Durban then and now: Human rights funding in the AIDS response

This post was originally published on DevEx.

It’s human nature to compare AIDS 2000 to the convening happening in Durban, South Africa, this month. The progress we’ve made is clear. In 2000, fewer than 700,000 people received antiretroviral medicines; today, 15 million people have access to this lifesaving treatment, and HIV infections have declined 35 percent. These are no small feats.

However, that same then-and-now comparison serves to highlight persistent blind spots in the global response to HIV and AIDS. For example, inequality of access — and the human rights issues that are often at the root of it — continues to be a glaring need that prevents progress from happening as quickly as it should.

Policymakers, scientists and implementers agree that an effective HIV response must be viewed through the lens of human rights. Yet overall AIDS funding for human rights is remarkably low. Resources in some countries are woefully inadequate, and harmful legislation aims to further marginalize and oppress those at greatest risk of HIV. The most marginalized groups — women, young people, sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, prisoners, and migrants — are often directly and indirectly excluded from lifesaving health services.

Without adequate funding, not only will we halt further advancements, we may backslide.

Read the full article here.