The debate over whether US relief money should go to programs that teach abstinence versus family planning and birth control continues. Since 1984, there has been a restriction called the Mexico City Policy, better known as the ‘global gag rule.’ The global gag rule prohibits U.S. family planning assistance to foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provide certain birth control-related information or services, despite an adverse effect on HIV/AIDS prevalence rates.  This is even the case if these services are legal in their own countries and are funded with their own money. The rule prevents NGOs from even participating in public debates or speaking out on issues concerning certain types of birth control. The primary affect of this policy is that it forces foreign organizations to choose between the laws of their own country and U.S. policy in order to obtain critical U.S. funding to fight HIV/AIDS. Not to mention its affect on limiting reproductive health services for women, thus putting their lives and health in danger.

One can find a plethora of organizations that are fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. All of them are working toward one goal: to eliminate this deadly disease; yet all are scavenging for pieces of funding to further their work. In the past few years, a number of organizations have been creating coalitions, coming together, uniting in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

There are government groups, civil society and faith based organizations, still none seem to be working together; three groups that just don’t intermix even though some of them desire to. So, UNAIDS is trying to bridge the gap by bringing UNAIDS Partnership Advisors into the discussion.