wfn.org | ACNS - Statement on AIDS issued by Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu

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Ndungane

ACNS 3064 - SOUTH AFRICA - 17 July 2002

Statement issued by Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane

at Bishopscourt, Cape Town on 17 July 2002

Passing through London I was horrified by newspaper headlines stating that
the average life expectancy in Africa will soon be only 26 years. The same
UNAIDS report that made such alarming news around the world warns that the
AIDS pandemic is yet to peak - we haven't seen the worst of it yet!

For those of us who attended the AIDS 2002 Conference in Barcelona the
message was loud and clear - the time for talk and political prevarication
is over. The public and private sectors work alone at their peril and
collaborative strategies are imperative. The key challenges are to change
behavioural patterns and to eradicate the stigma that makes it so difficult
for people to seek the help they need.

Above all we dare not lose hope. We cannot allow ourselves to be paralysed
by despair and I am greatly concerned by subsequent reports that Barcelona
killed that hope. On the contrary, many of us have been re-enthused to work
ever harder at facilitating a generation without AIDS and many entrenched
negative assumptions were refuted.

Besides encouraging news about developments in vaccines, we had the likes of
Harvard economist, Dr Jeffrey Sachs presenting convincing arguments against
the constant whine that broad-based treatment is too expensive for most
governments. He pointed out that with incentives and an eager public-private
partnership, whole communities can be treated and maintain a level of
wellness, heretofore unimagined. All we need is the political will and
commitment by both the public and private sectors.

There are already reassuring pockets of success. In the global South,
Thailand has turned the AIDS tide by aggressive prevention, and access to
treatment and dramatic reduction of stigma and discrimination against people
living with AIDS.

AIDS is not a shameful word in the households of Uganda. Consequently,
people come forward quickly for treatment and support. They have reduced the
spread of HIV infection by using condoms and knowing their HIV antibody
status.

Similarly, Brazil reports a dramatic drop in the number of AIDS related
deaths, and has cut the average cost of treatment per patient by half. This
was achieved by the establishment of domestic laboratories, which now
produce eight of the 15 antiretrovirals used in that country.

For so long the world has been swayed by arguments regarding the cost of
extending treatment beyond those who have privately funded healthcare. Yet
Dr Peter Piot, director of UNAIDS, argues, also very convincingly, that to
not spend precious resources on antiretroviral treatment for the masses
will, in the long run, prove a false economy.

Here in South Africa we have pharmaceutical companies that, in the wake of
the Treatment Action Campaign's momentous legal victory, are poised to begin
making low-cost life saving medications. All they need is a nod from the
government. We have Global Funds made available to KwaZulu Natal because,
despite dire predictions, the government was prepared to cut red tape.

We also have conclusive proof that it is possible to change behaviour. While
AIDS was mistakenly viewed as a gay disease more than a decade ago, we now
know that this was a false assumption. Today less than a million of the 22
million people who have died from AIDS were gay. Part of the reason why the
numbers dropped so dramatically was because the gay community was quicker
than any other to de-stigmatise the disease, speak frankly about sex, and
encourage and support the use of condoms.

In short, we are faced with the possible. It is not time to give up, but
time for all sectors to rise above their agendas. For the good of those
already living with HIV or AIDS and for future generations we need action
now.

I do not ask those who are out of sync with the commonly held beliefs
regarding HIV and AIDS, to change their opinion. What I do expect is that
they accept their responsibilities within the framework of democratic
principles i.e. to work within universal norms. We are told that we have one
of the best national AIDS strategies in the world. I find huge hope and
solace in that. What we need now is speedy implementation and an equally
speedy response to the findings of the Constitutional Court regarding
Nevirapine and the plan already in place to establish pilot sites to
establish the realities of making antiretrovirals available in the public
health sector.

I believe our Government has the power, as much for the survival of millions
of citizens of this country as for the sake of NEPAD to enthuse and
encourage our nation. I know that it has much to draw on from Barcelona.

Even as I call on Government to act I acknowledge that it is unrealistic to
ask it to carry the whole load. I offer a committed strategic "Partnership
for Life" on behalf of the more than 70 million Anglicans worldwide, who
have commissioned me to drive a programme that is working towards a
"Generation without AIDS".

We do not have huge amounts of money but we do reach deep into every
community. We are often located where there is no Post Office or electricity
and we acknowledge our own responsibility in the AIDS arena.

I extend my hand and heart to government in this partnership. The leaders of
this nation must collaborate, and speak as one, and together build on the
dreams and hopes for our people. We must eliminate the fear fuelled by
misinformation and dithering about response and responsibility. We must
unite in a stand for hope.

Besides us Anglicans there are others that Government knows it can count on.
COSATU, TAC, business and industry, people like Clem Sunter, people living
with AIDS, international donors and faith leaders across the nation all
stand ready to join this "Partnership for Life".

The time is absolutely ripe for an interdisciplinary approach and the
liberation of enslaved minds.

_______________________________________________
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