Jul 01, 2000 - Oct 30, 2000
African Perspectives on HIV/AIDS
In 2000, AAI hosted a series of intensive, wide-ranging discussions among a diverse cross-section of Africans to address U.S. and Western policy responses to HIV/AIDS in Africa. The sessions were held in Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda. Sessions were also held in the U.S. with delegations from Botswana and Eritrea and on the Internet with African alumni of AAI programs from 26 countries.
The U.S. and other donors have finally begun to recognize the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. At the same time, there is growing concern among many Africans working on HIV/AIDS that donor-funded programs are not as effective as they could be.
In order to understand these concerns better, AAI organized this African Perspectives. The participants in this dicussion series were nearly unanimous in recommending that, when designing and implementing policies and programs to address HIV/AIDS in Africa, international donors should:
- help build local capacity to combat HIV/AIDS;
- adopt a holistic approach that treats HIV/AIDS as both a cause and an effect of underdevelopment, with corresponding implications for issues such as debt relief; and
- engage African non-governmental organizations more directly in HIV/AIDS project design and funding decisions.
Other broadly supported findings include:
- Donors should be more supportive of national priorities set by Africans themselves and not push projects that do not coincide with a country’s needs.
- International donors need to learn more about Africa and the African context of HIV/AIDS and adapt their programs to local circumstances, which vary greatly from country to country.
- International donors must do more to coordinate their activities in order to prevent duplication of programs, "band-wagoning," and corruption.
- The U.S. should use its considerable weight in the international community to press for action on HIV/AIDS by other bilateral and multilateral donors.
- The U.S. should be more transparent about its international program priorities and intentions vis-à-vis HIV/AIDS.
Read the Full Report