July 23, 2010
 
Dear Advocates,

Today we are pleased to announce the release of the draft second edition of the Good Participatory Practice (GPP) Guidelines for biomedical HIV prevention trials, which were first published by AVAC and UNAIDS in 2007. This version is open for public comment until October 31, 2010. Comments can be sent to avac@avac.org. The second edition of the GPP Guidelines will be finalized and released later in 2010.

Download the draft second edition of GPP for public comment.

The GPP guidelines were created in 2007 to set global standards for stakeholder engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials. The GPP guidelines are intended to provide trial funders, sponsors and implementers with systematic guidance on how to effectively engage with all stakeholders in the design and conduct of biomedical HIV prevention trials. Other stakeholders such as community members can also use the GPP guidelines to evaluate engagement efforts by trial funders, sponsors and implementers. The GPP guidelines are the first set of global guidelines that address community engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials.

After release of the GPP guidelines in late 2007, AVAC issued small grants to 12 organizations globally to provide critical feedback on the first edition of the guidelines. A participatory approach was used to design consultations, which took place with multiple stakeholder groups in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Recommendations from the consultations concerning the guidelines were compiled and analyzed. These recommendations have been incorporated in the 2010 revision of the GPP guidelines. Read about our GPP initiative and GPP partnerships. View a poster of the results of the GPP consultations.

The second edition of the GPP Guidelines consist of three sections:

1. Complexities of biomedical HIV prevention trials describes the realities of the HIV epidemic, the underlying determinants of the epidemic, the context of conducting biomedical HIV prevention trials, and why a participatory approach is necessary to effectively conduct trials.
2. Guiding principles of GPP in biomedical HIV prevention trials outlines the set of principles that serve as the foundation of the relationship between trial funders, sponsors, implementers, and other stakeholders.
3. Good participatory practice standards for biomedical HIV prevention trials describes standards of good participatory practice for trial funders, sponsors, and implementers to follow when designing, preparing for, conducting, and concluding a biomedical HIV prevention trial. This section discusses stakeholder engagement activities to take place at each stage of the research life-cycle.

Comments from all stakeholders involved in biomedical HIV prevention trials -- trial funders and sponsors, research teams, advocates and NGOs, and all others, are warmly welcomed.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us.

Best,
AVAC