title: Resource flows and levels of spending for the response to HIV and AIDS in Belarus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Belarus has a focused HIV epidemic concentrated among injecting drug users, female sex workers and men who have sex with men. However, until 2008, Belarus had no way of evaluating HIV spending priorities. In 2008, Belarus committed to undertaking a comprehensive National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) in order to analyze HIV spending priorities. NASA was used to 'follow the money' from the funding sources to agents and providers, and eventually to beneficiary populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Belarus spent the majority of its funding on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and on securing the blood supply. International donors and NGOs working within Belarus spent the majority of their funding on preventative activities for high risk groups while Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) solely funded antiretroviral treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data and experience obtained through conducting NASA will help build capacity for future resource tracking activities for HIV and other health priorities. This experience established the foundation for enhanced and future consistent quality-reporting of National Health Accounts. Monitoring the flow of resources for Belarus' HIV response provides valuable strategic information that can improve operations and planning as well as mobilize greater resources. NASA offers Belarusian policy makers an overview of HIV activities that merit their priority attention. In addition, the findings from Belarus are particularly relevant for the rest of the Commonwealth of Independent States due to their similar epidemiological profiles and centrally planned systems. The Belarusian government faces future challenges, especially in increasing public investments in HIV prevention for female sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men, and among intravenous drug users.
authors.affiliation: Economics and Financing Division, UNAIDS, Avenue Appia 20 Geneva, 1211, Switzerland. avilac@unaids.org.
authors.forename: Valentina I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Kachan
authors.forename: Alena I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Tkachova
authors.forename: Eleanora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gvozdeva
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Urbanovich
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yakusik
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amico
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avila-Figueroa