that they are not socially marginalised.“Regardless of personal positions, in terms of consenting to or rejecting risky behaviours, and regardless of our religious beliefs, we have to remain impartial and approach these groups in a way that best protects them and the society”, Dr. El-Chazli said. Moreover, Dr. El-Chazli stressed that controlling HIV transmission is what should be sought in the field of HIV/AIDS.
Cairo, 20 September 2010: Dr. Khadija Moalla, HIV Practice Leader in the Arab States, stated that there are societal factors which cause Arab women to be more vulnerable to HIV infection than men, besides the natural biological factors which also increase the likelihood of viral transmission to women.Dr. Moalla added, in an interview with the Saudi magazine “Rouaa”, “In light of this risk, all efforts should be concerted in order to empower women to obtain their rights so that they can lead safe lives away from the virus.”On social barriers which prevent the release of accurate statistics on the numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Arab countries, Dr. Moalla pointed out that the real problem lies in the difficulty of reaching population groups that are most vulnerable to HIV infection, because of the prevalence of a culture of stigma and discrimination”.
Jeddah – 8 November 2010: Dr. Khadija Moalla, HIV Practice Leader in the Arab States affirmed in an interview with Saudi "Rotana" magazine that the percentage of women living with HIV/AIDS has increased slightly than that of men during the last two years. Moalla added that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) in our Arab communities still belongs to stigmatized groups, whether man or woman, yet women are more subject to stigmatization than men although 80% of women got infected with the virus inside the framework of marriage relationship. Moalla emphasized that the rights of Arab PLWHIV are still violated as they do not get the right of care regarding psychological, medical, entertainment or servicing support on one hand, or the availability of medicines for treating viruses to whom who need it, or treatment of opportunistic diseases resulting from the deficiency of immunity on the other hand. See more on the following link
Cairo – 20 October 2010: Psychiatry Specialist and HIV/AIDS Regional Programme in the Arab States (HARPAS) Advisor Olfat Allam affirmed that the culture factor is one of the most significant obstacles standing on the way of optimum dealing with marginalized community groups, particularly as regards women and girls. Allam warned against the culture of denial that we usually follow to escape many community problems that actually exist, saying that "The number of marginalized girls is not few, despite being less than their male youth counterparts". Allam added "Till now, most community individuals do not accept to describe those groups as patients in need of assistance and they always suspect the possibility of re-including them in community once again.
Interview by Ahmed Balah – 26 July 2011: Dr. Mangia Al-Swaihi, Professor of Islamic Sciences at Al-Zaitouna University in Tunisia and specialized researcher in the issues of women and reproductive health in the Islamic culture, sees that Islam made a big revolution on behalf of women and that there is a misinterpretation of the Islamic Religion text, which made it divert away from its real purpose.
Cairo - 10 October 2010: Dr. Fattouh El-Chazli, Professor at the Faculty of Law, Alexandria University, Egypt, urged the Arab society to approach in a more positive way population groups which are most vulnerable to HIV infection, so that they are not socially marginalised.“Regardless of personal positions, in terms of consenting to or rejecting risky behaviours, and regardless of our religious beliefs, we have to remain impartial and approach these groups in a way that best protects them and the society”, Dr. El-Chazli said. Moreover, Dr. El-Chazli stressed that controlling HIV transmission is what should be sought in the field of HIV/AIDS.
Cairo, 20 September 2010: Dr. Khadija Moalla, HIV Practice Leader in the Arab States, stated that there are societal factors which cause Arab women to be more vulnerable to HIV infection than men, besides the natural biological factors which also increase the likelihood of viral transmission to women.Dr. Moalla added, in an interview with the Saudi magazine “Rouaa”, “In light of this risk, all efforts should be concerted in order to empower women to obtain their rights so that they can lead safe lives away from the virus.”On social barriers which prevent the release of accurate statistics on the numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Arab countries, Dr. Moalla pointed out that the real problem lies in the difficulty of reaching population groups that are most vulnerable to HIV infection, because of the prevalence of a culture of stigma and discrimination”. 
Jeddah – 8 November 2010: Dr. Khadija Moalla, HIV Practice Leader in the Arab States affirmed in an interview with Saudi "Rotana" magazine that the percentage of women living with HIV/AIDS has increased slightly than that of men during the last two years. Moalla added that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) in our Arab communities still belongs to stigmatized groups, whether man or woman, yet women are more subject to stigmatization than men although 80% of women got infected with the virus inside the framework of marriage relationship. Moalla emphasized that the rights of Arab PLWHIV are still violated as they do not get the right of care regarding psychological, medical, entertainment or servicing support on one hand, or the availability of medicines for treating viruses to whom who need it, or treatment of opportunistic diseases resulting from the deficiency of immunity on the other hand. 
Cairo – 20 October 2010: Psychiatry Specialist and HIV/AIDS Regional Programme in the Arab States (HARPAS) Advisor Olfat Allam affirmed that the culture factor is one of the most significant obstacles standing on the way of optimum dealing with marginalized community groups, particularly as regards women and girls. Allam warned against the culture of denial that we usually follow to escape many community problems that actually exist, saying that "The number of marginalized girls is not few, despite being less than their male youth counterparts". Allam added "Till now, most community individuals do not accept to describe those groups as patients in need of assistance and they always suspect the possibility of re-including them in community once again.