Beyond the MDGs: HIV and the Post Development Agenda

In September this year, world leaders will agree on Sustainable Development Goals to follow  on from the eight Millennium Development Goals targeted for 2015.What then is important for HIV and AIDS beyond 2015?

As far as the fight against HIV and AIDS, The MDGs did a splendid job. A specific goal was set aside in an effort to wipe out HIV/AIDS. Goal number six of the MDGs aimed at “combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases was used to perhaps end AIDS.  Can you ever be more precise than that?

      

With the lapse of the MDGs comes the post development agenda through the very broad SDGs. The visibility of Aids has been weakened through issue as most people call them, of “Health and population.” In this vein, this could impact negatively the verve and energy of the national and global response to HIV and AIDS. We are talking about:

1. All the efforts, gains and achievements being undermined.
2. A possible reduction of HIV and AIDS related funding for treatment, research, awareness and the fight.
3. A likelihood of HIV and AIDS being reduced to “any other disease”.
4. The bid to address the link between Sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV/AIDS being ignored.

There are just no two ways about it, HIV and AIDS must remain a priority for the global community in the post-2015 development agenda.

 The MDG on combating HIV/AIDS meant establishing a cure not just a decrease in AIDS related deaths or a plunge in the number of people living with HIV. It goes deeper. It meant finding a cure, after which people can rest and focus on other serious and life threatening diseases.

Before the Open Working Groups endorses it as “Health and population”, there are a few items that it must consider as Regina Maria Barbosa  put it:

• The need to ensure support for innovation in terms of care and affordable ways to get treatment, of developing new treatment and prevention technologies, while  reaching key populations. Private sector alliances were brought to the centre of the discussion. Aid programmes must be based on performance and efficiency, strengthen advocacy and meaningful knowledge to ensure that government do the right thing.
• The requirement of inter-sectorial work, broadening ways to think about health as a technical as well as a political issue
• To stress universal health coverage as the  path to achieve the control of HIV/AIDS  and maintain the health of people bringing AIDS to the health architecture
• To shift from short term responses to long term and human rights based responses, addressing both poverty and AIDS. The importance of working through human, social and economic development perspectives in order to achieve sustainable  development.
• The need for more inclusive development agenda – with shared responsibility between countries, as in the Brazil and Caribbean collaboration regarding treatment. This political perspective means that civil society, scientist, administrators, health provider and government must work together.
• The need to eliminate discrimination, no matter what.

That way, an SDG that will target the complete end of AIDS by 2030 will go a long way in keeping up the momentum of gains already achieved. What was unfinished in the mdgs should come to an end somehow through the start of the SDGS.

From here, let’s arise Hinc Orior!!

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