All creatures great and small& HIV/AIDS and Sustainable Development
by Judith King - HIVAN Media Office
There can be few in society who do not realise that health and development are not "either/or" issues, but are so interwoven that one cannot secure one without addressing the other. But where to begin? At the start of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Secretary-General Mr Nitin Desai declared that, with 36 million people living with HIV globally, we cannot make progress with development UNTIL we have dealt with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Such a statement, made from a powerful platform at a moment in history when the eyes and ears of the world are trained on this important forum, might sound like yet another grand pronouncement that leaves one wondering: how can I be of use? As an individual, one often feels too insignificant to play a meaningful part in effecting social change. Access to resources seems to remain in the hands of global governments and giant corporations, while the scale of the HIV/AIDS epidemic overwhelms even the most committed of citizens trying to contribute to healthier households, neighbourhoods and communities.
However, one does not need a massive bank balance, elevated social status or superior intellectual knowledge of all the issues in order to help out. All we need is a simple, central focus for action, and the WSSD's agenda presents a perfect framework within which the individual can make a difference.
Although our attention is consistently (and correctly) being drawn to the awesome gap between who is empowered and who is disempowered, this agenda is based on three goals: alleviating poverty, protecting the environment and caring enough to take HIV/AIDS seriously. There are hundreds of small but significant actions we can take in our daily lives to effect change, whether through recycling, planting, donating or lobbying.
In a broader sense, it is through recognising that HIV/AIDS and sustainable development involve not only human needs, but human rights, that the world will gain equilibrium. Anuradha Mittal, Co-ordinator of the US-based Institute for Food and Development Policy - better known as Food First - says that securing freedom from want and fear is a "people's movement", and that its success depends on each one of us.
Interviewed in The Sun (February 2002), Mittal says: "This revolution does not differentiate between civil rights and economic, social and cultural rights. It recognises that land and liberty, jobs and justice go together. If power is not taken back to the local level, nothing will change at the national or international level. Human rights are not dependent on the whims and fancies of corporations or presidents - they are dependent on the real people exercising real democracy. And that requires that we get involved. "
In KwaZulu-Natal, where HIV/AIDS and development crises pose monumental challenges, we have in our own backyard a superb model of successful mobilisation to emulate. Led by its Deputy Mayor, Zanele Hlatshwayo, the municipality of Pietermaritzburg has formed a vibrant network of diverse stakeholders which is effectively addressing both the needs and the rights of all its community members.
The Msunduzi Municipal AIDS Strategy is an action plan being implemented through co-ordinated partnership with clearly defined objectives and timeframes. After six months of operation, its benefits are demonstrable, and the scheme is fast becoming identified as one that could be replicated throughout the country.
(Read Liz Clarke's report on the Strategy by clicking here)
Clearly, we as individuals can choose to make a twofold commitment to the "people's movement" for HIV/AIDS and sustainable development: get involved and get together. There are brave and able people showing us the way forward, and whether we are leading figures or one of the masses, each of us is a powerful networker and agent for change.
Our site offers you a range of options for involvement:
- Join and explore our database of organisations and individuals who are committed to the struggle against HIV/AIDS;
- Contribute to the site's content by submitting your article to the Webmaster or posting your viewpoint to the Discussion Boards;
- Build bridges by telling someone else about our site.
One simple action on your part could change or save another person's life.
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