The federal government in partnership with international development partners, have responded to the challenge of HIV/AIDS epidemic by mandating the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to coordinate the activities of all stakeholders working in the area of HIV/AIDS for the entire country.

This was disclosed by the Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Ademola Onakomaiya, during the 'FCT HIV/AIDS Expanded Partners Forum' in Abuja Thursday.

He said in compliance with the national strategy and as more donors and implementing partners get involved in the response at the state level, there is the tendency for an overlap and possible duplication of functions in the context of coordinating a multi-sectoral response.

Dr. Onakomaiya said even though the adoption and implementation of the "Three Ones" principle for the coordination of HIV/AIDS response is the responsibility of government at all levels, it can only serve to enhance effectiveness, speed and sustainable results to the extent that there is active support from donor partners.

He said the call for a better coordination of HIV/AIDS response is therefore fully in line with the statement adopted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministers and Agency Heads in Paris in 2004.

In his remarks, Project Manager, FCT Agency for the Control of AIDS (FACA), Dr. Uche Okoro, said the forum will provide a platform for harmonizing partners' activities in line with the overall strategic direction to increase synergy between their programmes, thus avoiding duplication.

He said it is therefore imperative that FACA takes an inventory of development partners and donor agencies with a view to identifying and harnessing the various resources to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the key areas of their intervention for FCT wide expanded comprehensive response to be realised.