| May 2010: Africa Region releases its HIV/TB Plan of Action for Southern Africa The two-year SACU HIV-TB Action Plan for 2010-2011 represents the World Bank’s commitment to responding to the sub-region’s need for innovative analytical, financial,and technical support. The World Bank is working with the SACU countries and development partners to ensure that HIV and TB are addressed as the important obstacles to development that they are. This plan complements the World Bank Africa Region’s HIV/AIDS Agenda for Action and aligns with the Bank’s Africa Action Plan. The five countries that comprise the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)—Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland—are among the countries
most heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis TB). Unlike most of the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, four of the five cannot access the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) zero-interest loans or grants, due to their classification as IBRD (International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development)*. For years, the Bank has found ways to respond favorably to requests for assistance from all five countries. The SACU HIV-TB Action Plan 2010-2011 delineates ways to support the southern African middle-income countries in reaching MDG 6 (reversing HIV and TB by 2015) through:
• Strengthening long-term, prioritized, and sustainable national HIV/AIDS and TB responses;
• Building stronger national systems to manage the response effectively and efficiently; and
• Improving coordination and donor harmonization. Read the SACU Action Plan | SACU Brochure
*Lesotho is a lower middle income country and is IDA-eligible. | 
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