What has the UN done to provide ARV treatments in Africa?

Question

I know Mozambique has done a lot, but what has the UN done for Africa in general regarding ARV treatments?

Answer 1

The UN has under its umbrella (or within its framework) agencies such as WHO (World Health Organization) and programs such as UNDP (United Nations Development Program).  These organizations engage in foreign aid to developing countries as part of their activities.  Now, that does not mean that Anti-Retroviral treatment has been provided effectively by the UN... there are many setbacks to that.

One setback is the amount of aid given in comparison to the needs of expensive ARV treatment programs.  AZT cocktails are quite expensive.  So one setback is that the amount of aid currently given is not enough to make medicines reach all those who need it.  Because of this, many people fall on the rhetorical argument that it would be best to invest in HIV prevention program than AIDS treatment ones.  But once people do have the HIV and once the symptoms begin to manifest, what is it to be done? Leaving them without medication goes contrary to the right to life and health, recognized by the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights (itself a UN General Assembly resolution).

Another setback (which has an impact on the price of ARV treatments) is the intellectual property rights attached to medications.  Countries such as India and Brazil have broken patents and started producing cheap, generic pills.  However, they receive great criticism by countries which hold the largest labs, which claim their research efforts have been blundered.  So there's the tension between human need and property rights here.   On the one side, you have India and Brazil and other developing countries arguing that their cheaper medication can help expand the range and penetration of ARV programs in Africa and worldwide.  On the other side, you have developed countries and international agreements within the World Trade Organization framework (namely TRIPs - Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement).  

I hope that sheds some light on the issue.

Answer 2

UN does only what USA let them do.