NAMIBIA: AIDS envoy Lewis hails progress, but underlines lack of capacity

Namibia's efforts to combat the HIV pandemic have made good progress despite a shortage of funds and lack of capacity, said Stephen Lewis, UN special AIDS envoy for Africa.

"The political commitment is there and excellent polices are in place - it is important now to implement them," Lewis told reporters as he wrapped up his four-day visit on Thursday. "Namibia cannot do it alone, and the lack of sufficient resources and human capacity is not only apparent in Namibia, but common to all developing countries."

Namibia is plagued by a shortage of local medical personnel, most of whom opt to work overseas for higher pay and with better conditions. Last month Health Minister Richard Kamwi reportedly announced that Namibia had a shortage of 1,500 nurses.

The country has an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 21.3 percent among adults in a population of just over two million.

Lewis blamed the G8 countries for "constantly betraying the developing world" by not making more financial resources available to poor countries in their fight against the disease. He added that the impact of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) on society had not yet been felt.

President Hifikepunye Pohamba this week informed parliament that over 45,000 orphans had been registered officially with the ministry of gender balance and child welfare. "However, the number of orphans who need our support is much greater."

A recent UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) survey warned that the number of OVC in Namibia was expected to double over the next 15 years. "AIDS, food insecurity and a weak social support network pose a triple threat that is expected to push the number of OVC aged under 15 from 120,000 to around 250,000 by the year 2021," the survey noted.

Razia Kauaria, secretary-general of the Namibia Red Cross Society, reiterated Lewis's emphasis on the lack of capacity, which was hampering their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. "Especially among the population in rural areas, the needs are huge, particularly the need for food security and getting orphans registered with the authorities."

In response to a query on the Namibian government's alleged exclusion of a regional organisation from attending the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS review meeting in New York next month, Lewis said he had been informed by the authorities that it was "unintentional and purely an administrative issue".

But the organisation, AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA), based in the capital, Windhoek, claimed it was still barred from participating in the UN meeting, along with the AIDS Law Unit of the Legal Assistance Centre.

In a statement issued this week ARASA said, "This was as a result of objections to the accreditation lodged by the Namibian government."

Theme (s): Children,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]