U.S. - E.U. COOPERATION ON HIV/AIDS, MALARIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 005624

SIPDIS

PASS USAID FOR AID/W, AFR/SD, ALEX ROSS AND ROXANA
ROGERS, AFR/SA, NAN NEWMAN AND MELISSA WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI KHIV TBIO ZI
SUBJECT: U.S. - E.U. COOPERATION ON HIV/AIDS, MALARIA
AND TUBERCULOSIS IN AFRICA, 31 JULY 2000

REF: (A) HARARE 01611 (B) STATE 152319 (C) PATTEN-
NIELSON LETTER DELEGATIONS IN AFRICA

NOTE: THIS CABLE HAS BEEN CLEARED BY THE E.U.'S
HARARE OFFICE
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HARARE 05624 01 OF 02 041356Z


1. SUMMARY: DONOR COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION IN
ZIMBABWE IS A CORE COMPONENT OF THE U.S. MISSION'S
RESPONSE TO THE HIV/AIDS CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE. THE
U.S. MISSION, AND ITS E.U. PARTNERS, ARE TAKING THE
LEAD IN THE DONOR COMMUNITY IN MITIGATING THE
HIV/AIDS CRISIS. THE U.S. MISSION PLAYED AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN MOBILIZING THE DONOR COMMUNITY TO
COORDINATE AND COLLABORATE IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE THE
IMPACT OF WHAT REMAIN LIMITED DONOR RESOURCES. THE
U.S. MISSION SUPPORTS THE INTENSIFIED COMMITMENT
FOSTERED AT THE QUELUZ SUMMIT TO ADVANCE U.S. - E.U.
COOPERATION ON HIV/AIDS. END SUMMARY


2. BACKGROUND: THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC HAS PROPELLED
ZIMBABWE RAPIDLY TOWARDS A CRISIS AT BOTH THE
HOUSEHOLD AND NATIONAL LEVELS. THE STATISTICS
PORTRAY AN ALARMING SITUATION: UNAIDS ESTIMATES 25%
OF THE SEXUALLY ACTIVE ADULT POPULATION TO BE HIV-
INFECTED AND THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 500,000 ORPHANS
IN ZIMBABWE. SHOCKING AS THE CURRENT SITUATION IS,
THE FULL IMPACT OF THE DISEASE HAS YET TO BE FELT.
GIVEN THE HIGH PREVALENCE, MORTALITY RATES WILL
CONTINUE TO ESCALATE IN COMING YEARS. THE HIGH
DEATH RATE WILL RESULT IN EVEN MORE ORPHANS -- AN
ESTIMATED 910,000 BY THE YEAR 2005.


3. U.S. EMBASSY RESPONSE: GIVEN THE GRAVITY OF THE
CRISIS, U.S. AMBASSADOR MCDONALD HAS MADE HIV
PREVENTION A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE PROGRAMS SPONSORED
BY THE MISSION. THE AMBASSADOR MOBILIZES OTHER
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03 HARARE 05624 01 OF 02 041356Z
MEMBERS OF THE DONOR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE EU DELEGATION, FREQUENTLY
HOLDING INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH FELLOW AMBASSADORS
ABOUT PROVIDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO COMBAT THE
EPIDEMIC. THESE TALKS SET THE TONE AND TENOR FOR
THE REST OF THE MISSION AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE
GOZ,OUR MULTIPLE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS AND THE
DONOR COMMUNITY.


4. USAID PROGRAMMING: USAID PROGRAMMING CONTINUES TO
PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN THE U.S. MISSION'S HIV/AIDS
ACTIVITIES. USAID'S BUDGET FOR HIV/AIDS HAS MORE
THAN DOUBLED TO USD $7.2 MILLION THIS YEAR AND
REPRESENTS OVER 50 PERCENT OF USAID/ZIMBABWE'S
ANNUAL BUDGET. HIV/AIDS CRISIS MITIGATION IS ONE OF
THE USAID MISSION'S CORE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES. THIS
PROGRAM IS A DYNAMIC AND INNOVATIVE, FIVE-YEAR, $35
MILLION EFFORT FOCUSED ON BEHAVIOR CHANGE, POLICY
AND ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT TO COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN
ORPHANED BY AIDS. FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE U.S.
MISSION RESPONSE, STRATEGY AND ACTIVITIES SEE REF A.


5. COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION: AN OVERARCHING
COMPONENT TO USAID'S HIV/AIDS STRATEGIC PLAN IS
COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH DONORS WHOM THE
U.S. MISSION CONSIDERS AS PARTNERS. THE USAID
MISSION HAS TAKEN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN HIV/AIDS
DONOR COLLABORATION, INCLUDING ESTABLISHING AN
HIV/AIDS TECHNICAL GROUP, WHICH MEETS BI-MONTHLY TO
SHARE TECHNICAL INFORMATION, COORDINATE STRATEGIES
AND DISSEMINATE RESULTS OF PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS.
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PAGE 04 HARARE 05624 01 OF 02 041356Z
PARTICIPANTS OF THE DONOR GROUP INCLUDE: EUROPEAN
UNION (EU),WHO, UNDP, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WORLD BANK,
THE AUSTRALIAN AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
(AUSAID),THE EMBASSIES OF SWEDEN, DENMARK, NORWAY
AND JAPAN, JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY
(JICA) THE BRITISH DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT (DFID),SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (SIDA),THE CANADIAN
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CIDA),CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) AND USAID. IN ADDITION, THERE
IS A REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH GROUP THAT MEETS ON A
REGULAR BASIS WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ).
THE PURPOSE OF THIS GROUP IS TO DISCUSS PUBLIC
SECTOR CONDOM, CONTRACEPTIVE AND SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED ILLNESS (STI) DRUG SECURITY.
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE THE GOZ MINISTRY OF HEALTH
(MOH),UNFPA, DFID, WORLD BANK, EU AND USAID.


6. DFID/USAID CO-FINANCING: TO DATE, THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT E.U. PARTNER FOR USAID HIV/AIDS
ACTIVITIES HAS BEEN DFID. DFID HAS BEEN
COLLABORATING WITH USAID IN CO-FINANCING THE LARGEST
HIV/AIDS PREVENTION ACTIVITY IN ZIMBABWE -- SOCIAL
MARKETING OF CONDOMS AND VOLUNTARY COUNSELING AND

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ8568

PAGE 01 HARARE 05624 02 OF 02 041357Z
ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 INL-00
DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 ED-01 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00
HHS-01 H-01 SSA-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 L-00
VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-01 OMB-01 PA-00
PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 TRSE-00
T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00
SAS-00 /010W
-------------- 8D8E9F 041401Z /38
R 041355Z OCT 00
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
SECSTATE WASHDC 7276

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 005624

SIPDIS

PASS USAID FOR AID/W, AFR/SD, ALEX ROSS AND ROXANA
ROGERS, AFR/SA, NAN NEWMAN AND MELISSA WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI KHIV TBIO ZI
SUBJECT: U.S. - E.U. COOPERATION ON HIV/AIDS, MALARIA
AND TUBERCULOSIS IN AFRICA, 31 JULY 2000

TESTING. IN ADDITION TO CO-FINANCING THE ACTIVITY,
ON GOING MONITORING OF IMPLEMENTATION, EVALUATIONS
AND WEEKLY MEETINGS ENSURE CLOSE COLLABORATION AND
COORDINATION OF HIV/AIDS SOCIAL MARKETING
IMPLEMENTATION.
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HARARE 05624 02 OF 02 041357Z


7. EU SUPPORT TO THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS IN ZIMBABWE:
THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IS A RELATIVELY NEW
COOPERATING PARTNER IN THE HEALTH SECTOR IN
ZIMBABWE, APART FROM EXTENSIVE SUPPORT TO LOCAL
FACILITIES THROUGH ITS MICROPROJECTS FUND, SUPPORT
FOR THE HEALTH SECTOR UNDER THE SEVENTH AND SIXTH
EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT FUND (EDF) WAS MINIMAL. THERE
WAS, HOWEVER SOME SUPPORT FOR AIDS ACTIVITIES UNDER
A REGIONAL PROGRAM. UNDER THE EIGHTH EDF, WHICH
RUNS FROM 1996-01, THE SITUATION IS VERY DIFFERENT.
OF THE TOTAL NATIONAL INDICATIVE PROGRAMME (NIP) OF
EURO 110 MILLION, EURO 24.5 MILLION HAS ALREADY BEEN
COMMITTED FOR THE HEALTH SECTOR SUPPORT PROGRAMME I
(HSSP I). THIS WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT TO
DECENTRALISATION AND THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE
COLLABORATIVE FRAMEWORK. ABOUT 70% OF THE TOTAL
FUNDS WILL BE USED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE HEALTH
SERVICES FUND (HSF).

A FURTHER EURO 30 MILLION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO
PRESERVE THE HUMAN CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY IN THE
FACE OF THE SEVERE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC INCLUDING;


A. PROVISION OF ESSENTIAL DRUGS AND SUPPLIES FOR
TREATMENT OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS,
INCLUDING HIV/AIDS AND TB. (THE WORLD BANK WAS
SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE IN THE PROVISION
OF THESE DRUGS UNTIL 1999). THE EU ALSO PROPOSES TO
SUPPORT THE PROPOSED COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE
GOVERNMENT MEDICAL STORES.
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PAGE 03 HARARE 05624 02 OF 02 041357Z

B. REVITALIZATION OF THE NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION
SERVICE (NBTS).


8. E.U./U.S. QUELUZ SUMMIT: IN RESPONSE TO THE
SUBJECT SUMMIT, THE U.S. MISSION HAS MET WITH THE
FRENCH EMBASSY AND E.U. WE HAVE ALSO SHARED THIS
CABLE WITH THE E.U. IT WAS AGREED THAT THE HIV
TECHNICAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH GROUPS NOTED ABOVE
WERE SOUND AND USEFUL FORA FOR E.U./U.S. HIV/AIDS
DONOR COLLABORATION. ADDITIONAL MEETINGS BETWEEN THE
E.U. AND PARTNERS WILL BE SCHEDULED TO EXPLORE
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR FURTHER COLLABORATION AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF HIV/AID'S ACTIVITIES.

MCDONALD

UNCLASSIFIED

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