Now, more than ever, it is vital that the plethora of non-governmental organisations working in the field of HIV/AIDS adopt a coherent approach, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said today.
With a major international AIDS conference taking place in Bangkok, the Federation, which is hosting a joint initiative to develop the Code of good practice for NGOs responding to HIV/AIDS, said the global momentum to address the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS was now greater than ever. This has brought fresh hope, but also new challenges.
“Over the last 20 years research and practice have generated an impressive body of knowledge about how to respond effectively. But we are at a critical cross road. We have to ensure that resources are allocated to programmes that are grounded in the evidence of what works,” says Razia Essack-Kauaria, secretary general of the Namibia Red Cross and an alternate board member of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
As well as the non-governmental organisations that specialise in different aspects of HIV/AIDS work, there are today many NGOs that have traditionally worked in the humanitarian, development, human rights or sexual and reproductive health fields that are now involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“We must foster collaboration among these diverse organisations. The proliferation of NGOs responding to HIV/AIDS has led to a fragmentation and dilution of our voice, and has sometimes come at the expense of accountability and quality programming,” says Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance.
“Not only must we learn from one another and renew our collective advocacy voice, we must also take positive steps to be accountable to the communities we work with, represent and serve, and so set an example to the state and private sector partners we work with,” he adds.
The Code of Practice, which NGOs will have the opportunity to sign later this year, sets out to address these new challenges by outlining and building wider commitment to the principles and evidence base that underscore successful HIV/AIDS work by NGOs.
“The Code will support NGOs in improving the quality and cohesiveness of their work on HIV/AIDS, strengthen their accountability to partners and the communities in which they work and enable them to commit to a shared vision of good practice,” Essack-Kauaria says.