A regional success story: sharing knowledge to tackle HIV and AIDS
Our goal is to reduce the incidence of HIV and AIDS in Latin America and its
impact on the poorest individuals and communities and to strengthen technical
co-operation on tackling the epidemic across the region.
There are 1.8 million people living with HIV and AIDS in Latin America, including 580,000 women, with a prevalence of 0.6% (UNAIDS, December 2005) and 200,000 new infections a year.
Approximately 600,000 of the 1.8m live in Brazil, which has the best record for treating HIV and AIDS in Latin America. Not surprisingly, these numbers are concentrated in Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities in the north east, with 177,000 of these are getting anti retro-viral (ARV) therapy.
The figures are depressing, but there has been real progress. In the mid-1990s, it was projected that, in Brazil alone, there would be 1.2 million HIV infections by 2000.
The fact is, Brazil has the resources and the political will to stabilise the HIV and AIDS problem, and has an international reputation for its work in tackling the disease and providing leadership to other Latin American countries where the need - particularly for ARVs - is larger.
DFID is helping Brazil share this expertise and to co-operate more strategically with other countries in Latin America through its regional HIV and AIDS programme.
PAHO/WHO
HIV News- BBC
coverage: HIV impact, region by region (30 Nov, 2005) and
Brazil
plans massive condom drive (1 Dec, 2005)
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Join
the fight against AIDS in Brazil (UNAIDS)
The HIV and AIDS regional programme: how does it work?
We
want to strengthen effective technical co-operation on HIV and AIDS prevention
and control between Latin American countries and beyond, and to strengthen
national responses to HIV and AIDS, starting with Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.
A key component of this co-operation is that all parties contribute and receive in a sensitive and mutually respectful way.
So how are we tackling this?
Karla Skeff, Programme Officer for DFID Brazil, said:
"DFID has facilitated the exchange of lessons with other countries in a flexible way to create synergies on key issues such as prevention, treatment, care, social inclusion with a human rights-based approach, and this is where DFID adds value.
Not necessarily providing technical assistance directly to Brazil, but allowing an exchange between Brazil and other developing countries to discuss their needs and to find support."
This regional approach, with relatively little money, is making a very significant contribution to the countries being served and is highly valued by counterparts in Brazil and by both UNAIDS and by GTZ, the German Development Agency, which is a key partner.
Harnessing leadership
A
report produced by UNAIDS in May 2005, said that Brazil has a strong national
AIDS commission "with the authority, mandate and resources to coordinate and
manage the entire response." We believe that our regional programme is
producing results that potentially could assist African countries as well.
Dr Mariangela Simao, Deputy Head of the
Brazilian
National STD and AIDS Programme, said:
It is very important that Brazil has a regional leadership on HIV and AIDS. For example, we are working strongly with Portuguese speaking countries in Africa on technical co-operation. In Brazil, supported by DFID and GTZ and others, we are involved in fostering south-south co-operation in a very innovative way.
We realise that there are countries which are in a similar situation but have different degrees of advancement in the response to the epidemic. These countries can benefit from the sharing of expertise. DFID have realised this and have strongly supported this kind of activity."
A key milestone, launched jointly by the government of Brazil and UNAIDS, has been the International Centre for Horizontal Technical Cooperation, which became operational in late 2005. This resource centre works with local managers to identify the needs of a particular country, then identifies the best people to provide expertise and assistance. It also ensures that high standards are maintained and follows up to evaluate the outcomes.
As a result, there has been considerable progress in strengthening Brazilian capacity to provide technical assistance to selected Latin American countries to strengthen their responses to HIV and AIDS.
Key facts
- DFID's HIV and AIDS regional programme originally covered August 2002 - August 2007, costing £1m. Demand for services has been so strong, Phase Two may start in early 2006, with £1.25m over three years, and additional funding from UNAIDS, GTZ and the Government of Brasil
- Phase One countries covered Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, with work being developed in Honduras and Nicaragua.
- The number of adults with HIV who are receiving ARV treatment in Latin
America and the Caribbean is 62% - the global average is 15% (Progress
on Global Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy, World Health Organization,
June 2005)
- Brazilian HIV and AIDS programmes include massive distribution of condoms (more than 180 million have been given out), needle-exchange programs for IV drug-users, and training of nearly 4,000 teachers and 33,000 students in HIV/AIDS-prevention.
