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Auteur / Author : ONLINE
Titre / Title : Missing the message? 20 years of learning from HIV/AIDS
Collection / Series :
Editeur / Publisher : London: Panos
Année / Year : 2003   Nbr. Pages :      58 pages / 2.8 Mb     Taille / Size

URL : http://www.panos.org.uk/PDF/reports/MissingTheMessage.pdf

Evaluation / Book review.
This document critically re-examines the successes and failures of the last 20 years of the global response to AIDS. Through analysis of the historical response and today’s policy and donor context, we argue that it is time for nothing less than a fundamental reappraisal of HIV communication strategies.
Current international interest, funding and mobilisation for AIDS create a unique opportunity to build an effective response to the crisis. But few of the lessons of the past are contributing to current approaches. Past successes have been characterised not only by strong national leadership but also by open public debate. Ownership and participation are vital. What works is when the energy, anger and mobilisation of civil society have been at the forefront of our responses. Too little in today’s response to AIDS fosters these dynamics. With AIDS becoming increasingly mainstream within policy discourse, Northern policy agendas can often overshadow local needs and priorities. Funding is crucial, and still far from adequate. Yet the amounts now being made available may lead to conflict, inefficiency or rushed decision-making unless these allocations are more strategic and consultative.
In addition, donors increasingly have to prove impact, showing how money distributed is used to optimum effect. This results in an overemphasis on simple indicators and short-term results, at the cost of long-term change. Yet AIDS is a long-term and complex problem requiring approaches which will not all be simple to measure.
On the basis of our analysis of what has worked in the past we present a number of principles to guide us on how communication can be best used in the response to AIDS. Approaches should move from putting out messages to fostering an environment where the voices of those most affected by the pandemic can be heard. This shift from message to voice marks a fundamental and radical shift in the response to AIDS. While HIV/AIDS information and key health messages remain crucial, it is important to look beyond these messages – no matter how empowering and context-sensitive they might be – and help to develop environments where vibrant and internally derived dialogue can flourish.
To move this thinking forward we outline three areas which urgently require more emphasis, thought and attention. Within each of these areas we highlight the challenges in fostering the debate and social mobilisation that have characterised past successful responses. At policy level, particularly amongst donors, these include longer-term engagement, greater inclusiveness in consultation, more participatory decision-making and greater transparency. Within the media, these include the beginnings of a critical reappraisal of media training, and also the importance of working on media structure, legislation and regulation. And within civil society, there is a need to increase emphasis on advocacy, and on more sophisticated relations with the media. Little of this will be simple to implement. However, in the midst of another annual world AIDS campaign, and with the threat of the response becoming increasingly “business as usual”, we add our voices to those calling for a critical examination of today’s fight against the pandemic.
(Executive Summary)


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