Reflecting 30 Years after AIDS First Reported – Peter Piot

Peter Piot is guest blogging for the Forum. He is Director and Professor of Global Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom and is attending the Annual Meeting in Davos.

2011 marks thirty years since AIDS was first reported.  My hopes are that the past 30 years of learning around AIDS are not only applied to constantly improving the AIDS response, but that they extend to other global health challenges.  Let me name a few: 

 
1) Engaging populations, especially patient activitism, has been key to the AIDS response. As I often say, nothing for the people, without the people.  The involvement of patient groups as well as at-risk populations is key to pushing policies, mobilizing research investments, and mobilizing access to services, as well as informing the right responses.

2) Leadership.  Every cause needs leadership and Davos is a spectacular forum to engage leaders around health leaders that can decide on public resources and needed policies, leaders that can increase the development and access to important health technologies, leaders that can influence relevant trade policies, leaders that can invest in health of their own employees and organizations as well as the health of the communities where they are working.  Health does not live in Health Ministries and the Health industry alone, as important as they are.  Continued progress in the AIDS response, as well as other health areas, needs leadership across multiple sectors and leaders at Davos can play a key role.

3) Planning for the long term. 30 years into the AIDS response which started as an emergency response?we have realized that AIDS is a generations long challenge.  Most health issues are long term, and looking ahead is key to informing the present.  A new book from the aids2031 initiative published by the FT Press AIDS: Taking a Long-Term View maps new ways to build a long term response.