IRIN HIV/AIDS Weekly - 71
Africa
22 March 2002


NEWS:

AFRICA: 50 years of development wiped out by HIV/AIDS
AFRICA: WHO releases list of recommended AIDS drugs
TANZANIA: Clerics' condom stand at odds with national policy

LINKS:

1. Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation
2. AIDS Action Group

CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. Youth Participation at the World AIDS Conference
2. Global Fund update
3. Conference on NGO partnerships for reproductive health
4. Community Forum - Barcelona AIDS 2002
5. Women might have better HAART outcomes than men


JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. National HIV/AIDS Technical Coordinator, Mozambique


AFRICA: 50 years of development wiped out by HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is on track to single-handedly wipe out 50 years of development
gains in the most affected countries, a UNAIDS official said this week.

Speaking at the International Conference on Financing for Development in
Monterrey, Mexico, UNAIDS Director of Social Mobilisation and Strategic
Information, Marika Fahlen, said that development gains were being rolled
back as countries lost many of their young and most productive people to
the epidemic.

"AIDS is currently one of the greatest threats to global development and
stability. Development gains will only become a reality if greater
investment is made in HIV/AIDS," Fahlen said in a UNAIDS press release.

Countries that failed to bring the epidemic under control risked becoming
locked in a vicious cycle - as worsening socioeconomic conditions rendered
people, businesses and communities even more vulnerable to the epidemic,
the release added.

The adverse impact on tax revenue was already affecting national budgets.
In one of the worst-affected countries, Botswana, it is estimated that the
government will lose 20 percent of public revenue by 2010 due to the
economic impact of AIDS.

According to the statement, current efforts to respond to the epidemic
were beginning to make a difference. In a recent study undertaken by
UNAIDS, UNFPA and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute
(NIDI), total international spending in 2000 on HIV/AIDS and sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) was estimated to amount to over US $330
million.

It is also expected that some US$800 million or more may be available from
the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, a significant proportion of
which will be available to fund HIV/AIDS projects this year. In addition,
the World Bank has approved an additional US $500 million this year for
HIV/AIDS projects in Africa through no-interest loans.

"The increased financial commitments are an important first step, but the
fight against AIDS is very far from being won," Fahlen said in the
statement.

AFRICA: WHO releases list of recommended AIDS drugs

In a move that could reduce the price of AIDS drugs for poor countries,
the World Health Organisation (WHO) released its first list of safe
HIV-related medicines on Wednesday.

"We hope this project will help HIV positive people gain greater access to
affordable HIV medicines of good quality," Dr Peter Piot, director of
UNAIDS, said in a joint WHO and UNAIDS press release.

The list released this week includes 11 antiretroviral drugs and five
drugs for opportunistic infections. Of the total, 26 came from major
manufacturers and 10 were from leading Indian generic drug producer,
Cipla. The company was one of the first generic manufacturers to offer
cheaper AIDS drugs to African governments.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1249

TANZANIA:

A leading AIDS activist organisation in Tanzania has expressed concern at
the country's religious leaders recent statement that they were implacably
against the use of condoms in the fight against HIV/AIDS, a key tenet of
national policy on tackling the disease.

However, it also considered that position would have little impact on the
pattern of infection since, it said, there was already a high level of
HIV/AIDS awareness among Tanzanians.

At a meeting in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, last week, more than
70 representatives of various religious organisations declared that "all
holy books" across the world were against the use of condoms, the Guardian
newspaper reported on Friday. The clerics would, therefore, discourage
their followers from using condoms, they said.

More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1248


LINKS:

1. The Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (Cadre) has
recently updated its website which provides access to a wide range of
downloadable reports relating to HIV/AIDS behavioural, social and
communication research. The site also includes bibliographies and an
extensive links section. http://www.cadre.org.za

2. AIDS Action Group is a South African NGO committed to assisting people
with HIV/AIDS. http://www.aidsactiongroup.org/


CONFERENCES/RESEARCH:

1. YouthNet is working with the US Center for Disease Control (CDC),
Advocates for Youth, MTV International and others in preparing a series of
events that will strengthen the visibility and participation of young
people at the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, July 7-12, 2002.
These include:

- A youth networking event that will take place just before the opening of
  the Conference to prepare youth participants to take a leadership role
  in the conference.
- A satellite session on "Cutting Edge Issues in Youth and HIV in the
  Developing World" (confirmed for July 10 from 6-8 PM)
- A skills-building session on "Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships"(still
  to be confirmed from the Conference organisers)
- The launching of a MTV global media campaign which will include a live
  panel discussion with policy leaders and youth to be broadcast
  throughout the MTV network.

For more information: Michele Seibou at mseibou@fhi.org

2. The Global Fund's first grant awards will be announced at the
conclusion of the next Board meeting, scheduled for 22-24 April in New
York City. March 10 was the deadline for receipt of proposals for the
Fund's initial round of funding. According to a preliminary count, the
Fund received 316 proposals for 101 countries by this deadline. In all,
these proposals requested approximately US $1.15 billion from the Global
Fund for the first year of funding. For a preliminary summary of the
proposals received, by region:
http://www.globalfundatm.org/files/GlFund_Update20March.doc

3. The second conference on NGO partnerships for reproductive health in
Africa will be hosted by The Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) from
16-18 April 2002, in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference will describe and
analyse the institutional mechanisms that are required to create workable
governance and leadership structures in NGOs. For more information:

The Conference Secretariat
Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS)
P.O. Box 60054
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-2-448618
Fax: 254-2-448621
E-mail: Conference@cafs.org


4. July 7 2002 - XIV International AIDS Conference Barcelona 2002, the
Community Forum "Punto de Encuentro" is creating a space for 1,500
delegates to meet. The Community Forum will be an opportunity for
individuals, groups, organisations, people living with HIV/AIDS, peer
support groups, NGOs from the civil or private sector to address relevant
issues, to hear key speakers, and to meet and interact with each other in
order to make contacts with people from the same field and region and
share experiences.

Registration opens at the beginning of March. When applying for the
Community Forum you have 2 options:

1. Submission online: www.aids2002.com
2. Submission via email: communityforum@aids2002.com

Deadline for Registration 10 May NOTE:  Register early as space is limited

For more information: Hernando Muñoz Sánchez (hmunoz@aids2002.com).

5. Women might have better HAART outcomes than men - HIV-positive women
starting HAART therapy benefit from the therapy as much as men do, and
they may even have a slower rate of disease progression, UK study results
show.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430040?srcmp=aids-031502


JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

1. National HIV/AIDS Technical Coordinator, Mozambique

The National HIV/AIDs Technical Coordinator will develop and coordinate
the HIV/AIDS strategy for Concern Mozambique with staff following
collaboration with partner organisations. The candidate will initiate
debate and discussion with Concern staff to formulate a staff training
plan. Responsibilities include developing project proposals, submitting
donor reports and identifying specific opportunities for further
HIV/AIDs-related intervention and coordination of the implementation of
these.

Requirements:

- Candidates should hold a third level qualification in social sciences,
  health or a related discipline.
- Previous experience working with HIV/ AIDs is essential, preferably in
  a developing country.
- Two years' overseas experience on a project/ programme in the area of
  social services or health is required. The successful candidate must be
  highly flexible and adaptable, and be able to provide support and
  supervision to project staff, as well as be able to train national and
  international staff.
- The nature of the job indicates the need for the candidate to be
  skilled in facilitating group work and the promotion of approaches
  designed at gaining team/ beneficiary participation. Self-motivation is
  also a key requirement. Please quote reference RW/HIV/MOZ on all
  correspondence.

Applications for this position should be sent to:
hrenquiries@concern.ie
Job reference code: RW_45038A
SOURCE: Reliefweb


IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

[This Item is Delivered to the "PlusNews" HIV/AIDS Service of the UN's
IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the
views of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions,
or to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this
item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
HIV-AIDS Weekly Issue                 www.cidi.org/humanitarian/hivaids