God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

07/23/2010 • 11:07 am 2

23.07.2010 Cutting the money

During the World AIDS Conference in Vienna, more news broke that amongst others Germany intends to cut the money contribution to the Global AIDS Fund.
According to Prof Jeffery Sachs from the Earth Institute of the Columbia University, Germany has broken several promises in the past and for him, the decision to cut donations would be shocking. In an interview published in “Die Welt” (Friday, 23.July 2010 page 4) he reminded the reader that Germany has promised in 2002 to donate for developing aid 7% of the GDP. In 2005 Germany promised with the G8 to double the aid for Africa until 2020 and to allow access for all to the HAART treatment. The Global Funds are organised to put the promises into practise. We know by know that the promises not materialize.
Prof. Sachs put it into perspective: The Global Fund would need 3 billion US Dollar – a lot of money; but compared to the 15 billion spend by the NATO in Afghanistan it seems to be a decent amount.

It the news of cutting down the donations towards are true, there is a second threat coming from the responsible German Minister Niebler. He favours bi-lateral assistance instead of multilateral fonds. I am sure every activist with some internal knowledge about bi-lateral assistance knows that this is tricky and very subjective. Prof. Sachs maintains that only global fonds guarantee optimal and objective use of the funds distributed.

I must admit knowing and reading about the amounts our politicians used and use to help the financial institutions, to support the war in Afghanistan or to bail or Greece it is an ethical disgrace to cut funding in the moment when we are on the way to reach treatment access for all and so add a preventive tool to our arsenal assisting to combat HIV/AIDS. And it seems that the lives of those in the developing countries once again count for nothing. Or as Prof. Sachs coins it: If Germany would cut funding it would be ” unscrupulous” .

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Treatment, Politics and Society, , , , , , ,

07/22/2010 • 9:00 pm Comments Off on 22.07.2010 and more contemplations on the World AIDS Conference in Vienna

22.07.2010 and more contemplations on the World AIDS Conference in Vienna

Discussion this morning with several people about our experience with the World AIDS Conference this year. The quality of the presentations was one discussion point. It came to mind a presentation about research work with commercial sex workers in an African country. The well-funded research’s conclusion was that a. there must be more research and b. that commercial sex workers are in need of special interventions.
Well, I am sure I would come to this conclusions without any research study – lots of money saved for more deserving purposes. Follow up questions: Who is monitoring and evaluation the proposals and giving the go-ahead for such research? Or was the presentation itself the week point?  General question: Is there somehow not the self inventing and containing wheel of research out of research for the purpose of research and justifying the own existence in this field?

Some presentations I heard have not really changed over the years: the same countries, the same sort of overflowing Power Point presentations, squeezing as many words as possible on one slide – have there be no developments in these countries/fields/outreach programmes?

It was good to see and hear about the GUS countries and problems in Russian speaking countries – for contents, but also for the sole purpose to bring new faces and a new dynamic to the conference.

Once again the lack of the engagement of official churches which are doing a big part of the work in this field was noticable. Additional the prayer room /room of silence was – and I apologise already here if I step on someones toes – a disgrace in itself. I was shocked to see it.

But after all this criticism also positive aspects of the conference: One always learns something, the exchange with people around the world, the sideline sessions, one sometimes bumps into going through the Global Village – excellent presentations I have seen and heard there . The dedication of the people standing  next to their poster presentations to answer questions or standing for hours in their respective boot to engage with the visitors – they all have my respect.
Some presentations have been standing – and one can learn that even academics are indeed able to present a complicated issue in a way that at least a non medical person gets the picture, paired with some anecdotes to make you smile in between.
My experience of the registration process was great – recalling the long queues of Toronto….

I have been reminded once again how the pandemic has changed the world and how brave men and women, infected and affected fight it with affection and with so much empathy for those who have no voice in this world.

Encouraging research (one would always hope for more), optimism paired with realism – setting goals and going home with the dream and the will to work hard to achieve it. At the end the experience at such a big conference is always mixed, but: I was privileged to be here, I am grateful for all the experience and I already have an idea about 2012 in Washington.

Which means in conclusion: The conference has still a meaning for me, but we have to streamline and look out, the we watch out to use our financial resources meaningful and that “politics” do not interfere with the judgement of who is able to present and share experience and knowledge.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, , , , ,

07/22/2010 • 12:53 am Comments Off on 21.07.2010 Thoughts about Vienna and the International AIDS Conference

21.07.2010 Thoughts about Vienna and the International AIDS Conference

In two days the International AIDS Conference is history again and I am sure once again we will not have reached the goal of the conference as it has been also the case for the previous conferences. Who does not remember the “Access for all” slogan -to be reached by 2010.. We have 2010 and even as we have made great progress.. we have a long way to go to reach the “Access for all – Treatment for all” goal.

Bill Clinton made it in his speech clear that in the times, where financial promises are emptied by the so-called circumstances that on the other hand too many people fly to too many conferences. I must admit that I am often also amazed how many people attending from one organisation and how many see such conferences as their chance to go on an oversea trip. I am not sure that the way, the conference is organised and the millions on sponsor money is spent to fly people from so many different backgrounds to one venue – the lady looking after a vegetable project and the highly skilled researcher – and when I see the first sitting in a talk given by the latter:  not sure it makes sense or has any meaning.
On the other hand, yes, it is an opportunity to network, seen and be seen and somehow I have the impression, lots of small NGO”s draw part of their pride to have a stall at the Global Village and some photographic memories. And this has its own rights, as many for the first time understand the scale of engagement worldwide.

So I don’t have plan B to suggest how to organise such a conference in a way which does not waste too much sponsor money – lack of resources let people die..  and we as activists cannot blame pharmaceutical companies and politicians if we don’t reflect on how we organise ourselves.

The main topic this time is human rights and HIV / AIDS. There is indeed a lot to do. And here are also the churches asked to contribute more, they see themselves in our days as advocates for human rights, but here it gets tricky: gender equality, homosexuality, sexual behaviour and culture are only some to the topics which make it difficult for some churches to engage in a more decisive way for the good of those, whose human rights are at stake.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, , , , ,

07/20/2010 • 6:02 pm Comments Off on Bill Clinton speaks at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna

Bill Clinton speaks at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna

Former US president Bill Clinton has called for more efficient use of funding in the fight against Aids to ensure that people who need it actually get it. Clinton made the comments on Monday at an international Aids conference in Austria’s capital, Vienna.
He said that in many countries, money for Aids is misspent and that funding should go directly to local organisations and national plans in developing countries that can deliver services well at a lower cost and less overhead than established organisations.
On Sunday, the head of the conference said world leaders lack the political will to ensure that everyone infected with HIV and Aids gets treatment. Julio Montaner – the president of the International Aids Society and chairperson of the Aids 2010 conference – said the G8 group of rich nations has failed to deliver on a commitment to guarantee universal access and warned this could have dire consequences.
Montaner’s comments to reporters appeared to foreshadow one of the key topics for the weeklong gathering, which organisers say has drawn 20 000 policymakers, experts and advocates to take stock of efforts to fight the disease and generate momentum for the future.
Reflecting the emotional nature of the debate, protesters carrying banners and shouting slogans such as “broken promises kill, show us the money!” and “treat the people!” delayed the start of the opening session.
In 2005, G8 leaders committed in a communiqué to developing and implementing an Africa-focused package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of getting “as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010.” They reaffirmed and broadened their commitment a year later in Russia with more detailed financing pledges.
But a G8 accountability report from the most recent summit of world leaders in Canada last month acknowledged that the “universal access targets with respect to HIV/Aids will not be met by 2010.”
Among the issues to be discussed by participants through to Friday are the decriminalisation of drug users, as well as the growing Aids epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Montaner accused governments from some Eastern European states of indifference to the acute situations in their countries and said their absence at the Vienna meeting was “irresponsible to the point of criminal negligence”. According to the World Health Organisation, 33.4 million people were living with HIV in 2008. While the numbers of deaths declined to two million in 2008 from 2.2m in 2004, about 2.7m new infections still occur each year.

Source: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/AidsFocus/Clinton-speaks-at-Aids-conference-20100719

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, , , , , ,

07/19/2010 • 6:01 pm 1

SA Medical Council fast-tracks 65 AIDS drugs now…

The Medicines Control Council (MCC) has fast-tracked the registration of 65 antiretroviral drugs, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Monday. The anti-Aids drugs were given priority while the MCC tried to clear a backlog of more than 4 000 medicines which had been awaiting registration since 2007 and longer, he said in response to a parliamentary question.

Motsoaledi said the MCC currently still had 1 503 applications on its backlog, which he blamed on personnel, financial and structural problems at the council.  All registration applications for ARVs had been reviewed and those still unregistered either did not meet requirements, or the companies had failed thus far to respond to the MCC’s recommendations.

South Africa has the world’s biggest Aids treatment programme.

Source http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/MCC-fast-tracks-65-Aids-drugs-20100719

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, Politics and Society, , , ,

Blog Categories

Follow God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE on WordPress.com

You can share this blog in many ways..

Bookmark and Share

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,711 other subscribers

Translation – Deutsch? Française? Espanol? …

The translation button is located on each single blog page, Copy the text, click the button and paste it for instant translation:
Website Translation Widget

or for the translation of the front page:

* Click for Translation

Copyright

© Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

This not withstanding the following applies:
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.