Joint memorandum submitted by the Coalition
Of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (Malawi), Malawi Network of People
Living with HIV/AIDS (Malawi) and One World Action (UK)
In reference to Annex 5—Effectiveness
of UK Aid in pursuing the MDGs in the PSA countries (Malawi, Pgs
307-308) in DFID's Annual Report 2008.
AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES
1. The Coalition Of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
(COWLHA), the Malawi Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (MANET+)
and One World Action (OWA)[7]
would like to bring to the attention of the International Development
Committee discrimination faced by people living with HIV (PLHIV)
in Malawi which directly impacts the achievement of the MDGs especially
MDG1, 3 & 6.
2. For Malawi to reach the Heavily Indebted
Poor Country (HIPC) initiative completion stage, donors insisted
that the Government of Malawi remove all agricultural subsidies
and privatise the state marketing board, the Agriculture and Marketing
Corporation. The decision to stop all subsidies in 1994 due to
pressure from the donors actually resulted in widespread hunger
and food insecurity as Malawi had no coping mechanisms in place.
3. Agricultural subsidies became the key
election mandate in the 2004 elections. Going against the wishes
of the donors the new government of President Bingu Mutharika
announced fertilizer subsidies would be introduced in 2005-06
funded entirely by the Government of Malawi. Due to relatively
effective distribution of the coupons and good and timely rains,
Malawi had a bumper harvest and food insecurity was significantly
reduced across the country. DFID and other donors then realised
the vital role that agricultural subsidies could play in countries
such as Malawi and decided to implement an extensive subsidies
programme for the following year.
4. According to DFID, 2006-07 was also a
successful year because actual wages increased, food prices remained
low and acute food need disappeared. However, the picture on the
ground is more complex.
5. We would like to raise the following
concerns regarding the fertilizer coupons that were distributed
as part of the agricultural subsidies scheme of the Government
of Malawi from 2005-08 which DFID helped support:
(a) Fertilizer coupons were distributed through
the agricultural extension workers who first of all consulted
village headpersons. Village headpersons are often aware of the
HIV status of community members so discrimination faced by PLHIV
can start at this level. Some village headpersons refused to distribute
coupons to HIV positive persons because they were already "half
dead".
(b) As in the past, village headpersons were
used by the ruling party to influence potential voters, so the
fertilizer coupons became political tools. In many instances coupons
were distributed to friends and relatives of headpersons.
(c) Women living with HIV faced specific discriminated
during coupon distribution which led to increased food insecurity
for women headed households.
(d) Rural communities in general have had difficulty
in accessing fertiliser coupons.
(e) Business people accessed the coupons and
then began selling the fertilizer on the open market.
(f) Coupon distribution for 2007-08 has been
delayed to such an extent that it is too late now to use the fertilizer
and for it to have any effect. This is particularly devastating
for those who are dependent on the coupons.
6. These issues have contributed to a situation
in Malawi where people—particularly women and PLHIV—are
facing grave food insecurity and are forced to survive on one
meal a day. Currently a small bucket of maize is being sold for
MK600 by local traders (a prohibitive price for the majority).
7. Malawi has one of the highest HIV prevalence
rates in the world.[8]
Out of a population of 12.3 million, almost one million people
in Malawi were living with HIV at the end of 2005.[9]
High levels of gender-based violence, weak health systems that
fail to address the needs of women, women's limited participation
in decision-making processes all contribute to the unabated feminisation
of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Malawi.
8. Issues of discrimination faced by PLHIV
have to be directly addressed by DFID if they are to support the
achievement of the MDGs, particularly MDG 1, 3 and 6.
9. DFID should take steps to ensure that
agricultural subsidies schemes are assessed and then monitored
on how they impact the most excluded and vulnerable sections of
society. Bridging this gap between policy and implementation is
crucial to achieving the MDGs and protecting the rights of women
and PLHIV.
18 June 2008
Annexe 1
COALITION OF
WOMEN LIVING
WITH HIV/AIDS (COWLHA)
COWLHA was formed on 29 June 2006. They have
50,000 registered members from all districts of Malawi. COWLHA
is the first platform that is enabling women living with HIV to
address important issues that affect their lives. They help women
to become stronger and fight discrimination. COWLHA is led and
managed by women living with HIV.
COWLHA is now one of the strategic partners
of the Ministry of women and the Office of the President and they
have been selected as a winner of the Red Ribbon Award 2008. From
a pool of over 560 organisations, the Technical Review Committee
of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) considered the action
and leadership of COWLHA exceptional in terms of sustainability,
adaptability, impact, innovation, empowerment, involving PLHIV
and developing strategic partnerships.
MALAWI NETWORK
OF PEOPLE
LIVING WITH
HIV/AIDS (MANET+)
MANET+ was established in 1997 as a coordinating
and facilitating body with the main goal of promoting effective
networking amongst associations and support groups of people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). It was founded and run by PLHIV who felt
the need to coordinate their activities and work towards common
goals that will contribute to improving their lives.
MANET+ lobbies for representation of PLHIV at
the district level on District Assemblies and District AIDS Task
Forces. MANET+ sits on the board of the National AIDS Commission
(NAC) as the official representative of PLHIV, a position they
won through intensive lobbying. They are also part of the Coordinating
Mechanism meetings of the Global Fund.
As part of the National Steering Committee,
MANET+ coordinated the launch of the 25th Annual International
AIDS Candlelight Memorial on 18 May 2008. Initiated by the Global
Health Council the Candlelight Memorial remembers those who have
died of AIDS and raises awareness about the epidemic and the rights
of those who live with it.
ONE WORLD
ACTION (OWA)
OWA was founded by Glenys Kinnock on 21 December
1989 in memory of Bernt Carlsson, the former Swedish UN Commissioner
for Namibia who died in the Lockerbie aircraft bombing in 1988
while travelling to the signing ceremony of the Namibian independence
agreement.
Today, although we are an organisation of just
15 full time members of staff (well supported by a fantastic team
of volunteers) we work with 41 partners in 19 countries in Asia,
Africa and Latin America and have gained a sound reputation for
our work on governance, democracy and gender.
Our partners overseas include other non-governmental
organisations, community and co-operative movements, women's organisations
and trade unions. Though diverse in kind, they have a common commitment
to strengthening local institutions and giving people a say in
the decisions that shape their lives.
We believe poverty is about lack of power so
we work with the poorest, most marginalised people, to enable
and empower them to transform their own lives.
7 Look at annex 1 for details about COWLHA, MANET+
and One World Action. Back
8
http://www.who.int/hiv/HIVCP_MWI.pdf Back
9
UNAIDS (2006), "UNAIDS 2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic",
HIV/AIDS estimates and data, 2005. Back
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