Open Communication, Advocacy Needed To Overcome HIV/AIDS Pandemic.

2001 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women concluded on March 12, 2001, its general discussion on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: Gender equality, development and peace for the 21st century" and began consideration of "Follow-up to Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions."

Mari Simonen, director, Technical Support Division, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said HIV/AIDS needed to be addressed openly and stressed the importance of open communication in overcoming the epidemic.

Yet information alone is not enough to change behavior, she added. Advocacy is needed to help create a supportive environment for social change through policies, programs, and legislation. Information, education, and communication is needed to encourage individuals to change their behavior, she said. Counseling and training are needed to bring about more effective interpersonal communications.

Aster Zaoude, acting leader and senior gender adviser, Social Development Group, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said there is a need to permanently alter the norms, values, and traditions fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially those perpetuating gender inequalities and discrimination against those living with the virus. In the most affected countries "we need to ensure that the full power and authority of the State is brought to bear on the crisis," she urged.

"Gender concerns need to be on the national AIDS agenda, with specific actions and resources dedicated to address the increasing impact on women and girls," Zaoude continued.

The international community needs to do much more to help raise the estimated $3 billion per year needed for prevention and palliative treatments for up to half of those infected. The billions required for antiviral treatment could only be achieved by external financing if national health priorities were not completely distorted.

At the same time, she stressed that the response to the epidemic only worked when governments allocated resources from their own budgets for prevention and care, as had been demonstrated in Uganda and Thailand.