United Nations Resolution 1308 identifies HIV/AIDS as a threat to global peace and security, and it is indeed having widespread and potentially devastating effects on individuals, countries, regions, and ultimately the world as a whole. Economic threats include an erosion of growth and development goals, an increase of poverty, unrest and instability, and the inability of governments to address not only the needs of those who are HIV/AIDS-affected, but of citizens as a whole. A reduced labor force and increased expenses to business means less revenue for productive investments, and countries affected in this way look less attractive for international trade and investment as well.

Social threats include reduced life expectancy and increased demands on fraying social-safety nets, less funding for education, general healthcare and poverty-alleviation programs, more burden on girls and women who are the primary family care-givers, and erosion of gains made by women on a variety of fronts, including skills-development, literacy, and economic empowerment. HIV/AIDS can also increase conflicts and threaten human security, from proper nutrition to personal income, and from interpersonal violence to civil unrest.

UNAIDS has identified four strategies which may help to address this situation:
1) Building Human Resources and Capabilities to Respond to HIV/AIDS
2) Reducing Poverty
3) Maintaining and Augmenting Public Services
4) Promoting Global Equity.

The first strategy includes good care, prevention, and treatment programs, along with increased initiatives across a wide spectrum of development activity (in poverty, nutrition, education, healthcare, human rights and gender issues, environmental sustainability). The second strategy involves addressing poverty specifically, as it tends to greatly exacerbate HIV/AIDS, because people who are poor have less access to education, HIV/AIDS treatment, jobs, and general healthcare.

The third strategy, focusing on a strengthening and increase of public services, is essential to helping people in poverty access and develop the tools, resources, and capabilities needed to address HIV/AIDS and other development challenges. The fourth strategy, focusing on global equity, will help to support new programs addressing poverty, nutrition, maternal and child health, investment and trade, and debt-relief schemes and other measures will allow national governments to spend a larger amount of revenues on programs to help all members of a society gain access to better healthcare and a better overall quality of life.

Prevention is Key
Recent programs in Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda, and Thailand indicate that a good prevention initiative is the key to encouraging healthy behavior. Such a campaign includes elements like engaged community and national leadership, partnerships across all sectors of society, the integration of prevention and care, focused action on targeted groups and specific behaviors, tailored messages seeking to educate and motivate behavior change, and awareness-raising.

A reduction of discrimination is also necessary, as is preparing communities to care for people living with HIV/AIDS, implementing risk-reduction activities and teaching empowerment skills like negotiation for safer sex, and creation of a support system for individuals and communities. Such an approach has every chance of success, and a number of programs along these lines are already being developed and implemented worldwide, as awareness about HIV/AIDS and the need to address it in a concerted and united way increases.

Music Makes A Difference
As these articles indicate, the challenges are many and the outcome has yet to be determined, but so many programs are being developed and people of goodwill coming forward to work on HIV/AIDS and related development and human-welfare issues that this alone will make a difference to many millions of people. The One World Beat festival is an excellent example: an all-volunteer effort, with 140 events scheduled in 40 countries, and people from all walks of life eagerly asking how they can be of assistance and support. Music making a difference for the better, and on a global scale!

As one participant recently put it:
"Rather than feeling powerless and demoralized after learning about all this, we will put our energies to good use, organizing a One World Beat concert and raising money for 'Keep a Child Alive'!"

We thank everyone who is doing the same, and invite you to join us, as that will make a difference for us all.