Report calls for stronger commitment in AIDS fight
Jun 06, 2006
A high level meeting starts soon in New York to review progress on implementing agreed actions during the United Nations Special General Assembly (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in 2001.
By Paul Banoba
A high level meeting starts soon in New York to review progress on implementing agreed actions during the United Nations Special General Assembly (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in 2001.
Countries committed themselves to specific achievements in rolling back HIV/AIDS.
According to a report released by the Panos AIDS programme, there is some progress made by many countries in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic globally.
However, many countries may not achieve the millennium development goal of halting and reversing the epidemic by 2015. And what is lacking is stronger political commitment.
From studies by the Panos Institute on the progress being made in implementing the UNGASS declaration in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Latvia, Malawi, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the report cites political commitment as one of the problems.
“There are still lots of challenges facing the global response to HIV/AIDS,†says Ronald Kayanja, Director of the Panos Global AIDS programme. “There is need for stronger political commitment; countries need to put more resources in their national responses. There is urgent need to provide comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support services to vulnerable groups including sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.â€
For prevention services, the report argues for moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to one which is tailored to the type of epidemic a country is experiencing. It calls for focus on providing effective prevention services to those most vulnerable to the epidemic.
“In most countries, the national response is largely donor-driven. This raises significant questions about national ownership and sustainability,†the report states. This also makes monitoring and evaluation systems donor-focused and under-resourced.
Countries, including Uganda, whose success has been hailed, still need to scale up access to antiretroviral therapy, care and support, monitoring and advocacy as well as working on stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS. The report is available on the Panos website http://www.panosaids.org/publications/ungass_synthesis.pdf.
Ends
A high level meeting starts soon in New York to review progress on implementing agreed actions during the United Nations Special General Assembly (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in 2001.
Countries committed themselves to specific achievements in rolling back HIV/AIDS.
According to a report released by the Panos AIDS programme, there is some progress made by many countries in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic globally.
However, many countries may not achieve the millennium development goal of halting and reversing the epidemic by 2015. And what is lacking is stronger political commitment.
From studies by the Panos Institute on the progress being made in implementing the UNGASS declaration in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Latvia, Malawi, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the report cites political commitment as one of the problems.
“There are still lots of challenges facing the global response to HIV/AIDS,†says Ronald Kayanja, Director of the Panos Global AIDS programme. “There is need for stronger political commitment; countries need to put more resources in their national responses. There is urgent need to provide comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support services to vulnerable groups including sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.â€
For prevention services, the report argues for moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to one which is tailored to the type of epidemic a country is experiencing. It calls for focus on providing effective prevention services to those most vulnerable to the epidemic.
“In most countries, the national response is largely donor-driven. This raises significant questions about national ownership and sustainability,†the report states. This also makes monitoring and evaluation systems donor-focused and under-resourced.
Countries, including Uganda, whose success has been hailed, still need to scale up access to antiretroviral therapy, care and support, monitoring and advocacy as well as working on stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS. The report is available on the Panos website http://www.panosaids.org/publications/ungass_synthesis.pdf.
Ends