PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY, BEST PRACTICE AND GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE HIV/AIDS FIELD. A rating mechanism at the national level

Authors

The barriers to a comprehensive global response to HIV/AIDS prevention

and treatment are rapidly dropping. All UN member countries have

committed themselves to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

where combating HIV/AIDS is one of the key pillars: by 2015, the spread

of HIV/AIDS should be halted and begin to decline. The Declaration of

Commitment on HIV/AIDS endorsed by the Special Session of the UN

General Assembly on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) in June 2001 made targets on

HIV/AIDS time bound and concrete, setting clearly defined goals with

specific deadlines. This increased political commitment has also translated

into a dramatic increase in the donor funding available for HIV/AIDS

prevention and care programs. International pressure on the

pharmaceutical industry has also resulted in a dramatic reduction in antiretroviral

(ARV) prices. As a result of the above, the number of programs

to improve prevention, treatment and care has escalated in most

countries, as has the number of role-players.

Rodrigo Garay is the Founder, AIDS Accountability International, Stockholm.