Vienna, Austria – 7 February 2012 – IDLO Director-General Irene Khan met with the Director General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Mr. Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish, at OFID headquarters in Vienna to thank OFID for their historic support to IDLO and to discuss the possibilities for future collaboration.

“Thanks to OFID’s support, our HIV Legal services program has helped thousands of people living with HIV to have access to legal services and fight back against discrimination,” said Ms. Khan. “We welcome our continued partnership with OFID to make a difference through law and good governance.”

“OFID is proud to be associated with IDLO and its work in advancing the rule of law in developing countries. At the heart of both our organizations is the shared desire to promote human and economic progress and secure a better future for disadvantaged peoples,” declared OFID’s Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish.

OFID is the first and only international organization to become a member of IDLO. Its relationship dates back to IDLO’s establishment in 1983, with IDLO’s founding Chairman, the then Director-General of OFID, the late Dr. Ibrahim Shihata.

OFID has played an active role within IDLO’s governing bodies and provided programming support for IDLO’s work, particularly for the Health Law Program, providing HIV-related legal services.

IDLO’s HIV program enables people living with HIV and key populations to access quality legal services. It empowers key populations by providing legal information, advice and representation to claim their rights, and, ensures that HIV-related laws and policies are applied effectively by legal professionals.

In so many countries where people living with HIV are discriminated against, IDLO is using the law to set standards which make HIV-related discrimination unacceptable.