At SADC meeting on HIV prevention in June 2009 SADC Executive Secretary Dr Salomao said
“For the SADC region to achieve success in preventing new infections in the coming years, robust strategic partnerships must be consolidated between government, civil society groups, community-based organisations, traditional authorities, regional bodies, international developments partners and the private sector. Harnessing efforts and energies across the region will ensure that the response to the HIV epidemic is comprehensively planned, well –coordinated and implemented through dedicated and uncompromising leadership – from the highest levels nationally and internationally to traditional leaderships in the community and household levels. With all of us working together and supporting each other, we can address the recommendations from wide-ranging partners and we can turn back the epidemic in this region.”
At the same meeting Mark Sterling, UNAIDS regional director for Southern Africa, urged participants at the meeting to consider a SADC target of halving new infections by 2015. If meeting this goal we would reduce projected new infections of 1.15 million to about 575.000 annually by 2015 and avert 1.6 million new infections, save approximately 10.7 billion dollar in treatment costs, and enable the Member state to deliver on their commitment to MDG 6, ie on infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS.
He also suggested the following five actions to bring about transformation and the ultimate achievement of this “50% by 2015”.
- Leadership
- Encouraging all SADC states to work for this goal
- Advocate for a combination approach to HIV prevention
- Clarifying accountability for HIV prevention
- Engineering ways to hold governments accountable for HIV prevention strategy implementation.
Close the gap - afford treatment
This movement 50 % by 2015 has taken off from its initial phase in May 2009 , a meeting organised by University of Cape town together with the Swedish/Norwegian Regional HIV/AIDS Team in Lusaka. RAANGO (Regional Africa AIDS NGO, indirectly supported by the Team)) has taken the task onboard and has already initiated meetings with parliamentarians. to get the message out. The common message is to “Close the gap = afford treatment”. RAANGO will provide through its network information and advocacy tools for the individual NGO’s to work within their countries.
The HIV Team has contributed to the 50% by 2015 target in the region mainly with close and longstanding collaboration with the two key regional intergovernmental organisations SADC and the EAC, together with the support to UNAIDS regional prevention programme. It includes a secondment of an HIV prevention officer to UNAIDS Regional Team for East and Southern Africa. UNAIDS is working closely with technical advice to the SADC and the EAC HIV/AIDS Units. Two sub-regional meetings during 2009 have been instrumental in taking the prevention agenda forward. Member countries have committed themselves to reducing the number of new HIV infections by 50% by 2015.
Reported country responses on HIV prevention are uneven, but showing progress. Half of the countries have made reviews of national policies/strategies and revised plans to align with key commitments and declarations. Almost all countries have now re-focused HIV prevention efforts on risk behaviours and most at risk populations. A major challenge in the sub-Saharan region generally is that epidemic surveillance needs to be strengthened.
