Ambassador Hjelmåker participates in the 5th annual focal point meeting under the theme “Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care for Africa. How can we make it happen?”, organised by the Swedish/Norwegian Regional HIV and AIDS Team for Africa this week.
Interview with Swedish AIDS-Ambassador Lennarth Hjelmåker
Why does Sweden have an Ambassador for HIV and Aids?
Because fighting HIV and Aids is a politically prioritised issue for Sweden. It is important for us to work actively on all levels, nationally, regionally and globally. Its is also absolutely crucial that the fight against HIV and Aids doesn’t become a separate issue but rather an integrated aspect in all other policies. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, work very closely on these issues, but it is also important to have someone responsible for keeping the network together. Work has to be coordinated in order for our measures to be the right ones and for us to push for them in the right ways and in the right fora.
What is your role?
I am a lobbyist and an activist as well as a coordinator. My role is to make sure that we keep discussing the content of Swedish support to the fight against HIV and Aids as well as how the implementation of the policies is carried out in the most effective and coordinated way possible. Always stressing the connection to sexual and reproductive health and rights is crucial, for example. I travel a lot in order to meet key persons in the field and make use of their experiences and advice.
What are the most important measures that need to be taken in order to reach the target of halving the number of new HIV infections by 2015 in Southern Africa?
Prevention. And prevention needs to be seen as a very broad-based issue, with many complex dimensions. We need to always keep in mind that HIV and Aids is much more than a medical issue. Even much more than a health issue. It is a matter of Human Rights. We need to fight stigma, discrimination and see the effects of HIV and Aids for log term development. We need to dare speak about sexuality, sexual violence, prostitution and drug use. But also about special needs of young people. We need to have open eyes and open minds.
It is also a matter of realising the magnitude of the disease. Some think there is no danger anymore, but we need to remember that the number of HIV-cases are still increasing.
A lot is happing when it comes to global policy development at the moment with new interesting research being presented. The Swedish Policy for international HIV and Aids efforts titled “The Right to a Future” from 2008 is an important input to this.
What are the most important obstacles to reaching this target?
Fear to speak about sensitive issues. But also power structures in our societies. We need to see the whole picture, for example the actual reasons behind women selling sex. Women and girls need to have greater options and more influence over their own lives.
What are your expectations on the regional Focal Point Meeting this week?
Sweden keeps a very high profile in HIV and Aids issues and contributes to setting the global agenda for the fight against this disease. The big challenge is practical implementation. We should not only report on issues, we need to be actors and therefore it is important to get down to discussions on how we work on country level. It is also important for leaders from various organisations to come together and share experiences. We need to remember that all leaders, also our own Ambassadors, are important for the fight against HIV and Aids. Leadership is key in order for us to be able to raise issues such as sexuality and reproductive rights in our political dialogue with various countries, for example.
Ambassador Hjelmåker visits Lusaka to participate in the yearly meeting on HIV/Aids organised by the Swedish/Norwegian Regional HIV/Aids Team for Subsaharan Africa, that takes place this week. He was appointed Aids-Ambassador in 2003 and reports to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Hjelmåker was previously a member of the UNAIDS board as well as chairman of the Global Fund policy committee.
The 5th annual focal point meeting for Swedish and Norwegian Embassies in the region on HIV and Aids under the theme “Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care for Africa- How can we make it happen?” takes place in Lusaka from 21st to 23rd of April 2010.
The objective of the meeting is to improve the participants’ capacity for dialogue on key issues on the HIV/AIDS agenda. The meeting will bring together governments, development partners and civil society organizations.