INTERNATIONAL SECURITY INCLUDES "PEACEFUL WAR" AGAINST AIDS, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TOLD

Press Release
ECOSOC/5884

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY INCLUDES ‘PEACEFUL WAR’ AGAINST AIDS, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TOLD

Council meets to Discuss Cooperation In Combating HIV/AIDs Pandemic, Particularly in Africa

In the post-cold war world, international security included more than guns and bombs and the balance of power -- it included the “peaceful war” against AIDS, the Economic and Social Council was told this afternoon as it held an unprecedented meeting to discuss the main development issues and concerns that emerged during the Security Council's "Month of Africa" in January.

Today’s Economic and Social Council meeting was held in partnership with the Security Council to discuss cooperation in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly in Africa, and to examine ways to develop cooperation through special initiatives for AIDS and Africa.

Briefing the Economic and Social Council, the representative of the United States, who was President of the Security Council for the month of January, said that the devastating impact of AIDS on all business of the United Nations must be acknowledged. Every Member State must carry the fight into every aspect of the Organization’s work. That thinking lay behind last month’s Council session on Africa. For too long, the Security Council had ignored AIDS or seen it as “someone else’s problem". In addition, from now on, the United States would only vote for peacekeeping resolutions that included a requirement that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations act to prevent the spread of AIDS among, or as a consequence of, peacekeepers.

The President of the Council, Makarim Wibisono (Indonesia) said that a global response to the AIDS crisis was now required and it was most appropriate for the Council to discuss it. The AIDS crisis was within the competency of the Council, which should play a coordinating role in addressing the pandemic. All resources should be mobilized, and the response should be within the framework of social and economic development.

The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Peter Piot, reported significant progress in partnerships for development, with contributions from the private corporations and civil society. The UNAIDS would soon report to the Security Council on intensified efforts to

Economic and Social Council - 1a - Press Release ECOSOC/5884 4th Meeting (PM) 28 February 2000

improve information flows, assure more consistent follow-up and enable systematic coordination. Collaboration with national agencies and regional organizations would be intensified, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS were working with pharmaceutical companies to provide medicines to the sick.

The representative of India rejected the "unsubstantiated" allegations that peacekeepers were a factor in the spread of AIDS. Not one of India’s African peacekeepers had contracted AIDS. He agreed with several other speakers, who argued that AIDS was not a security, but a development, problem. All the evidence established that it was not violence or insecurity that spread the disease, but globalization and integration, as nine of 10 most “at risk” African nations had not seen conflict in a decade, and six were shining examples of democracy.

The Council was also briefed by the current Security Council President, Arnoldo Listre of Argentina, and the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai. The representatives of Portugal (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Cuba, Costa Rica, Italy, Norway, Japan, Ireland, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ukraine and Brazil, also spoke, as did the representative of the World Health Organization.

In other action this afternoon, the Council authorized the Commission for Social Development to resume its latest session for one day to complete its work.

The Council will resume its work at a date to be announced.

Council Work Programme

When the Economic and Social Council met this afternoon, it was expected to hold a briefing addressing the main development issues and concerns that emerged during the Security Council's "Month of Africa" in January. It was also expected to examine the question of further cooperative action with the Security Council through special initiatives, particularly with regard to HIV/AIDS. The Council had before it a draft decision (document E/2000/L.3), by the terms of which it would authorize the Commission for Social Development to hold a resumed session for one day, on an exceptional basis, in order to complete the work of its thirty-eighth session.

The Council was expected to hear statements by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai; the President of the Security Council for February, Arnoldo Listre (Argentina); the President of the Security Council for January, Richard Holbrooke (United States); and the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Peter Piot.

Statements

The President of the Economic and Social Council, MAKARIM WIBISONO (Indonesia), said that today's meeting had been convened in response to the letter to the President of the Economic and Social Council from the President of the Security Council for January, in which he had referred to the Security Council meeting of 10 January on the impact of HIV/AIDS on peace and security in Africa. The global response to the scourge was required at this stage, and it was most appropriate for the Economic and Social Council to discuss the crisis.

The Economic and Social Council should be prepared to address the global issues within its area of competency, he said. No resources should remain unmobilized in addressing dangers of global proportions. The response should be within the framework of social and economic development. A multi-sectoral approach should be encouraged, and the key was cooperation through partnership. Collective action and partnership with governments and the private sector should be widened. In that context, the Economic and Social Council could play a coordinating role.

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said that today's initiative was most welcome. Expressing sorrow at the catastrophic floods in Mozambique, he assured the delegates that the United Nations was prepared to assist in that crisis. The issue of AIDS in Africa was of utmost importance, and the link between AIDS and development was obvious.

Turning to the impact of the disease on the development, he said that life expectancy in most affected countries would fall by up to 20 years by the year 2015. The number of deaths as a result of the epidemic ran into the millions. As most people dying of the disease were in their productive years, the pandemic would have a serious impact on development. The situation in Africa now demonstrated that there was no primary care, and the impact on health budgets would be enormous. It was important for the Economic and Social Council to focus on the problem, for HIV/AIDS had profound consequences for the development of the most affected countries.

The Economic and Social Council actually had a very important role in the coordination of international efforts in the area under discussion, he continued. Efforts of different organizations and agencies needed to be brought together. It was also important to encourage interest in the problem. Increasingly, the focus of attention was shifting towards partnership. It was important for the Council to continue to be seized with the matter.

ARNOLDO LISTRE (Argentina), President of the Security Council, noted that AIDS had been on the Security Council’s agenda since January, at the initiative of the United States, and the Council had received and circulated a letter from UNAIDS on a follow-up plan to address the scourge. Also in January, France, with the support of other members, proposed convening a tripartite conference of donors, recipients of assistance and medical producers, to coordinate efforts against the scourge.

Hereafter, coordination and exchange of information between the Economic and Social Council and other relevant bodies would make for better policies, he said. There was a need for greater coordination in the field, according to the Security Council’s January meeting, to improve allocation of existing resources. The Security Council should contribute to generating ideas for better humanitarian assistance. The countries that were suffering must also contribute.

RICHARD HOLBROOKE (United States) advised that the United States attached enormous importance to the issue. In the post-cold-war world, international security included more than guns and bombs and the balance of power. It included the “peaceful” war against AIDS, as United States Vice-President Gore had told the Security Council. The devastating impact of AIDS on all the business of the United Nations must be acknowledged. Agencies should use UNAIDS as the focal point, as the United States was impressed with its work. While it provided a model for coordination and cooperation within the system, every Member State must carry the fight into every aspect of the United Nations’ work. That thinking lay behind last month’s Council session, as for too long the Security Council had ignored AIDS or seen it as “someone else’s problem”.

The Economic and Social Council and the Security Council must assure that a fundamental re-evaluation of United Nations’ activities occurred, he said. He called for a Security Council resolution on AIDS, which should also recognize the special risks of infection, and of spreading infection, posed by United Nations peacekeepers. At times, while trying to solve problems by preventing war, United Nations peacekeepers had contributed to the spread of AIDS. A Security Council resolution should be passed as early as possible and before 13 July -– when the Third International AIDS Conference was to take place in Durban.

The United States would never again vote for a peacekeeping resolution that did not include language that required the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to act to ensure that AIDS did not spread among, or as a consequence of, peacekeepers. He was not satisfied with past efforts, which were inadequate and were not disseminated widely enough. The Security Council must also challenge its member governments to do better. The available levels of international donor funds were too low. He was consulting with the United States Congress to seek higher levels than the large amounts already committed by his country.

Nations in the throws of the pandemic should also accept responsibilities, he said. AIDS was still too much of a taboo and surrounded with silence, in some States. In Namibia, he had met women who suffered from AIDS in secret, because of the stigma of the disease. Such stigmas still existed all over the world -- including in parts of United States -– even though progress had been made. However, the examples of Thailand and Uganda show that, for AIDS, sunlight was the best disinfectant. The challenge surpassed the abilities of individual countries, and combined commitment and creativity were needed. There would be no instant progress, but through the united efforts of the United Nations the dreaded killer could be brought under control.

PETER PIOT, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said that while 20 years ago the global community had not even heard of AIDS, now more than 50 million people were HIV infected. As the Security Council had noted, AIDS was not a health or environmental problem like any other. The need to mount an extraordinary response was inescapable. National and international AIDS activities in Africa must be expanded dramatically and rapidly. But, the world was far from powerless against the epidemic, and there had been substantial progress since the Economic and Social Council last discussed the problem six months ago. Two decades of experience had identified the essential elements of a successful strategy.

To sustain and expand prevention success stories in Uganda, Senegal and elsewhere, between $2 billion to $3 billion a year was needed for prevention activities. Much less had been available. Some States responded to recent calls for funds, notably the United States, Canada, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Australia. Resources for expanded national responses were to be included in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative for some States, and the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) had undertaken initiatives. Commitments were up roughly 2.5 times for 2000, over 1997, largely as a result of the previous year’s activities. He rejected suggestions that problems with Africa’s “absorptive capacity” constituted a reason for not increasing official development assistance (ODA).

Significant progress had also been made in establishing and improving partnerships for development, and private corporations had also made contributions, he said. United Nations coordination was improving, as requested by legislative bodies. Next week, UNAIDS would report to the Security Council on intensified efforts to assure that current information flowed to Member States and that more consistent follow-up was done within the United Nations system. Collaboration with national agencies and regional organizations would be intensified over the next 12 months. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS were working with pharmaceutical companies to seek the means to provide medicines to all people with AIDS.

At the start of the new century, there was no development problem that more urgently demanded a collective response, he said. Research and development must be undertaken to find and make available vaccines and drugs to prevent and treat HIV infections. But, the international community could not wait for a cure, nor ignore the powerful tools already in existence to reduce vulnerability, to prevent infection through behavioural change, and to support care and access to existing life-improving drugs.

ANTONIO MONTEIRO (Portugal), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated countries, said HIV/AIDS had become a global problem, which required a global response. In addition to national efforts, the Union had allocated about 1.2 billion euros to combating the problem. It would continue to work on cooperation with all governments, particularly in Africa, to eliminate the suffering imposed by AIDS.

News of some progress was welcome, he continued, but there was still much that the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council could do. There was little doubt that challenges presented by HIV/AIDS in Africa were connected with development. It was important not to wait for some future plan of action, but to begin work now on specific situations. Prevention was important, as well as efforts to find a cure. Stronger partnership with the private sector and pharmaceutical industry should be forged. He hoped to get more details on that issue from UNAIDS.

BRUNO RODRIGUEZ PARRILLA (Cuba) said that his delegation shared the international community's concern at the seriousness of the pandemic. Millions of deaths and a great number of orphaned children called for action. Resources were needed to prevent the future spread of the pandemic. Medicine alone would cost several million dollars to African countries. In the meantime, the deficit in aid to Africa had tripled, compared with a decade ago. While it was important to call international attention to the problems of HIV/AIDS in Africa, effective action and resources were essential.

The magnitude of the pandemic would require the General Assembly -- the only universal body of the United Nations -- to exercise its full authority, he said. An effective policy should be designed to combat the pandemic. Convening a special session of the General Assembly might be necessary. The Economic and Social Council could be effective in finding the best channels for future action, for the issue was of great importance to the Council. While it had been repeatedly said that different bodies had an important role to play in the struggle against AIDS, it would be difficult for the Security Council to carry out effective measures in that respect under the Charter of the United Nations. It was hard to envision the Security Council taking measures to eliminate poverty, for example. AIDS was not a problem of security -- rather, it was a problem of development.

MARIA ELENA CHASSOUL (Costa-Rica) said that today's meeting would be an important step in addressing the AIDS problem. Different bodies should look at it within their respective areas of competence. The peoples of Africa were the primary victims of the pandemic, but the danger was not limited to Africa alone. The Economic and Social Council had the mandate to be the forum for multilateral discussion and coordination, and it was an ideal forum to discuss the problem of AIDS. Special attention should be paid to the orphans and the elderly. It was also important to provide effective medicines for the sick. Educational campaigns were also needed, and the lack of resources was a major issue.

SERGIO VENTO (Italy) said that HIV/AIDS pandemic was closely related to development in Africa, demonstrated by last month's discussion in the Security Council. Other substantive issues, including the plight of refugees and poverty eradication, should be addressed along with AIDS. His country had been long committed to the development of Africa and had close ties with the African continent. Italy was contributing significant resources to providing aid to Africa.

All countries should work together to ensure peace and development on the African continent, he continued. The General Assembly must now re-orient and steer the process, relying on agreed conclusions in the Economic and Social Council. The Security Council must continue its efforts to maintain and restore peace and stability, in particular by expanding the notion of security. The Economic and Social Council must coordinate the approach of the United Nations system towards post-conflict rebuilding and restructuring. All duplication must be avoided. Restoration of peace and security was closely connected to social and economic development. Along with its other efforts, his Government would host an international donor conference for Mozambique in March.

SATYABRATA PAL (India) said that whatever else AIDS was, it was not a security problem. It was originally a medical epidemic, had become a social scourge and now had severe economic dimensions. To argue, as the representative of the United States had done, that it was a security problem was to take the wrong perspective. He urged Member States to look at what the United States representative had said about United Nations peacekeepers, alleging they were recipients of, and a factor in the spread of, AIDS. That was not substantiated. India had contributed troops to all the peacekeeping missions in Africa over the last decade. Not one of India’s soldiers had gone to those missions with AIDS or returned from them with AIDS. To say peacekeepers spread AIDS was a serious charge that had not been substantiated.

The Economic and Social Council had been told that insecurity was a factor in the spread of AIDS, he said. However, all the evidence established that it was not violence or insecurity that spread the disease, but globalization and integration, which almost by definition did not flourish in times of violence and insecurity. Only one of the nine African nations designated “most at risk” was in conflict. None of the other nine had seen conflict in the past decade, and six were shining examples of democracy. Those were the most seriously afflicted by AIDS. In focusing on conflict and looking at security the Security Council was addressing the wrong side of the problem.

The Economic and Social Council must continue its own approach and should commission an analysis of the full economic and social costs of AIDS -– something that had not been done, he said. Such an analysis must look at treatment –- and consider that discovering a vaccine was less profitable than discovering a cure. International pharmaceutical companies were less interested in vaccines, according to some literature. Current international intellectual property agreements also created problems, by re-establishing the monopoly of the international company that developed the AZT drugs, by banning generic versions that cost less than half the original. People would die because of the primacy of the profit motive.

Finally, it had been said that developing countries needed to give more priority to addressing HIV/AIDS, he said. The developing world spent some $250 billion on health care annually, but of this only 0.8 per cent came from ODA, according to the WHO. They received almost nothing for health and because of this they were being obliged to choose which to address from among different diseases. If they focused on AIDS, activities aimed at addressing other serious diseases would be neglected. Thus, they would be sowing the wind and would later have to reap the hurricane, in terms of other pandemics, unless they received more funds. Malaria currently cost Africa 1 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), according to estimates. If it were ignored, the costs would be boggling.

ARNE BIRGER HONNINGSTAD (Norway) said that the discussions that had taken place in the Security Council were important. They documented the precise extent of the AIDS problem and how it affected Africa in so many different sectors. AIDS clearly represented a security problem for the continent. The Security Council discussions also put AIDS high on the international agenda, which was good for Africa and for those international institutions fighting the epidemic.

A key issue, addressed by a promise made at the Security Council meeting by United States Vice-President Al Gore, was new and fresh money. The international community had an estimate of the total needs, and currently about one tenth had been received. Clearly, much greater international cooperation was needed. The Partnership on AIDS in Africa was important, and the Economic and Social Council had heard how the civil sector and private enterprise were being mobilized. However, donor countries must make major contributions. The statement in the Security Council by the United States Vice-President should be a guiding light for donor countries. Norway was a large contributor and had doubled its contribution last year.

The Economic and Social Council must continue to play a key role by providing system-wide oversight over all the United Nations agencies and programmes. AIDS was a significant problem, not just for Africa but for the world.

YUKI KUMAMARU (Japan) said that HIV/AIDS was a serious threat to peace and security in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa. A global partnership was required to address the problem. He was pleased that the Security Council had devoted a meeting to the issue and welcomed the collaborative efforts of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council in that respect. He also welcomed the fact that UNAIDS had taken measures to combat the problem. The Economic and Social Council had an important role to play, and it should consider how to address the issue most effectively.

FABRIZIO BASSANI, Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), fully supported the important initiative focusing international attention on the impact of AIDS on the people, economy and security in Africa. His organization was making tremendous efforts aimed at preventing and combating the problem. The Executive Board of the WHO had recognized the priority of Africa by ensuring that the largest possible amount of resources would be available to it. Africa had priority not only because of the impact of AIDS, but also other diseases. Poverty was a key issue, as was the problem of malnutrition. It was necessary to focus on a wide range of inter-linked issues on the continent, and the WHO was prepared to work with its partners to address the problem in the future.

RICHARD RYAN (Ireland) associated himself with the statement made by the representative of Portugal on behalf of the European Union and said that the debate on AIDS had highlighted the magnitude of the problem and focused on the possible ways of overcoming it. The efforts towards development in Africa were being undermined by AIDS. His Government had stressed greater international solidarity on the issue, and there was a need for greater coordination of efforts. In addition to the efforts of the European Union, his country had declared an increase in unilateral aid to Africa.

The developing countries needed increased access to the medicines available today, he continued, and research should continue to find a vaccine. Those issues required a multilateral response, and the Economic and Social Council could play an important role in that respect. The objective and the scope of its efforts to coordinate an international response to the pandemic should be further studied, and it would be helpful to hold a meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions.

MARTIN BELINGA-EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said AIDS in Africa had killed 10 times more people than conflicts. That clearly demonstrated that AIDS was a threat to stability and peace on the continent. It caused tremendous suffering, which had to be stopped. AIDS was not simply an African concern; all humankind needed to be concerned about it. In addition to efforts to overcome and prevent conflicts, it was necessary to wage war against AIDS.

Today's discussion demonstrated that AIDS was a priority issue for the Economic and Social Council, he continued. It should serve as a starting point for further action. A study should be carried out on the cost of the crusade against AIDS. It was also necessary to undertake a number of measures to support the efforts against AIDS by African countries themselves. Other aspects, such as the problem of debt, the question of poverty and the lack of health infrastructure, should also be addressed. It was necessary to promote cooperation among countries, including the exchange of experiences. Sharing knowledge and research were also important. Mobilization of resources was a key issue. A solidarity contract should be forged among the countries to combat AIDS.

JOSEPH MUTABOBA (Rwanda) said many other diseases took a great number of lives. A ranking of diseases that caused fatalities in Africa would not have AIDS as number one. That was not to diminish the evil of the AIDS virus, but to draw attention to the whole range of diseases that Africa must face.

A vaccine should be “priority number one”, as it had been for other tropical diseases, he said. Not enough had been done to seek a vaccine and the Economic and Social Council and other powerful bodies should lobby for that, but the disease of poverty must also be addressed. Obviously, AIDS was an economic problem, and created orphans, but orphans as a result of all causes deserved support. Marketing must be used to fight AIDS, and lobbying companies might help. The United Nations and the Economic and Social Council should undertake that lobbying.

VALERI P. KUCHYNSKI (Ukraine) said he had followed the debate in the Security Council on AIDS with interest and shared the concern that led to today’s Economic and Social Council debate. Ukraine had suffered from the consequences of AIDS, which had become so pressing that the Ukrainian Government had addressed the disease as a national security issue. In tackling AIDS, the most important lesson that Ukraine had learned was that the problem should be recognized in all its aspects, and should not be underestimated. There had been no major victories, but he hoped that that approach had minimized the casualties in the war against the disease.

He was glad that Security Council discussions had contributed to global awareness of the problem, he said. While also glad about the improved cooperation between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, he felt the correct place for the discussion to continue would be a special session of the General Assembly. In the absence of that, he proposed that AIDS be reviewed as a theme of the Millennium Assembly.

ANTONIO RICARDO FERNANDES CAVALCANTE (Brazil) said that both the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly should act to promote cooperation and raise awareness of the humanitarian dimension of the AIDS crisis. AIDS had become a development problem and, given the lack of resources, the Economic and Social Council could discuss access to low-cost treatments for AIDS and AIDS- related illnesses. He was pleased to know that the WHO was working with the pharmaceutical industry, and he would welcome information on progress.

Responding to comments and questions from the floor, PETER PIOT, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said that AIDS was a development issue. The increasing coordination on the issue was encouraging. On the international partnership, he said that it was an international coalition of key actors, working towards common goals on the basis of common principles. In each country, there was a coalition of its own to intensify activities and provide resources. The issue of coordination was becoming ever more important in that connection. It was necessary to expand the efforts beyond the United Nations system.

Action was being emphasized in Africa and in other parts of the world at the highest levels of government, he continued. Many countries were finalizing their national strategic plans of action against HIV/AIDS, resulting in a round table to mobilize resources. The UNAIDS was closely working with countries to channel resources to the recipients of aid. In terms of prevention, a double strategy was required. It was necessary to promote education and to eliminate poverty. Women issues and socio-economic policies were of particular importance. Accumulated experience was being documented, and the key challenge was to apply those measures that had been proven to work, he said. Access to life- saving drugs carried a price tag, which was out of reach for many countries. Infrastructure and rational use of drugs should be stressed, along with other aspects. Suggestions had been made to put into practice preferential pricing in poor countries, and both the WHO and UNAIDS were exploring cooperation with pharmaceutical companies.

Treating opportunistic infections associated with AIDS would also greatly improve the quality of life of AIDS sufferers, he said. Investing in vaccines was not as profitable as investing in medicines, but momentum was building, with investment from the private sector to further study that question. However, even with the most optimistic forecasts, it would be at least another 10 years before vaccines became available on the market. As far as estimates of the resources needed to counter the epidemic were concerned, the World Bank and other partners were trying to come up with realistic figures. AIDS should be included in mainstream development activities. Today, it was necessary to move from doom and gloom, to turning around the despair and stigma associated with AIDS.

In his concluding remarks, the PRESIDENT of the Council said he intended to convene a meeting of the Economic and Social Council when the report on the results of today's meeting became available. The Council would discuss appropriate action and formulate specific suggestions.

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