Source: Sadc, UNAIDS push for domestic funding of HIV/AIDS programmes | The Sunday Mail
Mr Elias Magosi Wallace Ruzvidzo
THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UNAIDS have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation towards sustaining the gains made in the HIV/AIDS response by prioritising HIV prevention and domestic financing, the SADC Secretariat has said.
SADC Executive Secretary Mr Elias Magosi and the regional director of UNAIDS for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe, convened a meeting on the matter last week.
In a communique on Friday, the SADC Secretariat said the two parties had acknowledged that despite the significant strides the region had made towards the reduction of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, HIV/AIDS remains a major challenge, especially among the youth.
Zimbabwe, which holds the current chairmanship of SADC, is one of the countries in the region that has managed to reach the 95-95-95 targets, thus ensuring epidemic control.
“Considering the funding constraints occasioned by, amongst others, decreased funding from international partners, SADC and UNAIDS emphasised the urgent need for increased domestic investment in health and HIV and AIDS initiatives, underscoring the importance of fostering robust partnerships, particularly with the private sector, to enhance resource mobilisation and ensure the sustainability of health programmes,” reads the communique.
“The Executive Secretary of SADC was accompanied by the director of Social and Human Development at the SADC Secretariat, Ms Duduzile Simelane, and the programmes officer for HIV and AIDS, Ms Nomenzile Mamba.
“The UNAIDS regional director was accompanied by Mr Alankar Malviya — UNAIDS country director in Botswana — and Ms Gloria Bille, senior regional programme adviser — prevention.”
As part of the drive towards sustainable financing of health and HIV/AIDS programmes in the region, the secretariat said the regional body, with support from UNAIDS, is scheduled to hold a joint meeting of ministers of health and ministers of finance to discuss innovative financing mechanisms to address heath financing constraints.
Mr Magosi expressed gratitude to UNAIDS for the support in the development of the Annual SADC HIV Progress Report, which tracks headway in the implementation of agreed indicators and the development of the HIV Strategic Framework document that provides technical guidance to SADC member states on the implementation of HIV/AIDS programmes.
“He also acknowledged the support of UNAIDS and other partners in the convening of national health financing dialogues, which offer a platform for national stakeholders to discuss and address challenges pertaining to health financing, including defining priorities and developing strategies to increase domestic resource mobilisation,” said the secretariat.
Unprecedented cuts by the United States’ Donald Trump administration to donor funding have amplified the urgent need for robust domestic financing of HIV/AIDS programmes.
As international funding diminishes, SADC chairperson President Mnangagwa is on record saying countries in the region must prioritise and allocate resources towards comprehensive domestic initiatives.
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