Q&A: "Seven Million People Still Lack AIDS Treatment"

A greater commitment to universal access to anti-HIV therapies and to the defence of health workers in impoverished countries are two achievements noted by Argentine physician Pedro Cahn as president of the scientific society that organised the XVII International AIDS Conference.

HEALTH: Time To Base Public Policy On Rights

Preaching abstinence to the young has not worked, nor has sex work been eradicated. Experts gathered here for the 17th International AIDS Conference say it is time to put public policies under the microscope and see why they have failed.

HEALTH: Not Enough AIDS Funds and Not Always Well Spent

Developing countries are in need of large sums of money to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, but international aid will not entirely cover their needs.

Q&A: “Condoms Have To Be Used To Be Useful”

Of the over 30 million people living with HIV, half are women and the rate of infections in women is rising, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. What’s more, women’s rights groups say gender inequalities are fuelling the epidemic - there is an irrefutable feminisation of HIV.

Q&A: “Policy Incoherence” Frustrates Funding for Gender Equity

Inequality between men and women "is not always linked to poverty. We must not postpone action until we are rich and happy, because we may get rich without achieving gender equality," Roberto Bissio, coordinator of the international network Social Watch, told IPS.

TRADE-CHINA: Food Security Prompted Tough Line at Geneva

China's tough stance at the 'Doha' trade talks in Geneva has less to do with political posturing than with the country's long-standing obsession with food security, experts here suggest.

TRADE-AFRICA: Safeguards for Small Farmers Straw That Broke Doha

Safeguards to protect small farmers’ livelihoods in African and other developing states, as opposed to subsidies for commercial agricultural interests in rich countries, remained an insurmountable obstacle in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, leading the Doha Round to collapse last week.

HEALTH: Stepping Up the Response to AIDS

It is necessary to evaluate the current global architecture for responding to the AIDS epidemic, move forward with studies on HIV rates, and implement effective prevention strategies, said the experts meeting at the 17th International AIDS Conference, which opened Sunday in Mexico.

TRADE-AFRICA: ‘‘Exports Are the Best Way to Develop’’

Lack of export orientation in the past has caused economic failures in African countries, which is why these countries should focus on exports to build industries.

CHILE-PERU: Preserving Potatoes More Important than Age-Old Dispute

Policies to get small farmers involved in saving, preserving, producing, marketing and genetically improving potatoes should take precedence over the age-old dispute between Chile and Peru about where potatoes originated, experts from both countries say.

HEALTH: March Sets Tone For AIDS Conference

The rain gods failed to dampen spirits of activists gathered at the old city centre of Zocalo to protest discrimination against those with the HIV virus. Hundreds of activists dressed in bright tribal costumes, women dressed as skeletons and one gay man wearing tights assembled ahead of the six-day XVII International AIDS conference, Aug. 3 to 8.

Q&A: “The Momentum of AIDS Prevention Is Waning”

Mexican virologist Dr. Luis Soto Ramírez, co-chair of the 17th International AIDS Conference, which opens Sunday in the Mexican capital, says that ramping up prevention efforts is the most urgent step to be taken in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

PERU: Seeking Ways to Remedy Unequal Distribution of Mining Taxes

The Peruvian parliament is studying ways to improve the distribution of the "canon minero", the portion of the taxes paid by mining companies that is transferred to the regions, in order to benefit the country’s poorest provinces.

PHILIPPINES: ‘Church Ban on Contraceptives Adding to Poverty’

A growing and heated debate in this predominantly Catholic country revolves around the church’s uncompromising stance against the use of contraceptive devices that is said to be contributing to poverty and affecting the quality of life for many Filipinos.

HEALTH: People Living with HIV Lead the Fight for Life

Anuar Luna was diagnosed with HIV 17 years ago. "I had to overcome feelings of guilt, fear and shame before I became a leader in the HIV-positive community," she said Thursday at the opening of Living 2008: The Positive Leadership Summit, in the Mexican capital.

BRAZIL: Biodiesel to Bring Electricity to Amazon Villages

Oil from native tucuma, ouricurí and murumurú palm trees will be used to provide electricity to isolated communities in the depths of the Brazilian Amazon, which are too remote to supply with power by conventional means.

GHANA: ‘‘You Have to Speak Up When Competition Destroys You’’

Business has been slow for many Ghanaian traders. They blame the situation on not only the influx of cheap Chinese products but also insufficient legal protection and corruption.

DEVELOPMENT: Crucial Role for EU at Accra Meet on Aid

As the world's largest provider of development assistance, the European Union is bound to play a prominent role at a Sep. 2-4 international conference on boosting the effectiveness of aid in Accra, Ghana.

DEVELOPMENT-PAKISTAN: Major MDG Initiative Winds Down

On Thursday, Mohammad Ibrahim loses his job at the United Nations-partnered National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) as part of ‘downsizing’ that will see 22,404 employees (including literacy coordinators and healthcare programme staff) sacked.

HEALTH-US: AIDS Plan Stronger But Still Flawed, Groups Say

HIV/AIDS activists Wednesday hailed President George W. Bush's reauthorisation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to 48 billion dollars for fiscal years 2009 to 2013 as a major step in the global fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

HEALTH-NIGERIA: Little Progress on Maternal Mortality

Over half a million women die in childbirth annually around the world, according to the World Health Organisation. Nigeria alone accounts for 10 percent of these deaths.