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| Sustainable Development Networking Programme, SDNP, Bangladesh |
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World AIDS Day 2005
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Millennium Development Goals and AIDS Many people saw the turn of the millennium as a time to look at the world around us, to identify the major problems which were causing large-scale suffering and loss of life, and to apply themselves to solving these problems. The Millennium Development Goals are a list of the eight achievements which were thought to be most important on a global scale, and which were thought to be most crucial in making the world a better place for everyone - regardless of their race, religion, or country of origin. The eight achievements that make up the list range from 'Achieving universal primary education' to 'ensuring environmental sustainability'. The sixth is 'Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases'. Specifically, this aims to :
All of the 191 United Nations Member States promised to meet these goals by the year 2015, so a third of the time allowed to achieve these goals has now elapsed. HIV and AIDS are often discussed in the same breath as malaria and tuberculosis, amongst other diseases, because they are often found with greatest severity in the same areas. The pledge to 'Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS' is, in itself, significant enough to require a very major effort. How important is the AIDS target? In the UN's Millennium Development Goals Progress Report (27th August 2004) it was recognised that the HIV situation had become so grave in large areas of the world that 'the achievement of all the other Millennium Development Goals hinges on much more vigorous action to keep the epidemic in check and provide treatment for those already infected'. Can this goal be attained? As of December 2004, there were 39.4 million people around the world who were living with HIV/AIDS, and 4.9 million new infections had occurred during 2004. The number of people living with HIV has been rising in every region, compared with two years ago, with the steepest increases occurring in East Asia, and in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These numbers show that, at least on a global level, we are not even close to slowing the spread of HIV, let alone reversing the trend. The Millennium Development Goals Progress Report 2004 suggested that, on current evidence, the target set for HIV and AIDS is unlikely to be met. Is the world committing enough resources? In June 2005, the UN estimated that the world would have to commit US$15 billion in 2006 and US$22 billion in 2008 to combat AIDS. But the funding gap between the resources available and those needed was at least US$18 billion for the period 2005-2007. Now that people are realising that the success of many of the other Millennium Development Goals rests on success in fighting HIV/AIDS, it is to be hoped that greater attention will be paid to this pivotal and ambitious objective - reversing the tide of the global HIV epidemic. |
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