HIV missing in new African, Caribbean and Pacific country strategy papers
30 May 2007
Research carried out by Stop AIDS Alliance of 48 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries reveals that none of them have selected HIV as a key priority in their country strategy papers. The papers set out priorities for funding towards ACP countries and regions. They suggest that there will be a considerable decrease in spending on health under the European Development Fund (EDF) from 4 per cent to as low as 2 per cent.
The country strategy papers of Mozambique and Malawi are indicating that health and HIV will be supported as a “non-focal” sector (less money than a focal sector). Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho mention HIV under the focal sector “human development”. Kenya, Mauritania and Vanuatu indicate the intention to mainstream HIV in their programmes. But countries such as Belize, Madagascar, Namibia, Senegal, Trinidad, Zambia, Uganda, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Rwanda and many others do not mention the response to HIV or any health-related programming at all.
Stop AIDS Alliance and its non-governmental partners in Brussels are working in conjunction with the European Parliament and the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly to address this situation, since it seriously undermines the EU commitment of scaling up efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals.
The European Consensus
In 2005, the European Commission and its Commissioner for Development Cooperation, Louis Michel, initiated a review of the EU’s development policy. The outcome was the European Consensus on Development, agreed by the European Commission and the EU member states and endorsed by the European Parliament.
It reintroduces some key objectives of the Cotonou Agreement (the fight against poverty in the context of sustainable development, involvement of civil society actors) and stipulates that the “primary and overarching objective of EU development cooperation is the eradication of poverty in the context of sustainable development, including pursuit of the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals].”
It also stresses specifically that “poverty relates to human capabilities such as consumption and food security, health, education, rights, the ability to be heard, human security especially for the poor, dignity and decent work. Therefore combating poverty will only be successful if equal importance is given to investing in people (first and foremost in health and education and HIV/AIDS …).”
The benchmark for basic health
Thus the Cotonou Agreement and the European Consensus strongly reaffirm the EC’s commitment to the achievement of the MDGs, and human and social development in particular. Most notably, the new legal base that covers EC geographic aid to Asia and Latin America (Asia and Latin America are not covered by the Cotonou Agreement but by a new development cooperation instrument under the regular EU budget) includes a 20 per cent benchmark for spending on basic health and education. The European Consensus also sets a target of 50 per cent of aid being provided through general budget support.
Considering the strong commitments in the Cotonou Agreement and the European Consensus, as well as the 20 per cent benchmark for basic health for Asia and Latin America, it is disconcerting that the new country strategy papers suggest a decrease in spending from the 9th EDF to the 10th EDF. It may be that these figures do not include aid that will be spent through general budget support that the EC insists will benefit health, education and human and social development more generally. However, there is no clear mechanism indicated for identifying actual support to health and education. Until these mechanisms and monitoring tools are put in place, money going to general budget support cannot be assumed to benefit health and HIV.
The Cotonou Agreement
In 2000, the EU and 78 ACP countries committed themselves under the legally binding Cotonou Agreement to “promote and expedite the economic, cultural and social development of the ACP states.” The agreement says that “cooperation shall support ACP States’ efforts at developing general and sectoral policies and reforms which improve the coverage, quality of and access to basic social infrastructure and services and take account of local needs and specific demands of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, thus reducing the inequalities of access to these services. Special attention shall be paid to ensuring adequate levels of public spending in the social sectors.”
Resources for EU (European Commission and member states) cooperation with ACP countries under the Cotonou Agreement come from the EDF, which does not belong to the regular budget of the EU. Every five years the EU member states agree on their contributions to this fund. The amount agreed for the tenth EDF that will fund cooperation for 2008–2013 is €22.682 billion.
