HOPE AMIDST CRISIS: UNAIDS new commitments to halt HIV/AIDS
By:
Igor G. Mocorro (Philippines)
Youth Observer/Reporter sponsored by the World AIDS Campaign
Day 2 of the 24th UNAIDS PCB Meeting; June 23, 2009
“When Pandora closed a box again, the only thing left inside was hope."
Hope, and the conviction it inspires, is what has enabled millions of people living
with HIV to keep fighting, against all odds, to change the world. It is this hope that has driven UNAIDS," Michel Sidibe, as he delivered his first report as the UNAIDS Executive Director at the 2nd day of the 24th UNAIDS Programme
Coordinating Board Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his 48-minute speech, Sidibe reaffirmed UNAIDS commitment on universal access to HIV & AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support, despite the challenges and threats of economic crisis and other emerging global infectious diseases such as the AH1N1
virus. With AIDS killing 2 million people each year, he stressed the importance of evidence-based interventions as pillars of effective HIV & AIDS responses, and promised changes and a more efficient UNAIDS, by bringing in
more partnerships, cooperation, diplomacy and proactive engagement at every UNAIDS country level.
In 2008, 14 billion US dollars was spent on HIV and AIDS programs. Sexual
transmission remains the leading mode of HIV infection worldwide, and the need to reduce sexual transmission of HIV, particularly in generalized epidemics in Africa, is of prime importance. Sidibe promised that UNAIDS will allocate funding to reach those most at risk of HIV infection, and to end the single approach to HIV prevention by focusing on the combination of preventive measures to HIV infection.
This includes the application of harm reduction to control the epidemic among injecting drug users (IDUs), which has been proven to be effective and can reduce billions of dollars of money spending.
While the momentum to stop AIDS is building globally, the UNAIDS Executive Director reminded everyone not to lose sight of the global picture of HIV & AIDS, and that the goal to end the epidemic is the most important. To quote Sidibe: “To end the epidemic it is not enough to provide treatment to everyone infected with HIV, as this
strategy will only mean struggling forever, rather the world
should strive to defeat HIV decisively by supporting the Global Fund to look for a cure or a vaccine, or both.” He asked everyone to
support the initiative to bring back into the priority agenda the goal of the discovery of HIV cure or vaccine.
Mr. Sidibe extended his salutation to the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), citing the good partnership between the two organizations in forging a new movement for positive health, dignity, and prevention, in regard to HIV & AIDS. He recognized the strong participation and meaningful engagement of people living with HIV on the AIDS response, and called for every country to adopt human rights-based
policies, removing punitive laws that discriminate against men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, people who use drugs, migrants and people living with HIV.
He claimed that these laws block the AIDS response
and emphasized the removal of travel restrictions on the basis of HIV status. Sidibe recognized the instrumental role of Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for South Korea to lift its travel restriction policy against
people living with HIV. Likewise, he was glad to mention the reversal of Senegal's policy on the criminalization of men who have sex with men, after UNAIDS intervention.
Moving forward on the agenda of HIV and AIDS, UNAIDS' new leadership aims to address gender equity, to support women and girls, and young people. To ensure the efficiency of the agency, Sidibe laid out the
plan to reform UNAIDS, which include the creation of policies that address diversity of UNAIDS staff, such as the recognition of
same sex and domestic partnership; cutting of
operational costs of the agency to better support the other programs of the UNAIDS, such as reducing travel costs and publication printing; involvement of young people at the UNAIDS
through its internship training program for youth; strengthening the partnerships between UNAIDS and donors, such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund.
The Executive Director has cited the Asia Pacific Region as a good example of partnership between the Global Fund and UNAIDS.
While America and Europe have almost zero percent cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Africa remains a challenge to UNAIDS, with 300,000 babies born with HIV annually. Sibide set a target to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015, by improving maternal and child health worldwide.
UNAIDS, as a joint programme of the United
Nations' agencies, will embark on delivering as one on AIDS at the country level under Sidibe's leadership in the coming years. It will aim for the harmonization of various UN agencies' programs on HIV & AIDS, and the inclusion of HIV & AIDS issues across the UN system.
Igor G.
Mocorro, RN, MPH (c)
Youth Advocate & Founder
Youth AIDS Filipinas Alliance (YAFA)
http://www.youthaidsfilipinasalliance.org- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-www.youthaidscoalition.org-
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