an Eldis Resource

This report presents the results of the 2003 round of the AIDS Program Effort Index (API). The API was developed by UNAIDS, USAID, and the Policy Project to measure programme effort in the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is designed to provide a current profile of national effort and a measure of change over time. The API was first applied to 40 countries in 2000, and a revised index was applied in 54 countries in early 2003.

Results of the 2003 round include:

• programme effort is relatively high in the areas of political support, policies, and planning with average scores above 70% of the maximum effort
• prevention programmes and the legal and regulatory environment are the next most highly rated components with scores between 60% and 70%
• the human rights component received the lowest score
• respondents reported that legal structures are in place to protect human rights but that resources and enforcement efforts are lacking
• resource availability and mitigation effort also received low scores
• by region, Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest overall scores
• West and Central Africa and Asia also scored relatively high, with Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe somewhat lower
• the average score for all countries increased slightly from 56% in 2000 to 61% in 2003
• the largest increases were for political support, resources, and care and treatment

Conclusions from the survey include:

• all countries have some organised effort to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic
• most countries have good policies and organisational structures in place
• the weakest areas are in the implementation of the policies and plans
• countries with the strongest effort, such as Brazil, Senegal, Thailand, and Uganda, all have strong political commitment and a national consensus that lead to significant effort to implement comprehensive programs

[adapted from author]

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