Interview with Julia Taft
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| Biography | ||
Prior to joining UNDP, Ms. Taft served as Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration at the United States State Department from 1997 to 2001. She has been President and Chief Executive Officer of InterAction, a coalition of 156 United States-based private, voluntary organizations working on international development, refugee assistance and humanitarian relief. Ms. Taft has received several awards, including the Presidential End Hunger Award (1989) and the AID Distinguished Service Award for Personal Courage for her relief efforts in the Armenian earthquake (1990). —Nuchhi R. Currier of the Chronicle spoke with her on 20 March 2003. |
| Interview | ||||
| What role could the BCPR play in the rebuilding and recovery effort of post-war Iraq? We are working on issues of poverty, crisis prevention, recovery, governance and the HIV/AIDS epidemic all over the world. Even though the media would have us believe otherwise, Iraq is not the only relevant issue today. We need to ensure that attention does not deviate from critical and vulnerable areas in the rest of the world. The United Nations is involved in many areas even when the cameras are not there. We need to reassure the public that much valuable work goes on across the globe even as the current crisis is unfolding—one such issue is that of HIV/AIDS in Africa. What is the efficacy of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in the face of more than 40 million people infected with the disease worldwide and 5 million reported in 2002 alone? These are overwhelming statistics. The establishment of the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS is the most important development in the field. Donors have come together with a commitment to provide support, pulling together the private sector and Governments. This call for action from the Secretary-General has focused world attention on this deadly disease. Many of the campaigns that have been launched are on public awareness to make people understand how the virus is transmitted. The understanding rate has been quite high, but the question is why are things still so bad. There is also the issue of the length of the incubation period of HIV—when does it become full-blown AIDS? In southern Africa, what has been so apparent is the explosion of full-blown AIDS and the increasing deaths. We have a built-up pipeline of HIV/AIDS and the additional trauma of incubating patients with nothing to eat, and the virus eats their body. Strong nutritional support is badly needed. There is a direct correlation between acceleration of full-blown AIDS and morbidity. It is terrifying that there are those who believe that this is just the beginning phase of additional deaths. There are so many people infected, and we don't know how many people have been saved. What role do multinational drug cartels play in this epidemic by insisting on patent rights for antiretroviral drugs, depriving poor nations who most need them? Non-availability of antiretroviral drugs is an issue. Areas of the world where local non-scientific remedies and traditional medicine are predominant have to be penetrated with real solutions. Without proper treatment, there is no hope. It is also important to bring traditional medicine into the fold. The world needs to resolve patent, trade and funding issues for antiretroviral drugs. Even when available at a cheap price, they are often more expensive than what a country can afford. But there is another major issue besides drugs: proper nutrition and access to food. Populations have to have good nutrition. What is required is an infrastructure that supports modern remedies. In southern Africa, there is no sector of society that has withstood the plague of HIV/AIDS. What are the most urgent needs of southern African countries today? They urgently need nurses and doctors. Government and health workers are dying. The problems are gargantuan: an absence of a health care network and an overburdened system—a major depletion of human resources since healthy, qualified people have left for other countries. The remaining professionals are either too ill or resist going to serve rural areas. Even with nutrition and education, they need a health care network that works. There is a snowball effect. What are the recommendations of UNDP in tackling this burgeoning problem in southern Africa? To set up a volunteer programme of capacity replenishment. We need to look at how we get people to work in different areas—health professionals in the field, teachers in schools. There is no availability of willing skilled labour. Local, regional and international volunteers are desperately needed—an infusion of people to make a difference, to bring hope. These countries are losing people daily. There is a call to action on the governance side: the capacity replenishment programme announced by the Secretary-General and raising money for augmentation of officials and local, regional, and international volunteers really come up with a major infusion of people to bring hope. Everyone is stretched beyond belief. Then there is the question of linkage with other UN agencies—between issues of drought, drugs, food, governance, health—to glue together multiple initiatives. This is key-developing a small grants programme, helping glue together local initiatives with the help of other UN agencies. Data-collection is another important initiative for local governments to understand the magnitude and complexity of the issues confronting them. Currently, coordination between the agencies dealing with health, crop-diversification, HIV/AIDS and staff management issues is a challenge. The Southern African Development Community, a regional body, is working with us to create a cohesive and effective strategy of operation. What was your reaction to the people and leaders you met on the trip? It takes national leadership and personal responsibility to combat the devastating challenges they face. We met some of the most articulate Africans in all the countries we visited. Many of them have come out as victims of the disease and are pressing for policy changes and promulgation of new laws to stem the advance of the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. There are no easy answers, and they are struggling to find new ways of dealing with it. The international community needs to work with all six countries—Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe—to find a way.
The status of women is a very difficult problem. They are the caretakers, farmers, producers and principal wage-earners. And the laws are against them—laws related to ownership of land and access to credit, among others. They have very little control over their bodies or anything else. The practice of widow-cleansing and genital mutilation, for instance, is steeped in tradition and entrenched prejudice. Women have to band together to fight traditions that result in the loss of their lives or dignity. These, however, are touchy subjects. We need to be very constructive. Societies need to weed out these traditions themselves. We are more interested in seeing laws changed to give women access to credit, advancement opportunities and inheritance rights. Women need to have access to basic human rights and legal instruments. We need to ensure that those who are trying to adapt to the reality of AIDS have access to the media and to the materials they require, and we must support them because their voices need to be heard. Women are the backbone of Africa. They have been so abused, psychologically and physically, that they will die out. They are dying at their most productive age; this is most tragic. Lesotho's Prime Minister said that he thought his country stood at the brink of extinction because of HIV/AIDS. There is a social meltdown, with women's rights especially adding to the problems. And what about children in HIV/AIDS—ravaged societies? Living at the heart of the HIV emergency in the region are southern Africa's children. We've all heard so much about AIDS orphans, the number of whom are expected to reach 40 million in Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of this decade. But I must say that the figures still fail to capture the extent of misery, the hopelessness and the fear among the children, who must not only grapple with the reality of life without parents but are also forced to fend for themselves economically and socially. As schools can offer stability and a precious sense of routine for children, it is all the more tragic that schools are among the hardest hit of southern Africa's social institutions. Teachers are dying by the hundreds. What little resources were available for schooling from families and Government have disappeared. The international community must support the rehabilitation of the school system and replenish the emerging vacuum of teachers and social workers. Our goal should not be only to resuscitate the primary school system—and in doing so regenerate a degree of hope for the future of the region—but also to view schools as a "safety net" for the present, where food, camaraderie and moral support among children can be sought and found. Has advocacy and education played a role in the stemming of HIV/AIDS? We need to work on education and conflict mitigation. The Secretary-General wants to push through as many agenda items with renewed energy, pushing forward the whole portfolio to see what can be done. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is also working hard along with other non-governmental organizations that are very actively involved in this issue. There is some good news though. The incidence of the disease among 15 to 25-year-old women is decreasing. Advocacy appears to be working. Along with monitoring the situation, we need therapeutic care and adequate food supplies. The World Food Programme faces a huge challenge. The importance of nutritional support cannot be stressed enough to combat this raging epidemic. HIV/AIDS without therapeutic care and the shortage of food present huge challenges. Availability of food and a safe environment are both required for people to get well and lead productive lives. Was the joint mission able to come up with a recovery strategy in disaster management? The joint mission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/United Nations Children's Fund/UNDP focused on issues such as early warning on weather, flood—plain management, helping host countries in disaster management training, support of the millennium development goals, and thoughtful research and recommendations on how to improve the nutritional content and the nutrients in the ground. Badly depleted areas must be replenished and there is an urgent need of market diversification and trading incentives for production. UNDP is also concerned with government functioning—we want to start with that. Food insecurity relates sometimes to government policy. The Government of Zimbabwe is quite a challenge, and there was a lot of discussion on genetically modified organisms, mono-cropping, environment issues and land erosion. Those are the major issues UNDP has to deal with, including major data-collection and outreach investments on HIV/AIDS. All these are important; we have to help these people—for example, get bicycles for women to go from village to village and radios to give messages—it is macro but also within communities. Farmers in Zimbabwe refused to accept genetically modified foods, seeds and generic drugs. In Zambia, they opposed it, but alternative sources were found. One has to recognize that there is a lot of concern, but we are not in a position to say they are wrong. We can only provide scientific information and hope to break down resistance. These countries do not want generic drugs and there is a perception that they are inferior. Patent regulation issues must also be dealt with.
An abrupt shift of focus will have an adverse effect on our ongoing efforts in the region. We will do everything to ensure we do not waver. Sometimes we have to compromise; we had to pull someone out to work on Iraq. We have to try not to do that. There is still a lot to be done in Afghanistan. There has been massive investment from donors and a huge response, particularly in the justice sector, which is an Italian initiative. Japan is actively supporting demobilization and demining, and the German initiative in policing, training and building leadership is moving strongly. This year, we have the mechanisms in place to absorb the donations. I worry more about things not under our control like security, banditry; there is a real need to continue the German effort with trained professional police. Is there a common thread between Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and Iraq? Our efforts are best expended in the following areas in troubled regions: conflict prevention and peace-building; natural disaster reduction; justice and security sectors; small arms control; recovery and mine action. Prevention and recovery: We identify social fault lines, political vulnerabilities, determine who gets delivery of aid, ensure distribution equity, and work on post-conflict recovery, development and relief. Natural disaster reduction: Disasters are unresolved development problems resulting from unmanaged risks. Training programmes, publication of the World Vulnerability Report, sharing of strategies and sustainable development are all part of our efforts. Transparent justice system: Civilian policing and corrections mechanisms, helping create judicial institutions and building capacity to prevent a falling back into conflict. Small arms control: Possession of illicit weapons is an issue before, during and after a conflict. We have a programme of development in helping Governments organize, changing the mindset of people regarding arms. Mine action: mapping surveys, training landmine education and removal—schools and homes need to be mine-free. When the camera leaves a natural disaster area after two or three days, the society and Government and all of their development investment can lapse and might be jeopardized. We try to help restart the economy, encourage and support small businesses, state housing and land-use planning. Our Bureau brings the whole package of services, in addition to other capacity-building exercises like refugee services. We are the glue that binds various UN agencies, NGOs and Governments. |
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