Fighting AIDS: HIV/AIDS prevention and care among armed forces and UN peacekeepers: the case of Eritrea

This paper is part of a series entitled ‘Engaging uniformed services in the fight against AIDS’. It examines the case study of Eritrea to demonstrate the individual and combined efforts of the Eritrean Defence Force (EDF) and those of the UN peacekeeping mission in fighting HIV/AIDS, even in the challenging context of postconflict recovery.

Findings:

• the targeted efforts have gone a long way towards responding to the challenges of HIV/AIDS both in and outside the country
• EDF recognises the need to tackle HIV/AIDS, particularly among its young men and women
• the progress made in changing attitudes, encouraging voluntary counselling and testing, providing care and support, and involving soldiers living with HIV/AIDS has helped to break the silence surrounding HIV/AIDS and to encourage individuals to confront the epidemic head on
• the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea has set a precedent in the way a UN peacekeeping mission is able to address and respond to HIV/AIDS within a mission and with its host countries
• by bringing all stakeholders together, significant ripple effects can be felt, including in troop-contributing countries

Recommendations:

• involve national and international security institutions at the highest levels
• ensure the establishment of an institutionalized and sustainable HIV/AIDS structure reflecting multisectoral representation
• engage all relevant stakeholders throughout the process in order to generate an effective and comprehensive response
• establish response systems to provide early and effective HIV/AIDS awareness in conflict and post-conflict situations
• use militarised environments as a potential opportunity for social mobilization where personnel can be trained as change agents in the fight against HIV/AIDS
• ensure that information on HIV/AIDS is passed on effectively to the maximum number of peers through the change agents
• those who are trained in peer-to-peer training methods should be offered the maximum opportunity to continue imparting these skills as well as their advanced knowledge of HIV/AIDS issues