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Media releases > Bangkok HIV conference
Bangkok conference on HIV backs VSO's message
(August 2004)
International development charity VSO today expressed support for the conclusions of the 15th international conference on HIV & AIDS in Bangkok.
The conference underlined VSO's call for urgent efforts to tackle inequalities between women and men, which the charity sees as fuelling the spread of the pandemic. In its Gendering AIDS report last November, VSO called on all international players, including the US, to work with the realities of life in the developing world and put gender equality at the heart of their efforts.
The issue came up repeatedly at the conference. Not least because these inequalities mean that initiatives that promote ABC alone (Abstinence, Be faithful, Condom use) so heavily advocated by the US, are unlikely to be successful.
Alan Smith, VSO's HIV and AIDS goal leader said that:
Abstinence is often not possible as a choice for many women due to the prevalence of coercive sex, which is experienced by one in three women in South Africa. Being faithful is no protection when your partner is not, and many women do not have the power to negotiate condom use.
While money is being made available to tackle the virus in a variety of ways, not enough is being directed to the Global Fund, which was set up to tackle the pandemic along with TB and Malaria. The money that is there is slow in being distributed, both to and within the country it is destined for.
There is also a lack of clarity on how the $15 billion Presidential AIDS Fund (PEPFAR) will be used. Although it is certain that a significant amount will continue to fund projects that emphasise ABC and abstinence in particular.
In addition this money will only be used to improve access to drugs approved by the US Food and Drugs Agency, even if they have been approved by WHO. This excludes many of the cheaper generic versions of drugs that provide hope to those billions living on less than a dollar a day.
The conference did leave room for optimism however as the gender issue is now firmly on the international agenda. In addition it was recognised that vital to addressing these dangerous inequalities is supporting groups that engage men instead of simply condemning and vilifying them.
There are pioneering groups that are already engaging men in a realistic, constructive way. Men for Change, a VSO partner working in townships in South Africa, is working to break down stereotypes of men's behavior. Gathering men together in places such as bars, football pitches and churches to discuss violence, AIDS and what it means to be a man often provides the first opportunity these men have to talk about these issues and start to challenge their own beliefs.
Alan Smith says:
There is optimism to be taken away from Bangkok and the work that is already underway. Progress in the development of Microbicides is also a great hope for prevention on gender grounds as their use will be controlled by women. Although at the moment they are only 60-70% effective, progress is being made. Editors' notes- For more information about VSO please contact us
- VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) is the world's largest international development charity that works through volunteers. VSO has over 1,600 volunteers working in 34 different countries
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