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| HIV/AIDS & Sustainable
Development - NGO Forum Onboard |
During this voyage Peace Boat hosted an international
forum featuring participants from four countries to discuss AIDS in
Africa as part of the lead up to the World Summit for Sustainable
Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg later this year. Peace
Boat is the sponsor and host for the forum, which was held onboard
over 12 days from Mombassa, 18th of January to Cape Town, 27th of
January. The forum produced a position paper containing 29 policy
recommendations that will be used to influence the agenda setting
process of the WSSD. The co-ordinator of the forum was Dr Paul Saoke,
Director of Programs of Physicians and Medical Workers for Social
Responsibility (IPPNW) Kenya. Other representatives and experts on
HIV AIDS and development issues that participated included: Dr. Elizabeth
Nyambura Muhia, Kenya, Bubelwa Ephraim Kaiza Development Economist,
Tanzania and Mildred Mpundu Assistant Features Editor for The Times
of Zambia, Zambia.
The position paper discusses how HIV AIDS is a local problem with
international dimensions. The scourge of AIDS has persisted for close
to two decades now, and no cure has been found. Globally there are
an estimated 150 million persons affected by the HIV AIDS pandemic,
mostly in the African continent. UNAIDS estimates that there are 36
million persons living with AIDS and 70% live in sub-Saharan Africa.
The pandemic has drastically reduced longevity in the region by a
measurable margin. National economics of most of the sub-Saharan countries
have been severely affected. The effect of the pandemic is greatly
felt in the agricultural sector in terms of diminished and demoralized
manpower. Food security has therefore been affected severely and the
threat of hunger looms. Educational and production of man- power along
with the reproduction of the skills necessary for the development
have also been affected. The scourge has also left 42 million orphans
whose care and socialization are in serious jeopardy due to diminished
economic capacity of the traditional care structures and weakened
national economics. The HIV AIDS pandemic affects all sections of
the society including production and consumption. Close to 400 million
persons in Africa are at risk of HIV infection unless urgent action
is taken to avert this looming catastrophe. The national social economic
and political development structures have been adversely affected.
HIV AIDS is a global development issue. In this age of the global
economic system, any one region or sector whose effective participation
is undermined cannot fail to have a debilitating effect on the system
as a whole. Attempts to marginalise
the HIV AIDS issue as an African issue is bound to have negative repercussions
for the entire global community in the long term. Often discussions
about HIV AIDS in Africa, particularly within international institutions
are conducted in terms of statistics and indicators. While the pragmatic
utility of this frame of reference is undeniable, it is imperative
that sight of the humanitarian cost of this epidemic in terms of daily
suffering and loss of life are never lost.
Peace Boat believes that problem of AIDS in Africa requires an African-led
solution and hopes to make a strong NGO based contribution to the
WSSD agenda creation process. After discussing above-mentioned issues,
policy recommendations were made on following issues: Treatment of
AIDS, AIDS funding, Politics of AIDS, Response to HIV AIDS, Socio-economic
impact of HIV AIDS and Conflict and HIV AIDS. |
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| Mombasa-Cape Town
/ Peace Boat's 36th Voyage |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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