The Regional Consultation on HIV/AIDS and the Southern African Humanitarian Crisis, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 6-7 November 2002, jointly organised by the UNAIDS Inter-country Team for Eastern and Southern Africa and the United Nations Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Support Office (RIACSO), was attended by approximately 70 participants from UN Agencies and civil society organisations interested in HIV/AIDS and/or humanitarian assistance in Southern Africa.
The consultation was aimed at reviewing the present humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa within the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the region and the overall recovery process of individuals and communities. The matrix developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS and Emergencies as well as the recommendations resulting from the mission of the UN Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, Mr Jim Morris, provided the basis upon which the discussions took place.
The meeting was organised into plenary presentations and open discussions as well as working groups dealing with
- Information and Advocacy
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Education and Protection
- Coordination, Preparedness and CAP
- Assessment, surveillance and monitoring
- Food distribution, food security and nutrition
The outcome of the working groups are outlined in a set of short and long term recommendations included as Annex 2.
A policy group was also formed during the working group session that proposed wording for a Consensus Statement which was adopted during the meeting (Annex 1). This Consensus Statement captures the key points highlighted during the meeting:
- HIV/AIDS must be integral to all responses to the humanitarian crisis.
- The international community should strongly promote fully integrated responses to the AIDS crisis in the key political fora of governments at national and regional levels.
- Effective coordination of the response is crucial, with government ownership wherever possible and strong, sustained public-private partnerships.
- Further resources must be leveraged through all existing instruments such as the Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, World Bank Multi-country AIDS Programme (MAP), Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), and at national levels through medium-term expenditure frameworks, Poverty Reduction Strategic Paper (PRSP) and other mechanisms.
- The mid-term review of the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) in January 2003 should ensure that HIV/AIDS is fully integrated in all humanitarian operations.
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