HIV has yet to become a significant health issue within NZ's Pacific Island neighbours, but the example of nearby Papua New Guinea, where public health programmes and support initiatives have been too little too late, is worrying. PNG now has one of the most out of control HIV epidemics in the Asia/Pacific region. Apia waterfront Recent research by UNAIDS suggests that many nations' HIV epidemics which were once characterised as 'heterosexual' epidemics, such as those in sub-saharan Africa and PNG are in fact based amongst men who have sex with men in cultures where they dare not acknowledge their homosexuality or bisexuality, thus leading researchers and health workers to incorrectly identify the epidemics' nature. Last week Warren Lindberg of the NZ Ministry of Health - and formerly the longest-serving chief executive of the NZ AIDS Foundation - spoke in Samoa as part of the roll-out of the Report of the Commission on AIDS in the Pacific. Commission members, who worked on the report for eighteen months, represented a wide range of the nations and cultures of the Pacific. The following is Lindberg's speech, delivered in Apia and edited for length by GayNZ.com, in which he briefly sumarises the Commission's advice to Pacific leaders. Warren Lindberg "Effective and committed political and community leadership are critical determinants in driving our responses to HIV in the Pacific. Political leaders must be effectively engaged and the commitments made by the Pacific’s leaders at the regional level must be acted upon at the country level with the involvement of traditional, church and community leaders. "The legislative and enabling environment around HIV must provide legislative protection and enforcement mechanisms for people living with HIV, and should not criminalise high-risk behaviour or promote HIV-related discrimination. Changing punitive laws that criminalise sex work or sex between consenting adults of the same sex doesn’t imply approval of these behaviours, but signals our care and concern, and our respect for the dignity and rights of all individuals. And changing these laws is, quite simply, good public health practice. "Civil Society must be engaged and supported if our responses to HIV are going to be successful. Community-based programmes are best delivered by communities themselves, and we need to ensure that the capacity and skills of our non-governmental organizations is built and sustained. "And of course, nothing happens without good strategic planning and thinking. Walking together in harmony and unison, in a planned and coordinated way is crucial. It is time to move to implementation and action and away from the endless development of un-used or unusable strategic plans that aren’t owned by the end users, aren’t costed or realistic, don’t reflect national priorities, or which are not informed by good surveillance and social research. Strengthening our health systems is the key to meeting the general health needs as well as the HIV response requirements of resource constrained and capacity challenged small island states. "Our prevention efforts must address high risk behaviours even if they challenge our believes, personal values or faith. Our national HIV responses must focus on HIV related risk behaviours, NOT on individuals or groups, in order to avoid creating a climate of hate and discrimination. It’s time to put into practice the love and compassion that our faiths teach us, and to speak out against any attempt to create a climate of intolerance targeting our diverse communities. Respecting everyone’s rights, tolerating diversity and difference - this is the only way we can ever effectively respond to the incoming tide of HIV. "And finally, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission recommended that we must not allow ourselves to become dependent on external donor aid. The UN Resident Coordinator noted that Samoa is one of the few countries in the region to have a dedicated budget allocation for its national response to HIV and to pay for the life-saving treatment that people living with HIV require through domestic resources. This sets a wonderful example for Samoa’s neighbours and helps to ensure that the country’s HIV response is owned and managed in-country, and not by outsiders. "Ladies and gentlemen, as we are here in the home of Robert Louis Stevenson, it’s only appropriate that I conclude with his words: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” The Commission members sincerely hope that our Report, "Turning the Tide: An OPEN strategy for a response to AIDS in the Pacific," plants the seeds that grow into well considered, well managed and regionally owned responses to HIV here in our beautiful Pacific home. "Fa’a fatai." GayNZ.com Daily News staff - 2nd May 2010
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 2nd May 2010 - 7:55pm