The organization of the fight against HIV/AIDS raises new questions about humanitarian medical interventions and public development aid.

In the shadow of HIV/AIDS is hidden the denial of the most basic human rights:  access to basic care, the right to education, to employment, and the refusal of fundamental liberties.

Its propagation has profoundly destabilized the society and economies of the countries most affected.  It has disorganized public structures and further weakened the ability of these countries to respond to this plague.

Declared a "worldwide catastrophe for development" in 1999 during the Lusaka conference, HIV/AIDS continues to stir up health-related and demographic questions, but also socio-economic, political, and cultural questions almost 10 years later.

With regard to the fight against AIDS, international financing has become organized and has significantly increased in recent years.  Numerous national and international initiatives, both community-based and governmental, have brought concrete action to the ground - allowing many thousands of patients to gain access to effective treatment.

But the results in the field force us to the understanding that a multi-pronged approach, bringing together all sectors of society, is the only sustainable reponse, as it provides simultaneously overarching and specific strategies.

Only a linked and concerted approach to the problem -- one that includes prevention and health education, capacity building of national health systems and their human resources, and access to high quality medical care -- can hope to provide an effective answer to the pandemic.

For Solthis, it is fundamental to understand the disease in its local context, and therefore to accompany and support national actors to implementing multidisciplinary strategies adapted to each country's situation.