Health in All Policies where it matters most: Namibia's multisectoral response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic

Southern Africa remains the epicenter of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic with prevalence rates as high as 40 percent in the most affected communities. Located close to the “eye of the storm,” Namibia has not been spared. While it saw its first HIV/AIDS cases during the mid to late 1980s, the country then experienced rapid and exponential growth of prevalence rates in the generalized population during the 1990s and early 2000s.

As a result, Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services was faced with an enormous challenge to lead and coordinate the control of the epidemic and its impact on the nation’s public health, welfare, and socioeconomic development. The ministry did so through a three-pronged approach for action across a large number of diverse sectors. This included efforts to a) prevent of the spread of new infections; b) provide anti- retroviral treatment to eligible cases; and c) mitigate the epidemic’s impact on households through a transfer of social grants and provision of psychosocial care and support.

This presentation will describe two key Health in All Policies (HiAP) strategies applied to mobilize and sustain Namibia’s complex epidemic response efforts across multiple sectors and actors. This includes developing joint policy and strategy, and implementing joint supervision and progress monitoring. The presenter will describe lessons learned, including the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of leading, coordinating, and sustaining an HIV response by way of HiAP strategies.