Infectious diseases are among the biggest challenges the people of the basin are facing today. The HIV and AIDS pandemic and other diseases are putting pressure on the socio-economic environment as well as on natural resources, and poverty is both a catalyst and an effect. Efforts are being made to contain the spread of the HIV virus and reduce the infection rates.

The Southern African Development Community The Zambezi River Basin is the largest river basin wholly within SADC and the most shared natural resource in the region. The basin is home to almost 40 million people living in some parts of Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Infectious diseases are among the biggest challenges the people of the basin are facing today. The HIV and AIDS pandemic and other diseases are putting pressure on the socio-economic environment as well as on natural resources, and poverty is both a catalyst and an effect. Efforts are being made to contain the spread of the HIV virus and reduce the infection rates. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has risen to the challenges posed by the HIV and AIDS pandemic and has put in place mechanisms to allow a multi-sectoral response. The regional response is contained in the Maseru Declaration on HIV and AIDS signed by SADC heads of state and government at a special Summit in Lesotho in July 2003.

SADC leaders identified the following as priority areas requiring urgent attention and action:

• prevention and social mobilisation;
• improving care, access to counselling and testing services, treatment and support;
• accelerating development and mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS;
• intensifying resource mobilisation; and
• strengthening institutional, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.