Pan-Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Network

The Commonwealth Foundation is spearheading the development of an international network of civil society organisations (CSOs) working with people affected by and living with HIV and AIDS, in order to effectively address key issues relating to the pandemic across the Commonwealth. This initiative is a response to the 2005 civil society statement from the Commonwealth People's Forum to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta that called for 'immediate and sustained efforts to deal with the urgent challenge of containing and reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS'.

Despite several organisations across the Commonwealth being engaged in HIV prevention activities, there is need for coordinated and strategic  programmes that draw on the experiences of the broader sectors of people working on HIV and AIDS at the national level.  This pan-Commonwealth network would fill this essential need and inform the Foundation and related Commonwealth bodies on current and emerging issues aimed at containing the pandemic and to shape targeted interventions.  Via this network, the Foundation will increase civil society participation in global processes that contribute towards ending the AIDS pandemic.

The Foundation will facilitate the pan-Commonwealth network's input into the annual meetings of the Commonwealth Health Ministers, Women's Affairs Ministers and the Education Ministers to ensure that these deliberations are informed by civil society perspectives towards an effective response to HIV and AIDS.  Furthermore, HIV and AIDS is one of the four critical areas of the Commonwealth Plan of Action (PoA) for Gender Equality 2005-2015 and the Foundation is fully committed to supporting its implementation including its HIV and AIDS related activities.

HIV and AIDS in the Commonwealth - the Facts

  • Of the 40million people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide, 25 million are from Commonwealth countries
  • 4 million of the 6 million people in need of ART are from the Commonwealth
  • 72% of all HIV positive women are Commonwealth citizens
  • Life expectancy will fall to 30 years of age by 2010 in countries hit
    hardest by AIDS.