Anti-Aids drive in Mena region dented by prejudices

THE clerics and the prevalent local cultures have hijacked the campaign against HIV/Aids in the predominantly Muslim Mena region, said Khadija T Moalla of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

She was speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of a three-day media workshop that has been organised by Qatar National Committee for Aids Prevention (QNCAP).

Moalla works as the Practice Leader and the Programme Co-ordinator for HIV/Aids Regional Programme in the Arab States (Harpas) ofUNDP.

“The ‘Cairo Declaration of religious leaders in the Arab States in response to the HIV/Aids Epidemic’ was the result of years of hard work by us, but regardless of the scrutiny and prejudices, we were able to bring the subject to open debates,” said Moalla, who had just flown in from Tripoli as a guest speaker on the occasion.

The Cairo Declaration in December 2004, was the initiative of UNDP and Harpas, under the General Secretariat of the Arab League, and in collaboration with UNAIDS and FHI/lmpact.

The declaration agreed on the general principles, on prevention, on treatment and care and on addressing other religious leaders regarding HIV/Aids and was considered as the ‘ground-breaking’ step towards tackling the virus and its victims in close-knit societies of MENA.

“Our second success was the Tripoli Declaration, in that, we were able to involve women religious leaders to talk about HIV/Aids for the first time,” pointed out Moalla.

The Tripoli Declaration of Women Religious Leaders in the Arab States came out last year, where the participants, while endorsing the Cairo Declaration, assured that the women religious leaders were equally aware of the threat of HIV/Aids.

The focus of the Tripoli Declaration was on issues related to both women and children, in view of their vulnerability to HIV infection in the Arab societies.

“The outcome of Tripoli was greater advocacy on the importance of promoting and reinforcing women’s psychological and economical demands and social status,” remarked Moalla.

“We have also been emphasising the necessity to abolish all forms of discrimination, isolation and stigmatisation of people living with HIV/Aids, and have called for creation of regional funds to treat and rehabilitate them,” added Moalla.