At present, no UN agency is dedicated exclusively to women's human rights and development needs. A set of under-resourced entities are expected to address the concerns of half the world's population. Nearing the end of his term, the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis proposed the creation of an independent multilateral agency with the stature and resources necessary to meaningfully improve the lives of women. It is argued that the UN's failure to dedicate the necessary resources to ensure women's systemic equality indicates more than neglect or indifference. It sends a powerful message that women are not worthy of expenditure. It implies that women's lives are not as valuable as the lives of others.
Equity and HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS and the women left behind
Erdman J, Kelly L: Toronto Star, 19 July 2006
No bright future: Government failures, human rights Abuses and Squandered Progress in the fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe
Human Rights Watch, July 2006
Zimbabwe has been widely hailed as a success story in the fight against AIDS since reporting in October 2005 a decline in HIV prevalence among adults from 25% in 2001 to 20% in 2004. In the face of the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on the country, a declining economy, growing international isolation, decreased funding from international donors for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and a disintegrating public health sector, Zimbabwe’s achievement was indeed significant. Despite the positive news, however, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe remains a serious crisis with some three hundred and fifty thousand of the 1.6 million people carrying the virus in immediate need of life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and another six hundred thousand in need of care and support. The paper argues that the progress gained so far could be undermined by policies and practices that violate the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and those most at risk of infection.
The political management of HIV and AIDS in South Africa: One burden too many?
Fourie P: Palgrave, July 2006
This book analyzes successive governments' management (and mismanagement) of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. The book covers the years 1982-2005, using expert thinking regarding public policy making to identify gaps in the public sector's handling of the epidemic. The book highlights critical lessons for policy makers and other public health managers.
Training and HIV-treatment scale-up: Establishing an implementation research agenda
McCarthy EA, O’Brien ME, Rodriguez WR: PLOS Medicine 3 (7), July 2006
The provision of HIV treatment and care in resource-limited settings is expanding rapidly. Health-worker training is one of many factors critical to the rapid scale-up of high-quality care. Large numbers of health workers require HIV training; yet, few countries have a comprehensive training plan, a clear assessment of ongoing training needs, a plan to operationalize training on a large scale, or adequate funds budgeted for training. In this setting, an extensive variety of HIV-related training programs have sprung up over the past few years. Unfortunately, there are limited data measuring their effectiveness, and there is no consensus about what constitutes effective training.
A flagging commitment on AIDS
The New York Times, 1 June 2006
In early June 2006, United Nations members are meeting in a follow-up to the successful UN special session in 2001, which pushed the world to take AIDS more seriously.The nations now are supposed to be reporting on whether their targets are being met, and devising a plan of action for the next few years. Instead, they are watering down the original plan.
African civil society denounces political declaration on AIDS
Bradford McIntyre, 2 June 2006
African civil society organisations have denounced a political declaration adopted today by world leaders attending a United Nations AIDS meeting in New York. At the High Level Review Meeting of the UN General Assembly, which closed on 2 June 2006, member-states negotiated a political declaration, which African activists have described as 'utterly retrogressive' and 'a sham.
African negotiators lobby in bad faith at UN meeting
African Civil Society Coalition on AIDS, 1 June 2006
Three weeks after the African Union - the highest decision-making regional authority in Africa - endorsed a Common Position on HIV and AIDS, African delegates in New York are reneging on the strong commitments they made to providing access to services for HIV prevention, care and treatment to all those who need them in Africa.
Botswana's President discusses breaking the cycle of HIV infection for sustainable AIDS responses
Tautona Times
The following is a statement by his excellency, Mr. Festus G. Mogae, President of the Republic of Botswana, at a panel discussion on "Breaking the cycle of HIV infection for sustainable AIDS responses". The statement was made at the United Nations General Assembly High Level Session on HIV/AIDS in New York.
Further details: /newsletter/id/31580
Civil society groups unhappy with AIDS Summit outcome
Deen T: Third World Network, 13 June 2006
At the recent UN meeting on AIDS, international organisations were disappointed that the declaration adopted by governments was weak on commitments to fight the disease, and that vulnerable groups have been left out in the document. The article outlines some of the concerns expressed by the participants.
Evaluation of WHO's contribution to '3 by 5'
WHO, 15 June 2006
This report examines the administrative, technical, managerial guidance and strategic leadership that WHO provided during the initiative and includes evaluations of three levels of WHO: headquarters, regional offices and country offices. The report identifies future collaboration opportunities between WHO and partners and gives recommendations for the "way forward".