Resolution on the International AIDS Conference in Lusaka (Zambia)
Date: 1999-10-06
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: AIDS, Africa, EU aid, cooperation policy, developing countries, development policy, disease prevention, epidemic, health policy

C 107/76

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.4.2000

Wednesday 6 October 1999

17. Eleventh international AIDS conference in Lusaka

B5-0121, 0122, 0126, 0137 and 0139/1999

Resolution on the International AIDS Conference in Lusaka (Zambia)

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its previous resolutions on the HIV-AIDS disease,

A. whereas the XIth International Conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases in Africa took
place on 12-16 September 1999 in Lusaka and as a result UN agencies have joined forces with Afri-
can governments, donor countries, and pan-African and other international organisations to create an
International Partnership against AIDS in Africa,

B. whereas the HIV-AIDS disease has reached pandemic proportions in sub-Saharan Africa and infection

rates, especially among children and young people, continue to grow alarmingly,

C. whereas AIDS has become the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and is causing a human
development crisis by fracturing and impoverishing families, orphaning millions of children and shred-
ding the fabric of communities,

D. whereas HIV/AIDS afflicts the most active section of the population, thereby threatening the long-term

sustainable development of the continent,

E. whereas in some countries HIV-AIDS-related costs will soon absorb half or more of health budgets,
and the human cost cannot even be estimated; whereas expenditure on health and education has been
drastically reduced because of a number of constraints, which are having far-reaching consequences,

F. whereas the situation can only deteriorate unless the international community invests far more in
prevention efforts as well as programmes to address the social and economic consequences of the
AIDS pandemic,

G. whereas the continued rapid spread of HIV-AIDS poses a direct threat to all development efforts,

H. whereas Africans cannot afford the cost of anti-viral drugs available in the industrialised world,

I. whereas the magnitude of AIDS has so far been underestimated by most African governments;
whereas no African Head of State attended the Lusaka Conference; whereas cultural and religious
traditions sometimes pose obstacles to an effective implementation of anti-AIDS measures,

J. whereas a new and innovative policy on AIDS must be created by making better use of the available
funds and by fully involving civil society in a constructive dialogue based on local communities and
community-based and private sector organisations,

Believes that a global approach to AIDS is urgently needed in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on pre-

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vention efforts and addressing the multitude of social and economic problems brought about by AIDS;

2. Welcomes and fully supports the creation of an International Partnership against the HIV-AIDS pan-
demic in Africa, which should ensure more coherent and improved coordination among partners in inter-
national fora and the sharing of expertise as well as political and financial commitments;

Emphasises, however, that this partnership can only succeed with African determination, commit-

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ment and empowerment, as well as the full and coherent support of civil society;

13.4.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 107/77

Urges the global community and the EU in particular to dramatically increase efforts and resources to

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meet the growing challenges and the human development crisis posed by the AIDS pandemic;

Wednesday 6 October 1999

Stresses the need for a change of attitude on the part of both donors and local governments so that

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they stop neglecting the issue and make the fight against AIDS a priority of their development policy;

In this context, calls on African governments to accelerate their action so that within the next 5-10

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years all African countries have in place comprehensive national and regional AIDS programmes;

7.
Stresses the fact that the AIDS pandemic is not only a health problem but a major factor contribut-
ing to poverty and a broad development issue affecting practically all layers of society and severely threa-
tening the economic and social development of whole generations and nations, especially in Africa;

8.
Insists that the International Partnership should focus primarily on rigorous and targeted prevention
efforts aimed at stabilising the epidemic and preventing new infections, and help NGOs to take care of
single-parent families and children without parents;

9.
Calls on the different international donors who are active in the fight against AIDS, such as the
World Bank, the UNDP, the WHO and the EU, to coordinate their policies and adopt a uniform approach
so as to limit waste of resources, and to ensure that structural adjustment programmes take the pandemic
into account;

Believes that, given the limited resources available, their allocation must be clearly consistent with
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national and regional development plans and involve cooperation with local communities as well as regio-
nal cooperation, and that the role of NGOs should be emphasised to make sure that funds are used effec-
tively;

11.
Recommends that any coherent strategy should include as key components information campaigns
targeted at high-risk groups, education, access to care for infected people, safe blood transfusions, and
prevention as well as treatment of other sexually transmitted diseases;

Considers that the action against AIDS must form part of the general fight against other curable

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diseases which still exist in Africa by improving primary health care;

Stresses the importance of the EU HIV/AIDS programme for developing countries and the need for
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the EU to continue to allocate sufficient human and financial resources to HIV/AIDS in the future, but
stresses also that measures in the field of reproductive health should be given special priority;

Calls on all international donors to put this epidemic at the centre of their development agenda and

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to mainstream AIDS prevention into all aspects of their work in Africa;

Calls on the religious authorities to cooperate fully in the implementation of prevention pro-

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grammes and to participate constructively in AIDS prevention action;

Stresses the need for continued research,

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beyond any operational activities in the fight against AIDS;

in particular as regards the development of vaccines,

Calls on the WTO and the WHO to investigate ways of making anti-AIDS drugs available at lower

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prices in the developing countries;

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Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the UN Secretary-
General, the Member States of the Lomé Convention, the World Health Organisation, the World Trade
Organisation, the UNDP and the World Bank.