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HIVAIDS in Southern Africa

AIDS OrphanHuman capital depletion is a critical and urgent issue for small states in general and  Commonwealth small states  in particular, of which there are 32.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is wreaking havoc in Southern Africa with massive levels of human capital loss already being experienced. Small states  in Africa are facing annihilation if forceful and aggressive measures are not used to effectively address  population loss. For these small states Universal Primary Education is a secondary issue because by 2015 they may not have a people, much less a country.

Given the Ugandan success story, as one example,  of addressing the pandemic through education and political leadership, many African countries can today show impressive methods and programmes for educating about HIV/AIDS. Regrettably for the small states, many of these programmes may prove to be too little, too late.

Kenyan School GirlsThe Commonwealth has a major role to play in sharing, cross-fertilizing and disseminating information to all its small states about the hazards of NOT addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic early through the medium of education.  A recent publication of the University of the West Indies states: " …..it is to be noted that the Caribbean is second only to sub-Saharan Africa as the world's most severely affected region.  The Caribbean is two to three times more severely infected than the world at large"( Kelly and Bain, 2003).  Figures on HIV/AIDS prevalence in Pacific Small States are as yet scanty.

The Commonwealth Education programme has an important strategic and niche role to undertake on behalf of advocating for Education to be used as an aggressive weapon in the war against HIV/AIDS and to highlight the particular vulnerability of small states in the context of the virus.  Further, the Commonwealth can attest to the role that political leaders can play in highlighting the importance of addressing the virus before it is too late.

To this end, the Commonwealth Secretariat is playing an advocacy and catalyst role by convening a Ministerial Meeting on Education and HIV/AIDS in Small States to which Ministers of Education, civil society and development partners have been invited.  The purpose of the Meeting will be to highlight strategies and policies in Education which have been, and may be, used effectively to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Commonwealth small states.

Stoke Rochford Statement on HIV/AIDS and Education