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The U.S. and India — the promise of partnerships against AIDS

David C. Mulford

We need to work together: governments, civil society, the private sector, religious organisations, and others — including those suffering from the disease and their loved ones.

TODAY IS World AIDS Day, a day when people around the world take stock of the progress being made in one of the greatest global challenges of our time. Working with public and private partners around the world, including India, the United States is engaged with governments, NGOs, the private sector, religious organisations, and the more than 38 million people living with the disease today.

We must stop the continued spread of HIV-AIDS — for which there is as yet no cure — and ease the lives of those combating it.

HIV-AIDS knows no boundaries. Just over one million people in the United States are battling the disease. In India, over five million people are affected by HIV-AIDS, the vast majority infected by unprotected sexual intercourse. Although the spread of the disease in America has been stabilising, HIV is still a growing threat to India.

India's response to this epidemic is gaining momentum under the leadership of the National AIDS Control Organisation and Indian Government Ministries are now incorporating HIV programmes into their annual plans. The U.S. remains committed to working in partnership with the Government of India's AIDS control programme.

In 2003 U.S. President George W. Bush launched a $15 billion initiative to fight AIDS around the world, the largest-ever health initiative to target a single disease. In India, the U.S. supports diverse prevention, treatment and care programmes with Indian public and private partners in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, where rates of infection are the highest. These action-oriented partnerships strengthen India's national programmes and enhance the grassroots work of local communities.

In absence of a cure, experience shows that the problem of HIV cannot be solved by medical solutions alone, but must involve all sectors of society. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made this clear this year at the National Youth Convention on HIV-AIDS when he said, "Non-governmental organisations, civil society, the private sector, religious leaders ... must all play a prominent role ... leading a healthy and safe sexual life is one of the commitments we must all make."

Private sector involvement

Private industry is also getting involved in the fight against HIV-AIDS. The Indo-U.S. Corporate Fund for HIV-AIDS was launched in March 2006, as part of an agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Singh to strengthen public-private cooperation in the fight against HIV-AIDS. With assistance from ICICI Bank, GiveIndia, and the U.S. Government, the fund has received pledges from Indian businesses totalling Rs.5.8 crore. Participating businesses can use the Fund to support innovative HIV-AIDS interventions for prevention and treatment in their workplaces.

Workplace programmes are helping to reduce the painful stigma that is faced every day by those who suffer from HIV and spread awareness about how to protect oneself against infection. Businesses and governments alike must recognise that supporting their own employees is a first step all of us can and should take. Businesses can establish HIV-AIDS policies in the workplace that provide information to employees about the disease and safe sex. Workplace initiatives that involve friends and colleagues of those suffering from HIV help create a work and social environment free from the stigma of HIV.

India is having some success in slowing the rate of HIV-AIDS infections. For example, HIV transmission rates in high-risk populations and spread among some populations in Tamil Nadu have been steadily declining. In that State, the U.S. joined with the National AIDS Control Organisation and a vast number of local non-government organisations in a project that reaches out to high-risk populations such as truckers, sex workers, and migrant workers.

Partnerships with faith-based organisations are another source of strength in the fight against HIV-AIDS. Religious leaders representing Bahais, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, and others are joining to use their vast networks of hospitals and schools across the country to reach out and provide integrated prevention and treatment programmes.

Those infected by HIV/AIDS have an important role to play as well. People such as Kausar Khan, a migrant in the city of Mumbai, and others living with HIV-AIDS can make important contributions in the fight. Ms. Khan, who received counselling and support from a faith-based organisation after contracting HIV from unprotected sex with her husband, is an inspiring example of the power of partnerships.

Weak and dying, Ms. Khan was referred to an anti-retroviral treatment centre where her health improved dramatically after receiving treatment. She is now a vocal advocate for women who are infected with HIV and makes home visits as a peer educator. Her counselling helps other women get treatment and her personal story brings hope to others in desperate situations.

In America, we have seen how people living with HIV-AIDS are strong advocates for others affected by the disease. They provide living examples of how proper treatment can help sufferers to lead more stable, productive lives. Groups in India such as the Indian Network of People Living with HIV-AIDS and the Network of Positive People are helping those affected to live with dignity by reducing the stigma of HIV.

We need to work together: governments, civil society, the private sector, religious organisations, and others — including those suffering from the disease and their loved ones. We can defeat the HIV-AIDS epidemic here in India and around the world. We need to spread the message about how to prevent the HIV infection in our families, our communities and our nations. We must also ensure that those already infected are treated with respect and have access to the health and support services they need. This is truly a global challenge. The fight is now and we must act together to make a difference.

(David C. Mulford is the U.S. Ambassador to India.)

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