Documents and articles

HIV/AIDS and Governance Focus Group: Issues Paper

HIV/AIDS and Governance Focus Group: Issues Paper
ADF IV on Governance for a Progressing Africa, October 11 – 15 2004, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Good governance is essential for establishing resilient HIV/AIDS programmes

The paper provides analysis of some of the strengths and weaknesses in applying the principals of democratic governance to AIDS strategies. In addition to calling for country-level responses, it outlines the possibilities of strengthening regional collaboration and enhancing partnerships with international donors. Finally, the author outlines areas for future research, including developing indicators for a democratic governance process and refining the early warning rapid response system.

Cohen, D. 2002, 'Working Paper 2: Human capital and the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa'

Within the past few years concern has mounted about the impact of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa on the achievement of sustainable development. This region now accounts for an increasing proportion of the world's poorest people, and living standards have generally fallen over the past two decades. Many of the social and economic indicators that are used to measure performance have actually regressed – in part as a result of the effects of HIV and AIDS on populations.

MacFarlan, M. and Sgherri, S. 2001, 'The Macroeconomic Impact of HIV/AIDS in Botswana', IMF Working Paper 01/80, International Monetary Fund, Washington D.C.

This paper by two employees of the International Monetary Fund provides an overview of the potential macroeconomic effects of HIV/AIDS, focusing on the channels through which the pandemic is likely to affect the economy and on the uncertainties involved.

EU Presidency Seminar on Africa - Good Governance for an Effective Response to HIV/AIDS in Africa

Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Tom Kitt TD, this morning gave the closing address at the EU Presidency Seminar on 'Good Governance for an Effective Response to HIV/AIDS in Africa' at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin.

HIV/AIDS in Urban Areas

In Southern Africa, the legacy of labour migration, which was the corner stone of the colonial mode of production based on the exploitation of primary products in agriculture and mining, has fostered the spread of HIV/AIDS. In Western Africa, the evolution of cross-border informal trade and migration may be providing a similar impetus to the spread of HIV/AIDS. In both regions, urban nodes are a key area for interaction between migrants (usually migrant males) and non-migrants (mostly females) and the spread of the disease.

Patterson, D. 2001, 'Political commitment, governance and HIV/AIDS', Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy and Law Review, vol.6, no1/2.

This brief paper by David Patterson outlines the problems of finding the 'trigger' for political commitment and reasons why is exists in some contexts but not in others.

The Links Between HIV/AIDS and Democratic Governance in Africa

By Alex de Waal, Justice Africa & GAIN, Adapted from presentations at Justice Africa, 30 October 2003 and Oslo Governance Centre, 3 November 2003

http://afraf.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/102/406/1

The article examines different models for social and political mobilization against the pandemic and sketches a unified framework for understanding its impact. By Alex de Waal, Justice Africa & GAIN

Sleap, B. 2001, 'Widows and Aids: Redefinitions and Challenges' paper presented at Widows Without Rights, London.

What is the impact of HIV/AIDS on women in developing countries and particularly on widows? Statistical material connected with how women are affected by this disease is almost non-existent. Using local case studies in Africa, the Panos AIDS Programme assesses the epidemiology of AIDS in women and widows and asks questions about its psychological and socio-economic effects.

Does HIV/AIDS imply a “New Variant Famine”?

Renowned activist and writer Dr Alex de Waal outlined the “new variant famine” concept to UN agencies and NGO partners seeking better ways of responding to the HIV/AIDS induced humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa.

Considering HIV/AIDS in Development Assistance: A Toolkit

This toolkit has been prepared to assist staff of the Commission of the European Communities, particularly those in DGVIII (both those in the Headquarters and Delegations), and Consultants, in considering the implications of the HIV epidemic in the provision of development assistance.

Links to institutions

Commission for HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA)

The Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance is a UN system-wide initiative, launched in February 2003 by (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan to complement the vital work on transmission and prevention being done by UN and other agencies with a rigorous agenda that charts the way forward on HIV/AIDS and governance in Africa in three crucially interrelated areas:
(a) the implications of sustained human capacity losses for the maintenance of state structures and economic development;
(b) the viability (technical, fiscal and structural) of utilizing anti-retroviral (ARV) medication as an instrument of mitigation; and
(c) in partnership with UN and other agencies, synthesizing best practices in HIV/AIDS and governance in key development areas with a view to formulating policy recommendations.

The ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work

A website covering the social and economic impacts of HIV/AIDS, with information and links to aid understanding of the social and economic impacts of HIV/AIDS, including advice on policy for governments, employers and workers; programme guidelines on prevention, care and measures to combat discrimination, and a Code of Practice that provides a framework for action in the workplace and a training manual to aid implementation.

African Civil Society Governance and AIDS Initiative (GAIN)

HIV/AIDS has been characterised mainly by the loss of lives of people in their most productive years and by the suffering undergone as a results of the gestation period of the disease. This is has had adverse effect in terms of creating and deepening poverty, reversing achievements in education, lowering labour productivity, threatening food security, and putting a break on economic progress. These conditions of deepening human poverty in turn fuel the spread of the epidemic and pose a formidable ob October 29, 2004

United Nations Development Programme & The HIV Epidemic

Since the late 1980's, UNDP has made concerted efforts to raise awareness and understanding of the social and economic impact of the HIV epidemic on human development. This body of experience has led UNDP to believe that achieving high levels of development is the assured and sustainable response to the HIV epidemic.

UNAIDS

The global mission of UNAIDS as the main advocate for worldwide action against HIV/AIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to the epidemic.

Eldis/HRC HIV/AIDS Resource Guide

This report draws on data for 24 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa which shows that large proportions of adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa have inadequate information on how to protect themselves against HIV, and substantial proportions are sexually active and engage in behaviors that place them at risk of becoming infected.