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UNAIDS representative blasts HIV ‘Swat analyses’ programmes
UNAIDS Representative, Dr Ruben Del Prado
The notion of regular Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) training workshops and training sessions were belittled by UNAIDS Country Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Dr Ruben Del Prado.
He underscored that there is an urgent need to refocus the approach to technical support capacities and competency development.
He insisted that “the time is over (for) those one day workshops and training with the giving out of certificates. We cannot do that anymore. You cannot get certificates with training of two days, it is impossible. But it looks good and you have a certificate on your wall and you can say you trained 4,000 people; you are not trained!”
He also warned against persons opting to venture into local communities and conducting what he regarded as “swat analyses”. He highlighted that there is a need to identify local strengths and build on that.
“Don’t go into communities and do swat analyses anymore to find and strengthen weaknesses…you can’t build on weaknesses but you can build on the strengths.”
Further, he underscored the point that leadership in this regard is not about telling people what to do but rather to enlighten them about “where we are going and what will be happening in 2020.”
Dr Del Prado’s utterances were vocalised recently when he presented remarks at a recent HIV stakeholders meeting at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown. The forum which was focused on country ownership as it relates to the response to HIV saw the attendance of a wide cross section of stakeholders.
And according to the UNAIDS Representative, country ownership is definitely necessary to meet the demands of the changing HIV environment.
“We cannot continue to have parallel programmes for HIV. We have to take HIV out of isolation; we have to strengthen the system…the Ministries of Health, Education, Human Services and Labour and even the Ministry of Agriculture and other Ministries would have to be strengthened and capacities will have to be built in order to tackle the issue of prevention and the broader developmental agenda.”
Dr Del Prado pointed to the fact that it is imperative that the issue of HIV be included in the sustainable development, environment and even climate change, reflecting the national programme.
This, he said, will entail inclusive policy making at the country level; real partnerships – no partner that is commanding and demanding in setting the stage but real partners that can deliver results with resources that are finite.
“We have to become more effective, efficient and produce results that are measurable; we have to sustain the response in the long term.”
According to Dr Del Prado the time has come to an end when Government is solely responsible for financing such programmes by itself. The intent, according to him, is to sustain people centered responses, adding that “it is about serving people, involving people and it is about making sure that people understand that there is a problem and they have the strength to do something…We really have to look at the way developmental partners support the country.”
He asserted, too, that the mobilization of investment from local resources as a commitment was made at a United Nations General Assembly in 2001. It was agreed, then, that a lot of the efforts to prevent and treat HIV should be coming from domestic resources.
In 2001, he added that African leaders pledged to set a target of allocating at least 15 percent of their annual budget towards the health sector.
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