Call to Mainstream Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Fri Dec 10, 7:19 AM ET, World - OneWorld.net

Rajiv Tikoo

NEW DELHI, Dec 10 (OWSA) - Militarization and globalization have been
identified as the key challenges in the fight against HIV (news - web
sites)/AIDS (news - web sites) at a recent conference in Indian
capital New Delhi.

The Asia Pacific Conference on HIV/AIDS and Governance on December 2-
3 sought to establish linkages between HIV/AIDS and governance and
discuss an action strategy to bring in governance approach to action
at the grassroots level.

Organized by the Asia Pacific Peoples Alliance to Combat HIV/AIDS
(APPACHA) and ActionAid International, the conference had 70
participants from 15 countries like Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia,
India, Nepal, Thailand, Viet Nam, and The Philippines.

They shared their country experiences. Saying that the existing
government structures are not sufficient to tackle the threat of
HIV/AIDS, Chitralekha Yadav, deputy speaker of the Royal Nepalese
Government, added, But I am hopeful. HIV/AIDS is getting high on
priority in Nepal with the Prime Minister taking a personal interest
in it.

Participants deliberated on the impact of HIV/AIDS on democracy, the
need for multi-sectoral alliances, formulation of accountability
frameworks, advantages of community-based approach to monitoring and
evaluating budgeting, role of civil society and social capital,
inseparability of community and human rights and governance of the
creation and the use of domain knowledge.

More importantly the conference sought to bond a wider section of
stakeholders including people living with HIV/AIDS, trade unions
workers, health and human rights activists, law makers, medical
professionals, politicians and international agencies.

Admitting that there wasnt sufficient representation from the
government, Convener of Peoples Health Movement-India, B Ekbal added:
Its time to do introspection for all of us - not just for the
government, but for all of us. Added T S Rajakumari from FXB Society,
Vishakhapatanam, India, Its imperative for NGOs, citizens and the
governments to work together.

And this is what APPACHA is trying to do. It is acting as a platform
to forge alliances between people living with HIV/AIDS, trade union
activists, students, youth groups, healthcare workers and others in
the fight against HIV/AIDS. Said Unnikrishnan PV, Asia advisor,
International Emergencies Team, ActionAid International, HIV/AIDS is
a hostage in the hands of international NGOs and corporates. APPACHA
is an effort to reach out to unusual suspects in the HIV/AIDS
discourse.

Added John Samuel, international director, ActionAid International,
The idea is to make HIV/AIDS a mainstream political issue than a
sectoral concern of the government. We need political movements
similar to the ones in Uganda and Thailand.

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