Summary of CFNU MP Breakfast on G8/G20 and HIV/AIDS
Event date:
Tue, 2010-05-25 Summary of CFNU’s MP Breakfast on the G8/G20 and HIV/AIDS
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Canada is hosting the G8/G20 Summit this year, where a primary focus will be on maternal and child health. Prime Minister Steven Harper has expressed that: “As hosts, our government will have considerable say over the agenda. It will be a tremendous opportunity to promote Canada’s values and interests…to champion values like freedom, democracy and human rights and the rule of law.”
The topic of the 12th Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions Breakfast for MPs, which took place on May 25th, 2010, was the G8/G20 and HIV/AIDS. MPs from all parties, distinguished Ambassadors and High Commissioners, as well as health care stakeholders came together to hear expert speakers illustrate the reality of HIV/AIDS and propose what can and should be done. Jan Cibart, an International Labour Organization HIV/AIDS representative and chair of AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan, spoke about her personal experience working with HIV/AIDS patients, both on a local and on an international front. Jan Beagle, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS and the event’s keynote speaker, discussed the links between a G8/G20 focus on maternal and child health and previous G8/G20 commitments on HIV/AIDS.
UNAIDS
UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations to advocate for comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV epidemic. The goal of this joint venture is to lead an expanded response to AIDS that includes prevention of new HIV infections, caring for people living with HIV, and mitigating the impact of the epidemic.
The HIV Epidemic
- Every day, nearly 7,400 people are newly infected with HIV and 5,500 die from AIDS.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 67% of all people living with HIV worldwide.
- Globally, an estimated 33.4 million people, which is approximately equivalent to Canada’s national population, were living with HIV in 2008. The population of people living with HIV has increased from 29.5 million in 2001.
- While four million people are now on treatment globally – a ten fold increase over a span of only five years – HIV prevention services are only reaching a fraction of the people who need them.
HIV and Maternal and Child Health
- HIV is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age.
- There is an increased risk of maternal death among women with HIV. In South Africa from 2005-2007, the maternal mortality ratio was nearly 10 times higher in women known to be HIV positive.
- Children born with HIV stand a 50% chance of dying before the age of two if they do not receive timely diagnosis and treatment.
- Timely administration of antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive pregnant women significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission to their babies.
- Prevention of mother-to-child transmission is a proven, inexpensive, and effective intervention.
Ms. Beagle proposes that as Canada moves forward to set G8 priorities with its Muskoka Flagship Initiative focusing on the well-being of women and children, it is essential to keep an eye on the linkages among the UN Millennium Development Goals to assist impoverished nations. As HIV is inherently linked to maternal and child health, an integrated approach is needed, where, “HIV and maternal and child health must be hand in glove.”
HIV/AIDS: An Epidemic of Global Inequity
According to Ms. Beagle, “HIV shines a harsh spotlight on that inequity, revealing how, in ugly and dramatic fashion, the poor die when they get sick while the rich live.” Most HIV prevention programmes fail to reach the marginalized populations who need them most. Also, nearly two thirds of countries (84 countries) report having laws, regulations, or policies that present obstacles to effective HIV prevention and treatment for vulnerable sub-populations.
Women now represent 60% of all people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, due in large measure to their disempowerment and numerous social, legal, and political disadvantages. Global efforts to promote gender equality play an essential role in reducing women’s and girls’ vulnerability to HIV infection.
Funding Needs
UNAIDS has estimated that universal access to prevention, treatment, care, and support will cost some US $25 billion per year, but the current annual funds available for AIDS are some $15.6 billion (2008). The global crisis in public financing threatens the significant progress made in curbing the epidemic’s spread. In countries like South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania, the economic crisis is affecting access to treatment.
AIDS Links Public Health and Human Rights
Long-term success in responding to the AIDS epidemic will require sustained progress in reducing human rights violations associated with it, including gender inequality, stigma, and discrimination. Ms. Beagle states, “The effectiveness of the HIV response will depend not just on the sustained scale-up of HIV prevention, treatment and care, but on whether the legal and social environment supports or hinders programmes for those who are most vulnerable.” Having the right legislation is essential to achieve universal access to HIV prevention and treatment, which is a vital component of maternal and child health.
As representatives of the people, parliamentarians can bring the concerns of marginalized populations to the forefront in government decision-making. By doing so, Canada can begin to unlock the political, legal, and institutional barriers that have made HIV a self-sustaining epidemic fuelled by social inequalities.
The Way Forward for the G8/G20
The G8 and the G20 have tremendous influence on positioning global issues. Ms. Beagle indicates that “the Summit provides an opportunity for Canada to demonstrate leadership by placing universal access [to HIV prevention programmes, treatment, and support] squarely at the centre of the G8 agenda as a key vehicle for progress on maternal and child health.”
The Summit is an excellent occasion to deliver on earlier G8 commitments; now is the opportunity for the G8 to make a clear pledge to ensure a fully-funded Global Fund. It is also time for the G8 to put in place a ‘real’ accountability mechanism – pledges of support by Heads of State in the context of the G8 do not always translate into real or new funding, but it is vital to the G8’s credibility that commitments are honoured.
This year’s G8/G20 focus on maternal and child health ties in closely with previous G8 commitments on HIV. An effective AIDS response must remain a priority if we hope to achieve real progress on maternal and child health. CFNU supports UNAIDS in their call for an integrated approach, in which joint action on HIV as well as maternal and child health is used to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
For Jan Beagle’s speech, please refer to the attached document.
Sincerely,
Linda Silas, RN, BScN
President
