Addressing inequality critical in HIV fight – FLON
First Lady of Namibia (FLON) Monica Geingos has encouraged stakeholders to focus on what they can control regarding HIV/AIDS relief initiatives.
Speaking during the 15th UNAIDS meeting of the national HIV multi-sector leadership forum in Windhoek last week, she said, in Namibia, most corporate key players don't qualify for AIDS-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) grants, which disqualifies a large portion of aid that could come from that sector.
"Namibia's HIV response has made it easy for me to be a special advocate for adolescent girls and young women, as we've got such a good story to tell of how local solutions have global resonance.
“Namibia is also classified as an upper-middle-income country. It is the second most unequal country in the world from an income inequality perspective. There is a contradiction. And what that means is people like me, and other CSR organisations, do not qualify for grants,” she said.
“It disqualifies them by classification, even though we have deep levels of structural poverty. And that's why you find countries like Namibia where you see the best of an African country but you also see what you see in every other low-income country.”
Pragmatic approach
Geingos added that addressing inequality - including the inequalities of opportunity - is important in such consultations.
"That's why we need to have a pragmatic approach and clear actions to address inequalities, including those relating to gender, age, the rural-urban divide to education and employment.
“The Global Fund has played an important role in Namibia's HIV response,” she said.
In addition to dealing with structural inequalities that compromise public health responses in abortion politics, “we see how global climate financing commitments offer the same inequitable lines of ‘me first’," FLON added.
Speaking during the 15th UNAIDS meeting of the national HIV multi-sector leadership forum in Windhoek last week, she said, in Namibia, most corporate key players don't qualify for AIDS-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) grants, which disqualifies a large portion of aid that could come from that sector.
"Namibia's HIV response has made it easy for me to be a special advocate for adolescent girls and young women, as we've got such a good story to tell of how local solutions have global resonance.
“Namibia is also classified as an upper-middle-income country. It is the second most unequal country in the world from an income inequality perspective. There is a contradiction. And what that means is people like me, and other CSR organisations, do not qualify for grants,” she said.
“It disqualifies them by classification, even though we have deep levels of structural poverty. And that's why you find countries like Namibia where you see the best of an African country but you also see what you see in every other low-income country.”
Pragmatic approach
Geingos added that addressing inequality - including the inequalities of opportunity - is important in such consultations.
"That's why we need to have a pragmatic approach and clear actions to address inequalities, including those relating to gender, age, the rural-urban divide to education and employment.
“The Global Fund has played an important role in Namibia's HIV response,” she said.
In addition to dealing with structural inequalities that compromise public health responses in abortion politics, “we see how global climate financing commitments offer the same inequitable lines of ‘me first’," FLON added.
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