UN to support civil society and governments to address gender inequalities and human rights violations that continue to put women and girls at risk of HIV infection

Credit: UNAIDS

New York/Geneva, 2 March 2010 – UNAIDS, together with celebrated artist and activist for women and HIV, Annie Lennox, has launched an Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV (2010–2014), which has been developed to address gender inequalities and human rights violations that continue to put women and girls at risk of HIV infection.

The five-year action plan was launched at a high-level panel during the 54th meeting on the Commission on the Status of Women, being held in New York until 12 March. It calls on the UN system to support governments, civil society and development partners in reinforcing country actions to put women and girls at the centre of the AIDS response, ensuring that their rights are protected.

“Violence against women is unacceptable and must not be tolerated,” said Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director. “By robbing them of their dignity, we are losing the opportunity to tap half the potential of mankind to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Women and girls are not victims, they are the driving force that brings about social transformation.”

UNAIDS and partners will support the country roll-out of the Agenda for Action in pathfinder countries, including Liberia.

Annie Lennox underlined her unshakable commitment to the cause of women and girls affected by HIV.

“I believe we need a broad movement for change,” she said. “The bottom-line for me is that, in essence, we are all the same. All human beings, wherever we are, have the basic right to be happy and healthy. I see this Agenda for Action as a great opportunity to bring the realities faced by many women and girls to the forefront and to call attention to the injustices faced by many women and girls, placing them at a bigger risk of HIV.”

As of December 2008, 33.4 million people were living with HIV worldwide, of which 15.7 million ─ almost half ─ were women. The proportion of women infected with HIV has risen in many regions over of the world over the past 10 years. In sub-Saharan Africa, 60% of people living with HIV are women. Nearly 30 years into the HIV epidemic, HIV services do not sufficiently address the specific realities and needs of women and girls.

"The information on sexual and reproductive health for HIV-positive women and girls is still limited,” said Suksma Ratri, a member of Indonesia’s Positive Women’s Network, who participated in today’s launch. “Being sexually active and HIV-positive at the same time is very difficult. Women and girls living with HIV often have restricted options when it comes to their sexuality. They need an adequate and friendly support system that enables them to make free decisions about their sexuality without being discriminated and stigmatised. I think the Agenda for Action will be a good platform for countries to strengthen services for women and girls."

The Agenda for Action provides clear action points on how the UN can work together with governments, civil society and development partners to:

• produce better information on the specific needs of women and girls in the context of HIV;
• turn political commitments into increased resources and actions so HIV programmes can better respond to the needs of women and girls; and
• support leaders to build safer environments in which women’s and girl’s human rights are protected.

The actions include:

• Improving data collection and analysis to better understand how the epidemic affects women and girls.
• Reinforcing the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign through the AIDS response.
• Ensuring that violence against women is integrated into HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes.
• Analyzing the impact of socio-cultural and economic factors that prevent women and girls from protecting themselves against HIV.
• Supporting women’s groups and networks of women living with HIV to map commitments made by governments on women and HIV.
• Scaling up engagement of men’s and boys’ organizations to support the rights of women and girls.

The launch of the Agenda for Action involved many prominent leaders from the United Nations system, governments and civil society. Speakers included Asha Rose Migiro, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General; Melanne Verveer, US Ambassador at Large for Women’s Global Issues; Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator; and Vabah Gayflor, Liberia’s Minister of Gender and Development.

A version of this story is published at www.unfpa.org

During a high-level panel on the opening day of the 54th Commission on the Status of Women, UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya A. Obaid, speaking on behalf of the United Nations, called attention to the links between the right to sexual and reproductive health and women's empowerment, gender equality and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Throughout the first two weeks of March, the 54th Commission on the Status of Women will conduct a 15-year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This Platform, which emerged from the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, reinforced the importance of women's rights and empowerment as established a year earlier in Cairo. It called for action on 12 key issues: poverty, education and training, health, violence against women (one of UNAIDS nine priority areas), armed conflict, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, media, environment and girls.

The commission will emphasise the sharing of best practices as well as discussion of obstacles and gaps, especially those related to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, whose tenth year review will take place in September. The synergy among the three development platforms has been articulated by UNFPA Executive Director in a statement she has issued to mark International Women’s Day 2010 (8 March).

“In 1994, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), leaders declared for the first time that reproductive health and rights are fundamental to women’s empowerment, gender equality and sustainable development. And fifteen years ago, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, world leaders agreed on a platform for action for equality, development and peace.

“Today many of these agreements are reflected in the Millennium Development Goals to which world leaders have agreed, to reduce poverty and put our world on a more sustainable path…With ideas spreading faster than ever, here is an idea whose time has come: We stand a better chance of solving the world’s problems if men and women join together as equal partners in finding innovative solutions.”

At the commission, UNFPA is participating in several side events on sexual and reproductive health rights, HIV, violence against women, peace and security, the role of men and boys as partners for gender equality, and female migration. The Fund is also releasing a review of its contributions to the Beijing commitments, Beijing at Fifteen: UNFPA and Partners Charting the Way Forward (2010).

Another initiative to promote the idea of gender equality and empowerment of women during 2010 is a special radio/audio series on gender equality and the empowerment of women with a focus on young woman and adolescent girls. The programmes, being produced by UN Radio with support from UNFPA, will explore the challenges facing young adolescent girls, as well as their dreams for the future. Additional activities throughout the year will call attention to the Beijing Platform and its links to the International Conference on Population and Development and the Millennium Development Goals

(from left) Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director; Annie Lennox, artist and political and social activist; Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. NY, 2 March 2010
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

Globally, women and girls continue to be affected disproportionately by HIV. AIDS related illness is the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, women account for approximately 60% of estimated HIV infections. The proportion of women to men living with HIV in Asia rose from 19% in 2000 to 35% in 2008.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé and artist and political and social activist Annie Lennox launched the Agenda for Accelerated Country Action to bring global political attention to the well-being of women and girls today at the United Nations in New York. Today the 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing declaration and Platform for Action opened at the Commission of the Status of Women.

Annie Lennox, artist and political and social activist addresses the launch of the action framework for women, girls and HIV. NY, 2 March 2010
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

Ending violence against women is one of the key priority areas of UNAIDS. Up to 70% of women experience violence in their lifetime–in South Africa a woman is raped every minute.

The launch, moderated by Mr Sidibé, took the form of a dialogue, involving approximately 300 representatives from governments, civil society, and networks of women living with HIV, and women’s rights advocates and activists.

“The brutality faced by many women and girls goes far beyond social policy issues; in essence it is about equality and justice – it must become a foreign policy issue. This Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for women and girls is a path to open dialogue with leaders of countries on how we shape the world of tomorrow,” Mr Sidibé said when opening the floor for discussions.

Annie Lennox called for a broad movement for change saying that AIDS responses should address the rights of women and girls and must challenge gender roles to successfully stop the AIDS epidemic.

Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. NY, 2 March 2010
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

The Agenda for Accelerated Country Action aims to tie the women’s human rights movement with the global AIDS response and mobilize all constituencies, starting with UNAIDS and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, through increased political commitment, stronger capacity and increased resources.

“We know the facts,” Ms Lennox said, “we know that gender inequality puts millions of women and girls across the globe at greater risk of HIV infection. It is unacceptable that only 38% of young women have accurate, comprehensive knowledge of HIV.”

Mr Sidibé asked Ms Lennox how music and culture can play a role in inspiring positive change in societal practices that currently undermine the health of women and girls and violate their rights.

“I’m using my voice to call on leaders—in political, religious and business spheres—and communities to change the power imbalances between men and women, for a better world,” Ms Lennox replied.

The launch involved approximately 300 representatives from governments, civil society, and networks of women living with HIV, and women’s rights advocates and activists.
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

The Agenda for Accelerated Country Action was developed in response to the pressing need to address the persistent gender inequality and human rights violations that affect women and girls specifically. It outlines the need to understand and respond to the particular effects of the HIV epidemic on women and girls and translate political commitments into scaled-up action.

Importantly the Agenda advocates for men to work side by side with women for gender equality, challenging ideals of masculinity that lead to increased risk-taking and sanction violence against women and girls.

The Joint United Nations, which works in countries, will now begin a dialogue with civil society, including networks of women living with HIV and women’s groups, government and development partners to identify opportunities together to step up the response.

Global health Governance: The Scholarly Journal for the New Health Security Paradigm

The next issue of Global Health Governance will focus on Global Health Governance and the AIDS Response. Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Kent Buse, Senior Policy Advisor to the Executive Director, will serve as guest editors for this issue.

This special issue will explore the contributions of the global AIDS response over the last 30 years to innovations in governance principles, paradigms, and practice. It will outline present challenges, opportunities and future directions for improving both the global governance of the AIDS response and governance approaches to human development, security and dignity more generally. AIDS governance at global, national and community levels has not only transformed the nature of health systems governance, but also shed light on a number of socio-political issues with significant implications for human development. The editors seek a balance of theoretical/conceptual and empirical pieces from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives including public health, political science and international relations, international law, philosophy, history, anthropology, business and public administration to better understand and improve this exciting area of practice and enquiry.

The focus of manuscripts must be on the governance of the AIDS response and/or lessons it offers for Global Health Governance. The range of possible article topics is vast and may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Enhancing effectiveness and legitimacy of global governance mechanisms and institutions;
• Systems for inclusive policy-making as well as the engagement of civil society and the private sector in planning, accountability, oversight of national responses;
• Innovations, successes, failures and potential of transparency/accountability mechanisms—including within the multilateral system;
• Process of establishing/validating/disseminating/enforcing novel global norms—particularly concerning sexual and human rights, punitive laws, inclusive policy making, accountability, ethical trials, access; gender;
• Country institutions for governing national responses, such as NACs and CCMs;
• Tensions between concepts of national ownership and global cosmopolitan citizenship and social justice;
• Cross-border civil society interest group formation for policy change and supranational citizenship building;
• Politics of punitive laws—and the role of civil action, networks, partnerships in their repeal;
• Framing and discourse in relation to global priority setting;
• Innovations in communication technologies for global governance;
• AIDS in the context of global and national security as well as global solidarity and justice;
• Lessons from the AIDS response for realizing the right to health through development of novel norms and enforcement processes concerning universal access;
• Role of AIDS activists/networks in development of intellectual property rights discourse/regimes and practice and implications for access to essential health commodities;
• The politics of innovative financing and resource allocation;
• Governance implications of taking the AIDS response out of relative isolation and linking to other efforts to achieve the MDGs;
• Lessons from AIDS partnerships: governance, ethics, politics, public-private interplay.

In addition to academic papers, the Guest Editors will solicit commentaries from thought leaders on topical issues and future directions of global health governance.

Authors should alert the journal of their intention to submit a manuscript, including the proposed title of the paper, the names of the author(s) and an abstract of no more than 250 words no later than 15 March 2010. The abstract should include the research question(s), methods, findings, main argument and implications. The letter should be submitted to Sonja Tanaka, tanakas@unaids.org. The deadline for submissions is 15 June 2010. The provisional date of publication is October 2010.

Timeline

• February 15th—Call for Proposals
• March 15th—Deadline for submissions of Abstracts
• June 15th—Deadline for submission of Manuscripts
• August 10th—Accept/Reject decisions communicated to authors
• September 10th—Deadline for submission of revised Manuscripts
• October—Provisional publication of 2010 Fall issue

There are no submission fees.

More information about the Journal can be found at the Journal web site.

The Sixth Central American Congress on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (CONCASIDA) will take place in San Jose, Costa Rica from 1-5 March 2010 with the theme "Youth: for my right to know and decide."

CONCASIDA, a multi-sector event which aims at sharing experiences, scientific information and research, takes place every two years in a Central American country. This year, the congress aims to focus its attention on youth vulnerability of Central American countries due to the lack of sexual education and the increase in infections within this age group. CONCASIDA also aims to analyze the social impact of this on Central American nations.

A 2008 study carried out by the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF with support from UNAIDS showed that the majority of young people in Costa Rica were sexually active at the age of 16. The study also highlighted that there was lack of HIV information and knowledge among Costa Rican youth.

The study shows that in Limón only about 28% of the young people interviewed know how to use a condom correctly whereas in Puntarenas the percentage drops to about 17%. Furthermore, in both provinces, more than 50% of the adolescents find that asking a partner to use a condom could be interpreted as a sign of mistrust. Finally, 43% in both provinces think that a young girl carrying condoms in her purse is a woman with a “doubtful reputation.”

This year’s main themes of the congress include care, control and surveillance; prevention and promotion; risk factors for social and psycho-emotional; human rights and legislation; and monitoring and evaluation of HIV and AIDS commitments.

During the congress, different stakeholders will present the result of their work and search alternatives for more effective ways to respond to the AIDS epidemic.

(from left) Dr Julio Montaner, Director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and President of the International AIDS Society; Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director. Vancouver, 26 February 2010.
Credit: UNAIDS

A global summit on HIV was hosted by LifeSciences British Columbia, the BC Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) on 26 February against the backdrop of the 2010 Olympic Games. Endorsed by the International AIDS Society, the event "The Impact of Science & Innovation in the Evolving Global Health Paradigm: HIV and AIDS - A Challenge of Olympic Proportion" brought together world leaders in HIV research, health, innovation and policy to share latest and compelling perspectives on the challenges being faced under a shifting global health paradigm.

During the international summit, UNAIDS Executive Michel Sidibé called on the Prime Minister of Canada to ensure that the G8 delivers on its commitment to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. “As the host [of this year’s G8 Summit], Prime Minister Stephen Harper can set a bold agenda for the summit.”

“The G8 commitment to universal access must be fulfilled. For tens of millions of people, please do not allow their hope for universal access to be transformed into a universal nightmare.”

Dr Stefano Bertozzi, the recently appointed HIV Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, described the impact of the global financial crisis on funding for AIDS. “The slowdown of global funding for HIV risks backsliding in the continued scale-up of HIV treatment.”

Bertozzi described the financial crisis as an important opportunity to improve the efficiency of HIV programmes, which can also be used to improve the performance of health systems. He called on using treatment more creatively and effectively to serve the goals of both prevention and treatment. “Comprehensive combination prevention presents the ideal marriage of treatment and prevention.”

This meeting was organized by Dr Julio Montaner, Director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and President of the International AIDS Society. Dr Montaner described British Columbia’s ambitious $48 million pilot programme to send health-care workers onto the streets of Vancouver to diagnose and treat hard-to-reach populations such as people who inject drugs, using early treatment as an aggressive form of prevention. The programme, called “Seek and Treat”, will improve access to treatment to the populations that are still disproportionately affected by HIV in Vancouver.

The meeting also featured a message from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about its innovative HIV campaign during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Tommy Sithole, Director of International Cooperation for the IOC, cited the IOC’s partnership with UNAIDS as an example of how the Olympics can be used to highlight information about HIV. “The IOC can reach out on your behalf to the billions of people around the world that follow the Olympics. During these impressive Olympics in Vancouver, we are working towards our common goal of a world without HIV.”

Honorine B has opened her own successful business as a result of the ILO/SIDA cooperative project.
Credit: ILO

Many people living with HIV face not only health issues but may also struggle to make ends meet economically. A number of HIV-positive women in north west Cameroon are taking the initiative by generating income through cooperatives, with the assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Cooperatives (coops) have historically provided much needed support for the disadvantaged, but people living with HIV have been marginalised or ignored, with coops sometimes refusing to disburse grants in the belief that investing in them would not see worthwhile returns. This project, set up last year, aims to change that.

The project aims that women gain more financial independence and generally enhance the quality of their lives. So far it has helped more than 100 women to operate in a broad range of areas including commerce, tailoring, designing, rearing pigs and poultry, secretarial support and communication services.

A revolving micro-credit fund scheme was set up in three micro-finance institutions across the North-west Region in Bamenda, Kumbo and Wum.

A number of safeguards were put in place by the ILO and its partners to try to ensure the project’s success. Support structures, called ‘Centres of Competence’ were provided by the CoopAfrica organization. These centres offered skills and resources for cooperative members to prosper and grow, pool resources and become increasingly empowered.

As well as funding grants for the micro-projects, assistance included training managers and psycho social and economic counsellors from the targeted micro-finance institutions to support beneficiaries. The training package contained business development, management procedures, AIDS support, counselling and stigma reduction components.

Capacity-building workshops were also held for HIV-positive women from the targeted communities on various aspects of running a business. Following the assessment of 192 micro-projects submitted after the training, 68 received seed funding and all of the beneficiaries are now running their own businesses.

Cheaka Toure from the ILO sub-regional office for central Africa believes that through this project both people living with HIV and their communities benefit. He notes that not only do resources go directly to those who are HIV-positive but they become key participants in the local AIDS response. “The project addresses HIV issues in a comprehensive and integrated way, combining behaviour change and care with economic empowerment of people living with HIV who are now main actors in their own destiny and can take care of themselves economically.”

Evodia A, one of the beneficiaries, has seen her life turned around. “I rear pigs. Before the project I had a single pig and with the funds that I got, I now have six. I have even set up a garden which is being fertilised with material from the piggery and now I harvest vegetables from the garden for my nutrition.”

A key knock-on effect of the relative success of the project is a greater self-confidence and hope among the women. Many others living with HIV have also expressed their willingness to become involved in the scheme.

Dameni Oussematou from Integrated Development Foundation, an ILO partner, has noticed this newfound self-confidence. “I am impressed by the rapid change the coop members are demonstrating. They are now business oriented…. and proud to show it. The saving habit is gaining ground; the repayment rate is 98% in two of the three cooperatives”. He adds, “And men living with HIV have expressed a strong willingness to be targeted by this intervention too”.

Dr Mamadou L Sakho, the UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Cameroon, shares this enthusiasm for the cooperatives. “This is a large and notable project. A great deal of progress has been made and it has certainly had an impact at local level and reflects and responds to issues on the ground. It would be welcome to see knowledge about the intervention reach a wider audience now.”

There have been numerous lessons learned. For instance, the capacity of the beneficiaries needs to be further built, given their heavy reliance on frequent visits from cooperative institutions to monitor their businesses and provide guidance. Identifying a greater number of activities with high income potential for the future is also suggested.

It is clear that the HIV-positive women taking part in the project have increased business acumen and insight which bodes well for their greater economic independence. A number have said that they now keep financial records for the first time and are better able to track the growth of their businesses. According to Honorine B, she has never looked back: “Before the project I bought my selling items in small quantities. I have increased my stock because of the project. I have opened a business place and have added plantains and cocoyam… I heartily thank the project.”

In Cambodia HIV prevalence has fallen to an estimated 0.7% among the adult population in 2009, down from a high of 2% in 1998. With this it is one of the few countries in the world which has achieved Millennium Development Goal 6 – to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV by 2015. At the same time, intensive work is underway to ensure Cambodia reaches its ambitious, yet attainable, universal access targets for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by end of 2010.

Political commitment at the highest level is recognized as a critical factor in Cambodia’s success in creating a supportive legislative and policy environment, and building a strong multisectoral national response to HIV.

Cambodia is one of the first countries in the region to establish a Law on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS to eliminate stigma and discrimination and protect the rights of people living with HIV and those with risk behaviours for HIV.

It is against this backdrop that the Commission No. 8 with support from the National AIDS Authority, the UNDP Legislature Assistance Project of the National Assembly, Family Health International USAID funded Prasit Project, and UNAIDS, developed the Parliamentary Handbook on HIV. It was launched at the National Assembly on January 29, 2010.

“The Parliamentary Handbook on HIV provides an opportunity to renew the commitment to scale up services for universal access. As leaders accountable to the people of Cambodia, Parliamentarians’ understanding of the HIV epidemic and response is vital”, said Tony Lisle UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Cambodia.

In a mature HIV response, such as Cambodia’s, policies and legislation must be proactive, rather than reactive. Community involvement is key to address both the individual and societal factors that make people vulnerable to HIV infection, including men who have sex with sex workers, the wives of these men, sex and entertainment workers themselves, young people, men who have sex with men, and people who use drugs.

Also, through public forums and partnerships with civil society, parliamentarians can better monitor the effectiveness of the Law on Prevention and Control of HIV. Parliamentarians have a crucial role to examine how acts such as the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation and the draft Law on Drug Control affect the scaling up of universal access to prevention, treatment, and care and support.

As such, parliamentarians’ active oversight of the HIV response is imperative. This includes meeting with communities, and reviewing progress, gaps and bottlenecks with respect to critical issues, such as eliminating HIV-related stigma and discrimination, ensuring access to quality treatment and health care, and intensifying prevention among most at risk populations, as well as working with the ministry of interior to ensure that laws are properly enforced.

The Parliamentary Handbook on HIV is a user-friendly resource, presenting brief and concise information about the epidemic, its causes, responses, as well as parliamentarians’ roles and responsibilities. It is an enabling tool in Parliamentarians’ work to ensure an effective HIV response across advocacy, leadership, policy and legislative areas.

(from left) UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé greets Acting President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan while Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global Coordinator on AIDS looks on. Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria. 22 February 2010
Credit: UNAIDS

There are nearly three million people living with HIV in Nigeria. After South Africa, the country has the largest number of people living with HIV in the continent. Each day there are about 1000 new infections. National HIV prevalence is around 4.6%. But these figures mask the multiple epidemics in the various states of the country. Many of the people living with HIV are poor. Add to this stigma and discrimination.

Acting President Dr Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria knows this first hand. In his past role as Governor of Bayelsa state, he pioneered cash transfer of 10,000 Naira (around US$ 70) per month for each person living with HIV to meet their nutrition needs. He also hoped that this would also lead to greater awareness about HIV and contribute to reducing the stigma faced by people living with HIV in the community.

“I feel that nobody should die of AIDS,” said the Acting President Jonathan in a meeting with the Mr Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director and Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global Coordinator on AIDS at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria today. “HIV is fast becoming a disease of poverty and we must take a developmental approach to address the issue.”

(from left) Nigeria’s Health Minister Professor Babatunde Osotimehin in discussion with UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. 22 February 2010, Nigeria.
Credit: UNAIDS

Commending the Acting President for his progressive policies on AIDS, Mr Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director said, “ Nigeria must take the lead in setting the regional and African Union agenda in eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015. Without Nigeria’s leadership, this goal will not be met in the African continent.”

Echoing the similar sentiments Ambassador Eric Goosby called for new strategic thinking on how to get ahead. “Programmes to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV will need to be owned and sustained locally,” said Ambassador Goosby.

Mr Sidibé and Ambassador Goosby are on a joint visit to Nigeria during which they also met with Health Minister Professor Babatunde Osotimehin. The health minister commended UNAIDS for mobilizing the participation of non-governmental organizations, faith-based entities and the private sector to support the national AIDS response. “This has helped us gain momentum in rolling out access to services,” said Professor Babtunde. “We still have challenges. We are aware that resources are limited, but we must meet the expectations of the people we have mobilized.”

(from left) Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Patrick Yakowa; UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé; and Kaduna State Governor, Arc. Muhammed Namadi Sambo. 22 February 2010, Nigeria.
Credit: UNAIDS

Before his meetings in Abuja, Mr Sidibe also visited the Kaduna state, where adult HIV prevalence is around 7%. While in Kaduna he called on the Governor of the state, Mr Namadi Mohammed Sambo. Kaduna is on the verge of eliminating polio, the Governor proudly announced at the meeting attended by senior state officials. “We must now show similar dedication in reaching the universal access goals in Kaduna,” said Governor Sambo. “However we need continued technical and financial support to scale up access to services.”

Nigeria has only 30% of the resources available to meet the needs of the national AIDS response. The global economic downturn has had a negative impact on the resources available at the national and state level. Only 15% of spending on AIDS in the country comes from the domestic sources. But this has not stopped them from pursuing a dynamic agenda. A new national strategic framework on HIV is being prepared, that will aim to catch up on its universal access targets. Making most of the money available is one of the top priorities for the National Agency for the control of AIDS (NACA). It has begun to take the lead in coordinating the divergent sources of support the country receives and channel them towards people most in need. “Management of all resources—external and internal is very crucial to make a difference,” said Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

(from left) United States Ambassador to Nigeria Robin Renèe Sanders; Ambassador Eric Goosby, United States Global Coordinator on AIDS; and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.
Credit: UNAIDS

At the same time Nigeria has to start a policy dialogue to explore alternate approaches for promoting universal access that is sustainable. “One approach would be to democratise problem solving,” said Mr Sidibé. “This would give communities and people a chance to prioritise and hold themselves accountable.” The country is now applying the lessons learnt from the UNAIDS “three ones” principles to other health issues. It is forming a combined taskforce for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The country now has a single national strategic framework for health that is costed and disaggregated for each of its states.

There is a growing demand for access to treatment and prevention services within Nigeria. This can be met by strengthening the current partnership between global, national and local partners. “The economic meltdown is not a reason for reducing investments that save babies and keep mothers alive,” said Mr Sidibe. “We cannot afford to let down the four million people living on treatment and the millions who are waiting for it.” Nigeria has a long way to go, but it is on the road already—providing access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

A version of this story first appeared at undp.org

United Nations Development Programme Administrator Miss Helen Clark paid a three-day visit to Papua New Guinea to highlight significant opportunities which exist to promote investment in public service delivery, empower women, and advance the country's development agenda.
Credit: UNDP

United Nations Development Programme Administrator Miss Helen Clark highlighted HIV issues during her visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG). In her meetings with senior government and other officials, she underlined that “the United Nations development system stands ready to continue working with the Government and the people of Papua New Guinea in overcoming existing development challenges and accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, especially in areas such as education, health, advancing women’s empowerment and combating HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

At the UNDP Leadership Development Programme on HIV run by the Friends Foundation in the Gerehu suburb Miss Clark praised the programme for supporting people to back to their communities to find innovative ways to respond to the AIDS epidemic. Programmes include includes supporting orphans and reducing stigma and discrimination. She also met with one of three family sexual violence units at the Boroko police station in Port Mores which assists survivors of gender-based and domestic violence.

Miss Clark launched the Second National MDG Progress Report together with the Minister for National Planning and District Development, Mr Paul Tiensten. As the report highlights, Papua New Guinea is currently off track to meet the Millennium Development Goals, including in areas of responding to HIV, reducing child and maternal mortality, and promoting gender equality.

“The sad truth is that where we see progress towards the MDGs lagging the most is often where the needs and status of women and girls are accorded low priority,” she said.

At the inauguration of the National Women’s Forum on Equality and Participation for Women: a Better Future for Papua New Guinea, which Miss Clark co-chaired with the Minister for Community Development, Dame Carol Kidu, the discussion focused on the need to increase women’s voices and participation in politics as a critical means to promote democracy, advance gender equality, and achieve sustainable and inclusive development.

Women in decision-making has been a critical issue in Papua New Guinea against a backdrop of a high level of gender-based violence coupled with high rates of HIV among women and girls between the ages of 15-29 years. Papua New Guinea currently has only one female Member of Parliament, and efforts are underway to reserve 22 seats for women in Parliament.

“Efforts to promote gender equality, including promoting girls’ education, improving maternal health, combating gender-based violence, and securing female representation in government leadership positions, are of critical importance to advance development in Papua New Guinea,” said Miss Clark. “Unleashing the potential of Papua New Guinea means giving women the same opportunities in life as men,” she said.