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A brief Description by Tom Smith, Ph.D.
This article is a brief description of the 2011 – 2015 UNAIDS Strategy with a link to the entire document.
A quick glance of the strategy introduces the document followed by an executive summary and an Introduction to positioning the HIV response in the new global environment. This is followed by three sections: Part I, the Strategic agenda for transformation; Part II, Leadership Agenda that articulate three strategic directions; viz, Revolutionize HIV prevention, Catalyze the next phase of treatment and support, and Advance human rights and gender equality for the HIV response; and finally Part III, How UNAIDS will deliver on its goals.
The world continues to evolve and an evermore rapid pace and the gains of the past are at risk and current approaches to responding to HIV are reaching their limit. There are problems with ownership of the strategy by various stakeholders and accountability of actions; i.e., in spending, prevention and treatment … the incredibly important “where has the money gone” issues and “what have we gotten with what we have spent” concerns. The more money that is invested in the effort the more the opportunity for unscrupulous behavior and the “lining of pockets”.
The “Getting to Zero” appellation refers, first, to the lofty goal of zero infections. This will require a revolution in HIV prevention. Prevention is key to getting some control over this mess. This will require an extraordinary collective social effort in education and the targeting of affected communities and hotspots of infection, especially the huge megacities of Mexico City, New Dehli, Beijing, New York, Sao Paulo, and so on, using all the means available and more innovative ideas at the grass roots level. This is a strategic part of the “Leadership agenda” that seeks to reduce sexual transmission of HIV by half in the year 2015, the target populations being young people, men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers. Moreover this strategy includes the total elimination of the transmission of HIV through IV drug use.
The “Getting to Zero” vision includes no AIDS related deaths by 2015 by providing universal access to aniretroviral therapies for people living with HIV, the reduction of Tuberculosis deaths of people with HIV by half and that people with HIV and the households within which they live are taken into consideration in all national social protection strategies and have access (the key here is access) to essential care and support. More affordable drug regimens and efficient delivery systems are of concern as well as providing essential nutrition to vulnerable populations including children and orphans. We can provide years of life to those with HIV if we can get the proper medicines, decent food and education to them.
Discrimination towards those infected with HIV or with AIDS remains a huge global problem for a number of reasons; particularly when it involves men having sex with men (MSM), gender based violence and punitive laws and practices towards those with the disease. The “Getting to Zero” vision seeks to get to zero discrimination by 2015 by lobbying for the elimination of laws that block effective responses by at least half, elimination of entry, stay and residence requirements by all countries and the focusing of efforts on women and girls, who in so many parts of the world are considered “less than”. People with HIV have human rights just like anybody else should have. They need a protective legal environment so that they will seek out treatment without fear of incarceration or worse.
All of this requires the coming together and mobilization of stakeholders at the community level, nation states stepping up to their responsibility to take care of their citizens with finances and sustainable responses and finally the synergistic alignment of movements and services for an efficient response to the evolving crisis.
Global cooperation is required to reduce or eliminate the major problems of duplicating services, wasteful spending and blatant corruption that block the advancement of concrete results for real people. There have been gains, but these gains are at risk. In 2009, an estimated 2.6 million people were newly infected with HIV. Only one third of the 15 million people living with HIV who need lifelong HIV treatment are receiving it. New infections continue to outpace the number of people starting treatment and in 2008, four of five low- and middle-income countries were not on track to meet their access benchmarks. The “HIV/AIDS Movement” must not diminish, but rather increase in vigor and effort. Economic and political trends must be leveraged to the “zero strategy”.
For a complete and detailed explication of the UNAIDS strategy of “Getting to Zero” read that entire document which can be found at:
The report, albeit very idealistic, is an engaging read and worth the time and effort to stay abreast of what the world hopes to do in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Moreover, after reading the report, one might be inspired to find a place to personally and practically respond to the situation.