THE MULTISECTORAL HIV/AIDS GOVERNANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT OF AGENDA 2030 OF SDG3 ON GLOBAL HEALTH IN ZIMBABWE: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Whilst there is evidence of the progress made on practical approaches to improve action on addressing the social, economic, political and structural drivers of the HIV epidemic globally, meeting the Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) remains a challenge for most African countries. The international donor community heavily promoted the multisectoral HIV/AIDS intervention approach to the funding beneficiaries as a condition for funding for the past three decades. Notwithstanding the solid capital and human resources invested in this multisectoral HIV/AIDS coordinated approach, issues relating to the commodification of the pandemic by different organizations, political aggrandizement by political parties and misgovernance marred its implementation. This phenomenological evaluation qualitative desktop research examines the impact of the multisectoral HIV/AIDS approach and the achievement of Agenda 2030 of SDGs on global health in Zimbabwe. The study established that the multisectoral HIV/AIDS coordinated approach encountered political suffocation due to misgovernance, corruption and political aggrandizement by different organizations and dominant political players in Zimbabwe. The challenges such as disharmony and misery among the stakeholders due to political differences manifested, which impeded the prospects of the achievement of the Agenda 2030 of the SDGs on global health, curbing the challenges of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The paper further argues that there is a need for incorporating peer review mechanisms through independent monitoring and evaluation of the AIDS agenda. A peer review process would be an effective governance tool for monitoring the implementation of AIDS programmes by governments and different stakeholder groups, including multilateral and bilateral agencies, NGOs and Civil Society Organisations. The study also recommends that the incumbent government abstain from over-politicizing humanitarian development in Zimbabwe to enhance resource-based bilateral and multilateral relationships between its country and its global health stakeholders.