HIV and AIDS:

In many countries, the impact of HIV, poverty, and political and social conflict on families and communities has eroded traditional safety nets and increased the vulnerability of the community.

The AIDS epidemic continues to pose an exceptional threat to human development and security. The need for exceptional action is more urgent than ever before. Crucial to making real progress is the scaling up of effective prevention and treatment programmes at every level.

We have seen an increase in constructive action to overcome the obstacles to progress, despite the ever growing human resource crisis in Africa, through the roles of all players, including governments, the UN family of institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, and civil society. All these players have come together in many ways but more work is needed to improve their collective effectiveness and limit duplication when resources are so limited.

Our response is by no means comprehensive but it takes steps towards opportunities for meeting those challenges and makes specific suggestions for action. These suggestions are only possibilities the players may wish to take into consideration as they seek to determine what would work best for them.

We hope to address some of the obstacles standing in the way of full participation by another main set of players, the international, national and local organizations and individuals (including persons living with HIV and AIDS and those highly likely to be exposed to HIV) that constitute civil society.