HIV/AIDS: New Infections in Africa Still Rising-Epidemic Continues to Be Region's LeadingCause of Death and Lost GDP, Says World Bank

World Bank lays out new AIDS strategy for 2007-2011

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2008 - A new World Bank report launched todaysays African countries must continue to champion HIV prevention efforts to slowand reverse the rate of new HIV infections, and that HIV/AIDS will remain forthe foreseeable future an unprecedented economic, social, and human challengeto sub-Saharan Africa. The region remains the global epicenter of the disease.

According to the new report-TheWorld Bank's Commitment to HIV/AIDS in Africa: Our Agenda for Action, 2007-2011-forevery infected African starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the firsttime, another four to six become newly infected, even as regional figures showfalling prevalence in countries such as Kenya, and parts of Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire,Malawi, and Zimbabwe. About 22.5 million Africans are HIV positive, and AIDS isthe leading cause of premature death on the continent, especially amongproductive young people and women. As a result, some private firms in Southern Africa recruit two workers for every job inanticipation of losing staff to the disease.

In laying out its continuing plans to helpAfrican countries fight the epidemic, the Bank's new strategy says that morethan 60 percent of people living with HIV in Africa are women, and that youngwomen are six times more likely to be HIV positive than are young men. As aresult of the epidemic, an estimated 11.4 million children under age 18 havelost at least one parent.

"With AIDS the largest single cause ofpremature death in Africa, we can't talk about better, lasting developmentthere without also committing to stay the course in the long-term fight againstthe disease," says ElizabethLule, Manager of the World Bank's AIDS Campaign Team for Africa (ACTafrica),whose team consulted widely with African countries, people living with HIV,sister UN agencies, NGOs, private companies and others in devising its newHIV/AIDS strategy for Africa.  

The World Bank has mobilized more than$1.5 billion to more than 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africato combat the epidemic since 2000.

Next Steps Through 2011
With its African HIV/AIDS ‘Agenda forAction', the Bank says it is moving away from its initial ‘emergency response'role as the world's principal financier of HIV/AIDS programs, towards a newmission with four new strategic objectives.

These include: at the global level, advisingcountries on how best to manage the complexity of the international financingthey receive; and at the local level, helping countries to accelerateimplementation and take a long-term sustainable development response toHIV/AIDS; strengthening the monitoring and evaluation capacity of countries totrack the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of their HIV/AIDSresponse; and building up stronger health and fiduciary systems.

Amalgamating HIV/AIDS services with thosefor reproductive and maternal health, nutrition, and other diseases such asmalaria and TB, would remedy a long-standing defect in many national HIV/AIDSprograms to date. The ‘feminization' of the epidemic and its links to sexualand reproductive health, and the frequency of co-infection with TB (and theemerging Extensively Drug Resistant TB) and other opportunistic diseases,amplify the importance of providing people with integrated health services.

Specifically, the Bank would commit to:provide at least $250 million a year for

HIV/AIDS initiatives, based on countrydemand, and establish a grant incentive fund of $5 million annually to promotecapacity building, analysis, and HIV/AIDS project components in key sectorssuch as health, education, transport, and public sector management.

"After 25 years, it is time to apply thelessons of experience and scale up what is working. With this Agenda forAction, the World Bank reaffirms its long-term commitment to assist partnercountries achieve... universal access... to HIV prevention, treatment, care andsupport by integrating AIDS into their national development agendas, scalingup... responses, and strengthening national systems," says Peter Piot, Executive Director ofthe Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The World Bank is one of ten co-sponsorsof UNAIDS, along with InternationalLabor Organization(ILO), Office of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR), United NationsChildren's Fund(UNICEF), United NationsDevelopment Programme(UNDP), United NationsEducation, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), United NationsOffice on Drugs and Crime(UNODC), United NationsPopulation Fund(UNFPA), World FoodProgramme(WFP), and the World HealthOrganization. The Agenda for Action will be implemented in thecontext of this partnership.