Care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS

National responses to the epidemic: factors that make a differencethan 5 million new infections annually. Furthermore, increases in donor support hadbegun to level off between 1996 and 1998, and it remains less than just 1% of donorcountries’ total annual ODA budgets. Against the backdrop of soaring infection rates,this trend is of critical concern.However, recent indications from donors are encouraging. For example, funding bythe United States for global HIV/AIDS activities increased by US$ 65 million in 2000and is set to increase by as much as an additional US$ 100 million in 2001. The donorresponse to the International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa has also been positive.This important new initiative – the objectives of which are to curtail the spreadof HIV, reduce its impact on human suffering and halt the reversal of social and economicdevelopment in Africa – includes donors as one of its five key constituencies.Representatives of donor countries are participating in all phases of its development,and their greater understanding of, and involvement in, national planning processesare paying off in increased support.In addition, there is increasing recognition that HIV/AIDS is not only a major threat todevelopment, but also a threat to peace-building and human security in Africa. Thishas resulted in higher levels of political awareness and more substantial financial commitments.An additional US$ 180 million in donor funding for activities in Africa wasannounced at the historic Security Council meeting in January 2000. The challenge isto ensure that this growing enthusiasm results in a steady increase in concrete supportto national HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes – in Africa and elsewhere.To do this, emphasis must be placed on building partnerships between donorsand the most-affected countries. In this way a sense of shared responsibility can becreated both for improving prevention and care as well as for addressing the formidable,multifaceted development challenges this epidemic presents.9. Adequate resourcesThe reassignment of national priorities must be reflected in a reallocation of budgets.There are success stories in developing countries where government budgetsfor AIDS have been increased significantly; for example in Brazil, China, India andThailand. At the same time, however, it is a fallacy to assume that because designatedAIDS funding is limited, so must AIDS action be. Effective programmes identifyopportunities to involve partners with similar goals and objectives, and capitalizeon synergies between AIDS and other programmes. If the action needed for riskreductionand vulnerability-reduction becomes part of the mainstream of nationallife, direct costs will be less, the benefits will have many spin-offs, and programmesare more likely to be sustainable. For example, including information on HIV/STDsand life skills in a school curriculum has only marginal costs, but the resulting decision-makingand negotiation skills may bring about extra benefits such as declinesin STDs, unwanted pregnancies and drug use. Similarly, boosting the educational113