In Bangkok there was frequent discussion of monitoring and evaluation programs, particularly with respect to the "three ones" -- one plan, one coordination mechanism, one m&e framework. Despite the great importance of m&e, there isn't a lot of obvious activity in this area. The UNAIDS site has the most comprehensive M&E section of any organization -- but it hasn't been updated for two years. The best (only?) recent resource on M&E, the "Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit" compiled by the Global Fund and others, has, according to AltaVista, only four organizations linking to the Global Fund's document download area: The Global Fund, WHO, USAID (co-authors of the document) and AIDS Matters. (As a point of contrast, the UNAIDS 2004 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic has about 150 organizations linking to it.) The Global Fund is, at the least, ramping up m&e efforts (including advertising two job openings for M&E officers), and I know that donors continue to try to coordinate on M&E issues. The next twelve months are pivotal in persuading donors that initial investments in combating AIDS are sound -- which is very little time for enhancing efforts.

The IAEN today published a follow-up interview with Paul Farmer in which he responds to reader questions from around the world. Highlights include his estimates of total costs in Haiti of "good AIDS care" ($500 per patient / year); time to a useful vaccine (15 years); and important "neglected ideas" (complete integration of prevention and care; community-based and supervised care called "DOT-HAART"; and the importance of linking AIDS projects to women's health and TB projects).  He also highlights the new treatment guide published by Partners in Health which is certainly one of the most important AIDS books this year.