In Africa, the AIDS pandemic is more devastating than war. AIDS kills ten times more people than conflict. In a growing number of countries, AIDS is truly a matter of national security. Through its erosion of human capital, AIDS has a serious destabilizing impact. AIDS destroys the social fabric.
Social turmoil is fertile ground for conflict.
Conflict breeds civil strife and war. War and AIDS together they threaten to undo decades of economic and social progress in many developing countries. We must break this vicious circle. Developing the capacity of peacekeepers to become advocates and actors for the awareness and prevention of HIV transmission is an important task. Personnel should adhere to the Code of Conduct for Peacekeepers, but other strong preventive measures are also required.