Report on XVIIIth International AIDS Conference #AIDS2010

The XVIIIth International AIDS conference in Vienna, Austria told a story of measured progress in responses to the challenges of the epidemic. There were encouraging news on the development of microbicides, early signs of lives saved by the PMTCT programs and better more informed science that indicated that there may be further major steps available.

The conference was titled “Rights Here, Rights Now”. Obviously there was a major emphasis on a human rights response to the epidemic. Yet there was correspondingly much less on the importance of partnerships. The role of faith based organisations was little voiced, even though in many countries they provide approximately half of the health services.

A human rights framework has been helpful in many areas in acting as an umbrella that has allowed many groups to move forward. Yet it now seems to have over extended its clam for adherence. While there was discussion of the risk of ideologically driven responses to the disease, there was little recognition of the limitations of the ideology of human rights. An ideology is a set of aims and ideas that directs one's goals, expectations, and actions.

Human rights affirms an individualistic response to treatment options. The individual is assumed to have agency. And while this may well resonate in international conference settings, it often is little understood in rural village settings, where the individual has little power to bring about needed change, and where the power of fear greatly overwhelms externally derived science and knowledge.

For those who hold to a Christian ideology that has made enormous contributions to the provision of health services throughout the world, our response to an exclusively human rights approach needs to be carefully considered. A human rights approach, in one form seems to affirm that a commercial sex worker can only best become a human rights empowered sex worker. There is a deficiency in vision, a restriction a limitation to a human rights ideologically driven approach to disease. Christianity offers so much more.

Michael Burke

ICMDA HIV Initiative

Collision of Worlds at Vienna’s World AIDS Conference

Rev Alan Bain of the Christian HIV/AIDS Alliance: writes a blog post from his time at the recent World AIDS Conference in Vienna.

Commenting on the cultural programme and the emphasis of the conference, Rev. Bain says

the schizophrenic attitude to the disease here in the West, where our loss of long dead pop stars and the almost glamorous dimension of AIDS now takes higher priority than 40 million infected people living with HIV throughout the world.

The big challenge for Christian responses to AIDS was given by UNAIDS’s Deputy Executive Director, Ms Jan Beagle who cautioned for faith groups to stay engaged.

“You are the advocates and practitioners. You have the networks on the ground and you can energise social movements... the poor still die while the rich live. Global AIDS is at tipping point. Although we have seen a 17% drop in AIDS infections worldwide we still reach only a fraction of those infected. For every one treated a further 5 are infected and still, 5,500 people die of AIDS each day.” The real barriers, she said, are not technical or medical but political and cultural. “We need political courage to break the trajectory of AIDS.” she concluded.

Read the full post at www.chaa.info

‘Back the banker’s tax’: International Aids Conference | The Robin Hood Tax

‘Back the banker’s tax’: International Aids Conference | The Robin Hood Tax

With reference to our earlier post about the Financial Transaction Tax campaign At the World AIDS Conference on 23 July 2010 the UN Special Envoy for Innovative Finance called on world leaders to ‘back the banker’s tax’ – referring to the IMF’s recommendation to create new taxes on banks – and to ‘fill the gap ‘, referring to the 70% gap in people accessing lifesaving HIV antiretroviral medicines.

Given the scale of the funding gap, and the scale by which several European nations and the USA bailed out banks during the crisis of 2008, it would seem both an effective and just measure. However, there seems to be a reluctance in several major powers to move forward on this issue, so now is a good time to engage with the Robin Hood Tax campaign where you live and change the minds of governments the world over.

HIV Initiative at ICMDA World Congress

This July the ICMDA HIV Initiative had the privilege to present a seminar at the ICMDA World Congress in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Winners of the 2006 and 2009 ‘Dignity and Right to Health Awards’ Drs Biangtung Langkham & Stephen Waititi. Both spoke eloquently of their long experiences in tackling HIV in (respectively) India and Uganda.

The issue of harm minimisation as opposed to harm elimination was discussed at some length – in particular the issue of whether Christian organisations should be involved in distributing condoms to commercial sex workers – on the one hand this seems to condone behaviour that is not just dangerous but morally wrong, but on the other hand, as we know that they will be plying their trade whatever we say, we should at least seek to minimise their risks, and in so doing earn their trust and the right to help them find other ways of earning a living. The issue extends to clean needle exchanges for IV drug users, and working with other individuals and groups who engage in high risk behaviours.

We hope to bring further news and reports from the World AIDS Conference and other international news in the coming months

Boston Globe Examines How PEPFAR Budget Pressures Are Affecting AIDS Clinics In Africa - Kaiser Global Health

Boston Globe Examines How PEPFAR Budget Pressures Are Affecting AIDS Clinics In Africa - Kaiser Global Health

Depressing news that the Obama administration's downward pressure on PEPFAR funding is now impacting patient treatment programmes amongst the poorest communities.

We stated back in February last year that we would wait and see if Obama would match Bush's impact on HIV & AIDS care - the jury is still out, but the verdict is looking less favourable just over one year into his presidency.

Robin Hood Tax

Excellent video explaining the basic idea behind a miniscule tax on bank transactions that could have a huge global impact, including increased access to treatment and care for people living with HIV & AIDS in the developing World

See http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/ for more information - and if you are outside the UK, news will be coming out in the coming days and weeks of campaigns in Europe and the US

Winner of ICMDA HIV Dignity & Right to Health Award 2010: Dr Stephen Waititi

It is the great privilege and pleasure of the ICMDA HIV Initiative to announce that Dr. Stephen Waititi is the most worthy winner of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) HIV Initiative Dignity and Right to Health Award for 2009.

The Award is given to individuals for excellence, outstanding leadership and compassion in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

We are most grateful to Ms Stella Kentutsi of the National Forum of PLHA networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) for her nomination.

We congratulates Stephen and salute him for the commitment and devotion he demonstrates in and through all that he has done and continues to do for the plight of those living with HIV & AIDS. The worldwide family of the ICMDA joins in congratulating him, giving praise and thanks to God for such models as his which bring transforming HOPE and LIGHT into otherwise desperate situations.

Each year the ICMDA HIV Initiative Committee calls for nominations for this Award. Nominees are sought who live a life which ‘does justice, loves kindness and walks humbly with God (Micah 6:8) and who:

· Demonstrate significant impact at local and wider level

· Empower others in integrated community responses

· Facilitate church integration and participation in best practice models of care

· Demonstrate excellence in full community involvement and empowerment of People living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA)

· Works, facilitates and advocates for gender equality

· Links well with government and other agencies in a comprehensive approach to the epidemic.

Previous winners are: Dr Biangtung Langkham (2006 - India) , Prof Ruth Nduati ( 2007 - Kenya) and Dr Geoff Foster (2008 - Zimbabwe).