On World Aids Day, Mary Robinsonnotes the significant strides that have been made against the disease
I learned valuable lessons about HIV/Aids on two visits to Kenya this year.
In March, I was struck by the critical role that a small group of committed leaders had played in tackling stigma and gender-based inequities, which have helped fuel the feminisation of HIV and Aids in much of Africa.
My colleagues and I from Realizing Rights brought together parliamentarians from four African countries for a workshop in Nairobi. The aim was to assess the results of a project which supported these leaders in pushing for the kinds of legislative, budgetary and cultural responses that could address the HIV pandemic and its impact on women. The experiences we heard from these parliamentarians were proof that leadership can and does make a difference.
One after the other, male and female parliamentarians from Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and Namibia explained that they had learned to speak publicly about the cultural dimensions of HIV, which include sexuality, reproductive rights, women's vulnerability to HIV, child marriage and rape. These parliamentarians were convinced that it was imperative that we move beyond the technical sphere and into the cultural and political spheres - those areas that are perhaps the hardest to address - in order to beat the pandemic and assist those who urgently need our help.
My second visit to Nairobi was for a summit on women and Aids in July. I was privileged to address a forum of about 500 positive women.
It was an unforgettable experience to listen to story after story of violence, stigma and discrimination. But as their stories continued, it was clear that these women were strong actors for change in their communities. What stayed in my mind was that, as the women entered the hall, they were given the option of sitting on the side where television cameras might roam or the side out of reach of cameras. Most chose to sit away from the eye of the camera. Many of these women had hidden their status because of the stigma and discrimination they spoke about so eloquently.
Today, on World Aids Day 2007, we should acknowledge the strides made in our understanding of the HIV epidemic. The recently revised-downward estimate of the global prevalence of HIV is a welcome development. Some have charged that the initial estimate had been intentionally skewed to move the public and political leaders to action. This debate distracts us from the fundamental truth that the battle against HIV is still a Herculean task we must all recommit to fight together. It is imperative that we do not lose sight of the reality of the scope of this epidemic. Some 33.2 million people - though significantly less than the previous estimate of 39.5 million - is still a number that demands our urgent attention.
What is needed are more leaders like those I met in Kenya - parliamentarians and women - who are willing to take a stand in the fight against the stigma and discrimination which is still linked to HIV and Aids in many countries.
Other types of leadership are needed as well. Governments must show that they are leading by making progress towards meeting the pledge they made last year to ensure universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.
Civic and business leaders also have a continuing role to play, both in supporting people living with HIV and urging governments to do more.
We know leaders are needed because we know that Aids is more than a virus, more than an epidemic. It is a social and political challenge that must be faced head-on.
Facing it begins by recognising that the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental human right - a right possessed in equal measure by the world's wealthiest and poorest, by its most advantaged and its most marginalised.
Realising the human right to health entails building and maintaining effective and integrated health systems in which underlying determinants of health are addressed and effective care is made accessible to all people. This is the message that passionate Irish voices, such as Michael Kelly SJ, have been hammering home for decades.
But it isn't enough to recognise the human right to health; we must act to ensure that health systems around the world have sufficient tools and workers to care for those in dire need of attention. When our health systems fail, individuals suffer.
Increased funding, a heightened political will and the recognition of health as a human right are all indispensable elements of the global effort to tackle the pandemic of Aids and our other health crises.
We possess the means and the competencies to curb the HIV pandemic. And if we do that, we will affirm for our time, and for all time, that we refused to be bystanders to our generation's greatest human tragedy. Let's not lose sight of the reality of the current situation. Let's not forgot our potential. Let's choose to be leaders in the struggle against HIV and Aids.
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN high commissioner for human rights, is chairwoman of Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative, which seeks to put human rights standards at the heart of global governance and policymaking. She is also honorary president of Oxfam International and is a founding member and chair of the Council of Women World Leaders