SARPN: Southern Africa Civil Society Consultation on Trade and HIV/AIDS

The recently released UNAIDS 2005 Epidemic Report shows that sub-Saharan Africa continues to be home to more then 60% of the world's HIV/AIDS sufferers (average 25.8 million infected people).

Add to this the increased challenge of food security and general poverty, and the world is faced with a fragile region in which survival is a daily concern for the majority of the poorest. Protection of the availability of medication, domestic markets and free health services are life and death matters.

On the 28 and 29 November 2005, the Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN) and the Economic Justice Network (EJN) held a regional civil society consultation to discuss the connection between trade and HIV/AIDS in the light of the Hong Kong World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial meeting in December 2005. The event, sponsored by Oxfam GB and the Ford Foundation, brought together civil society participants from around the region who work in the areas of trade and/or HIV/AIDS.

The consultation issued a statement at the end of the deliberations, which identified areas of concern within the various WTO agreements.

The consultation noted that agricultural production and food security are crucial components in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. The Statement demands that highly industrialised countries stop subsidies of their domestic production that result in the dumping of their excess agricultural production into developing countries, thereby undermining the local agricultural production.

With regard to the Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), concerns were raised that the TRIPS agreement undermines the capacity of developing countries to secure the production and provision of affordable medicines to deal with HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

The General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) attempts to limit the provision of state services including health care. The statement highlights that these services are vital to the delivery of human rights, including health services - especially for HIV/AIDS.

Within the area of the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA), concerns were raised on the removal of protective tariffs in developing countries to allow market access to transnational corporations. The statement notes that this will place substantial competitive pressures on domestic producers, which will aggravate unemployment and poverty and compound the effects of HIV/AIDS.

The statement calls for African governments to consult with their people and to maintain their unity in defence of the development of Africa. It further maintains that civil society will continue to struggle for trade justice and sustainable development.

For further information, visit: http://www.sarpn.org or contact: Shani Winterstein, Media, Communication & Linkages, Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN). Tel: +27 (0)12 342 9499; Cell: +27 (0)84 850 8440; Fax: +27 (0)12 342 5636 or Email: [email protected]