The HIV and AIDS pandemic is blighting many parts of the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in Asia and increasingly in the Pacific.

At first the virus was seen as just affecting certain groups of people and being of little or no concern to others. As the sheer scale of the crisis became clear then, for many, it was seen as a health problem, requiring a health response. But it is much more than that. It’s no exaggeration to say that it is now the most profound challenge to development and to the advancement of basic human rights.

The implications of the HIV and AIDS crisis are multifaceted. It affects livelihoods and food security, the provision of basic services such as education and health care, individual and community security and the enjoyment of democratic rights.

Two years ago I visited some of Oxfam Australia’s partners in South Africa. In a myriad of ways these local community-based organisations were working to prevent the further spread of the virus, caring for and supporting those who were either infected or affected by it, campaigning for access to effective treatment or protecting the rights of those infected. Implicitly they characterise HIV and AIDS as a development issue, requiring a rights-based response.

The HIV and AIDS pandemic is a classic case study of the importance of getting the analysis right from the outset. Doing so can save lives and truly make a difference.

Andrew Hewett
Executive Director