RESPONDING TO HIV AND AIDS
IN THE ZAMBEZI BASIN
SADC Member States have been implementing programmes
since the mid-1980s to prevent or reduce
the transmission of HIV and other STDs and reduce
the socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS among
individuals, families and communities.
The early HIV and AIDS response was mainly centered
on raising awareness for behaviour change
(abstinence, mutual faithfulness), condom promotion,
treatment of STDs as well as clinical and home-based
care. These early approaches were predominantly
medical and health-focused in nature and largely neglected
the participation of other sectors.
There has been a shift, however, from a medical
to a more multi-sectoral, participatory and inclusive
approach as the epidemic has continued to evolve
and its effects have become increasingly cross-cutting.
There was a realisation that the health sector
alone could not respond to, and cope with the
wide-ranging socio-economic consequences.
Regional and national efforts
At the Summit on HIV and AIDS in Maseru in July
2003, SADC leaders approved the establishment of a
regional fund for the implementation of the SADC HIV
and AIDS Strategic Framework and Programme of
Action 2003-2007. They urged international cooperating
partners and international development finance
institutions to contribute generously to the fund.
The Maseru Declaration on the Fight against HIV
and AIDS in the SADC Region reaffirms SADC’s
commitment to combating HIV and AIDS through
multi-sectoral strategic interventions.
Although there is no joint policy among the eight
Zambezi basin states, there are national strategies to
tackle the pandemic. According to a SADC report
on HIV and AIDS Policies in Southern Africa published
in 2002, many countries in the region have
elevated HIV and AIDS to national priority status.
There is broad consensus in the region that HIV is
impacting on health as well as social and economic
development and that it requires a collaborative
response involving various stakeholders.
All policies reviewed in the 2002 SADC report
promoted multi-sectoralism as a core part of their
response. There is a movement among SADC countries
to uphold the human rights of people living
with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) and to formulate policies
in alignment with the United Nations
Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS. This
builds on the framework provided by the Abuja
Declaration and Framework for Action for the Fight
Against HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other
Related Infectious Diseases in Africa (April 2001).
The basin countries are also guided by the SADC
Health Protocol that has declared HIV and AIDS a
regional priority as it a threatens the region’s social,
political and economic infrastructure.
A SADC HIV and AIDS Task Force was established
in 1999 to develop a strategy and to plan,
coordinate, implement and monitor progress of the
strategy against the pandemic at a national and
regional level. The region’s approach is guided by
the SADC HIV and AIDS Strategic Framework for
2000-2004, which has as its major goals to:
- mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS;
- reduce and prevent the incidence of HIV infection
amongst the most vulnerable groups in SADC;
- review, develop and harmonise policies and legislation
aimed at prevention and control of HIV
transmission.
Almost all the countries in southern Africa have policies
on HIV and AIDS issues relating to human rights,
voluntary counseling and testing, behaviour changes,
condom promotion, prevention of Sexually
Transmitted Infections (STIs), safe blood, Mother To
Child Transmission (MTCT), breast-feeding, care for
PLWHA, gender, youth, research and surveillance,
poverty, orphans, widows and widowers, and culture.
In an effort to address underlying factors that
promote vulnerability to HIV, a number of Zambezi
basin countries have established policies to promote
gender equality, improve women’s socio-economic
status, and address violence against women.
Sector-specific policies and strategies to mount HIV
control activities vary considerably in the region
with respect to:
- degree of HIV programming within a given line
ministry;
- degree of integration of sector programmes in
national HIV and AIDS strategies;
- degree of coordination to maximise impact
across sectors;
- level of monitoring and evaluation of individual
and joint programmes;
- method of financing multi-sectoral approaches;
and
- which sectors play lead roles.
|
