Economic crisis no cause to cut AIDS funding to Asia
An Asian civil society body has called upon governments, donors and UN agencies to not cut back on funds towards AIDS programmes under the current economic crisis. It also draws attention to increasing inequalities, violence against women and migrations in the region that make the AIDS issue more complex.
On World AIDS Day, December 1, 2008, the Asian People’s Alliance for Combating HIV and AIDS (APACHA) has called on governments worldwide not to make the global economic crisis an excuse for cutting back on their commitments to funding AIDS programmes.
The organisation, which is Asia’s largest multi-sectoral civil society organisation combating the causes and consequences of HIV and AIDS, has demanded “wider collaboration of governments, donors, UN agencies, civil society, social and political movement groups to come together and take immediate action to respect human dignity and save millions of lives affected by HIV and AIDS”.
The HIV/AIDS challenges facing Asian countries arise out of a number of factors: debilitating human rights conditions, increasing democratic deficit, unabated conflicts, and increasing religious fundamentalism in most countries of Asia. Increasing inequalities, mass migrations and violence, particularly against women, make the issue of HIV and AIDS more complex.
Poor families with HIV face a number of serious and multiple crises. They are unable to meet treatment costs and are often compelled to sell their land and property. They end up being trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and illness, says a statement from APACHA.
The statement also targets weak public healthcare systems in the region. HIV programmes are still donor-funded with governments unwilling to increase budget allocations. Poor governance means the money does not reach affected communities. Funding mechanisms and effective monitoring and evaluation systems, and transparent governance mechanisms at the global and local levels, must be put in place.
APACHA identifies failings peculiar to the region. “Issues that do not carry considerable political weight fail to arouse much interest in Asian civil society and politics.”
The problems of marginal populations are of little political significance and thus receive little attention. Both civil society and ongoing social movements in the region are still reluctant to talk about HIV and AIDS.
In June 2001, 189 heads of state and government representatives signed the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS. They promised to fight stigma and discrimination, promote prevention, mobilise resources, advocate universal access to treatment and promote accountability. At a time of economic crisis, this should not be an excuse to reverse their promises, the statement concludes.
