Justice and partnerships
In a recent conversation with a friend, he pointed out that the problem we have in Jamaica is not so much with crime and violence but with injustice. Fundamentally concerned with how we treat people, that is, with respect, dignity and always affirming the right to exist, my friend points out. When these values are not upheld, affirmed and celebrated, the reaction is usually violent, disruptive and the frequent cry of ‘we want justice’ flow from a sense of frustration that the systems and processes, which are designed to facilitate people’s sense of ‘smaddiness,’ fail them and, thus, jungle justice is pursued to correct the imbalance. At the same time, while there are cases in which the official and state sponsored justice system works, especially for those who can afford expensive and very experienced legal counsel, for countless others the very opposite is true. Many have been known to languish in the penal system for years for lack of justice and due process for a trial.
Justice was at the forefront of deliberations at the recently concluded 54th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), held in New York, to focus on how to ensure that the gains from the HIV response are sustained beyond 2030. The goal set for 2030 by this board was 90/90/90. This means by that time 90 per cent of the world’s population must know their HIV status, with 90 per cent of those who have tested positive placed on treatment to ensure they live healthy lives, despite their diagnosis. The third 90 per cent will be encouraged to stay on their medication to achieve the status of undetectable, which is to say, traces of the virus will not be found in the blood following a HIV test. This 54th assembly acknowledged that much has been done to achieve this goal, however, with decreased funding for the programme, and, despite a commitment from Germany to increase funding, the gains may be lost. For this reason, UNAIDS and the Global Fund are calling on governments, especially in the G7 countries, to increase funding for the programme.
In this way, justice as partnership is critical if the goal of reducing HIV infection is to be achieved by 2030. In fact, though there is recognition that with only six years to go before we hit 2030, there is still a push by the Executive Director Winnie Byanima towards this end so she says “Until there’s a cure or a vaccine, we will need to sustain the AIDS response beyond 2030, in every part of the world, in the north and in the south.” For this reason, the fight for justice for people living with HIV will continue well beyond 2030 as this is vital to sustain the dignity and worth of those living with the virus and millions more who are affected by it. Moreover, according to “Florence Anam, co-Director of the Global Network of People Living with HIV,” and who is herself living with HIV, “People living with HIV will be here in 2031 and beyond so for us the sustainability of the HIV response is a journey of transformation and not a destination with an end date.” In other words, the dignity and worth due to people living with HIV is a matter of justice and will not end in 2030 since, after all, this is their God-given right and intrinsic to their inalienable right as citizens of the world.
Advocacy for justice must, therefore, be at the forefront for people living with HIV and lest there are those who argue there are countless others suffering similar or greater injustices, let it not be said that we must uphold one at the expense of the other. Rather, justice for all must be the focus, and, while people living with HIV was the focus on the 54th Assembly, there is the recognition that partnerships are critical if we are to sustain the gains made so far. Every effort must be made to increase the capacity of governments, private sector and civil society to maintain the focus on eliminating HIV as a global threat. For this reason, partnerships for sustaining global interventions must be at the forefront of the fight against HIV. To this end it’s useful to keep in mind the imperative issued by the Executive Director “Sustainability is at the heart of the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the commitment that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
All these sentiments on sustainability mean eliminating or significantly reducing HIV is a matter of urgency. For this reason, we can be hopeful, especially due to the fact that the budget for HIV intervention in Jamaica was recently increased. Reports are that we have reached the 90 per cent target of persons knowing their HIV status, there is nevertheless a much lower percentage of those who are HIV positive – 54 per cent – that are on medication. However, there is good news in that, of those taking their medication, 78 per cent are virally suppressed. It is, therefore, vital that global and local interventions for HIV continue and partnerships with all stakeholders considered critical if we are to achieve the goal of justice for all.
