Faith Organizations Sign Onto International Code For Addressing AIDS/HIV
AIDS awareness week launched, and 160 organizations have signed onto the new "Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV/AIDS," and at least 19 of them are faith-based.
“Faith communities all across the globe are living with HIV and AIDS, and are also on the front line of responding with care, support and education for prevention,” said Linda Hartke, coordinator of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. “We must accept the challenge to carry out this work in ways that promote good practices — effective and collaborative services and advocacy — in the context of the global response.”
International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies developed the Code of Good Practice through a steering committee of 11 organizations, which included the World Council of Churches, to ensure accountability and quality programming with the expanding involvement of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in preventing and treating HIV and AIDS.
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Faith-based organizations that have signed the code include Action by Churches Together International, Bread for the World, Christian Aid, Church of Sweden, the Conference of European Churches, DanChurchAid, Diakonie Emergency Aid, Difaem -- German Institute for Medical Mission, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism, Hope for Eastern Europe, the Lutheran World Federation, Lutheran World Relief, Norwegian Church Aid, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the World Alliance of YMCAs, the World Council of Churches, the World Student Christian Federation and the World YWCA (UMNS).
By signing the code, NGOs publicly signal their endorsement of its principles and their commitment to implement them in their work. Details are available at http://www.ifrc.org/what/health/hivaids/code/ on the Web.
The last ten years has seen a considerable increase in the number of NGOs responding to HIV/AIDS and with that, the diversity of NGOs involved has also increased. Humanitarian, development, sexual and reproductive health, and human rights NGOs are all expanding their work in HIV/AIDS issue. And currently, the world has a higher commitment to address the pandemic, allocating larger amount of resources, yet at the same time, within a more complex funding environment.
This proliferation of NGOs has sometimes come at the expense of accountability and quality programming. NGOs are often understaffed and lack adequate resources to fully engage the problem for which financial support has been contributed. Thus, the code would assist NGOs to improve their response to the crisis, foster greater collaboration, and develop shared good practices.
The code provides technical assistance, financial support, capacity development, and advocacy.
The Code covers overarching guiding principles to which signers acknowledge commitment to. Operational principles spell out good practice principles, such as programme evaluation and management. Programming outlines all facets of combating HIV/AIDS, such as prevention, treatment, and even stigma care.
Although it's not intended to be a detailed manual, it is quite comprehensive and would be of much help to the NGOs in various affected countries right now.
Just this past week, on December 1, the Code was launched in multiple places with "high level" sign on. Dissemination is the second phase, and it will take place in December.
