The impact of Aids in Southern Africa is considered so grave the United Nations is set to hold a special meeting in Johannesburg this week to examine ways to cope with the crisis.
The meeting comes during a visit by UN special envoy James Morris, whose 11-day mission includes visits to Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
According to a statement by the UN on Monday, the visit is Morris’s fifth to Southern Africa and comes at a time when the region is moving ”into yet another year of immense humanitarian need”.
It refers to the ”triple threat” — of food insecurity, weakened capacity for governance and Aids — facing the four countries.
”The HIV/Aids-driven crisis in the region is considered so grave that the special envoy will hold a review meeting in Johannesburg on May 25 [Wednesday].
”The meeting will examine current interventions, UN reform and the need to gear up humanitarian response in the face of a more competitive environment for resources.”
The UN said it is evident that in addition to regional food shortages, ”funds for non-food items such as medicines, health care, education, water and sanitation supplies would be critically needed in the year ahead”. — Sapa