Co-ordinating HIV/AIDS strategies: The case of NGO`s and other development actors in Zambia

There have been many different efforts done to design coordination models for aid, but less research has been focusing on the efficiency and function of these implementation policies. Both the Paris Declaration and the Sector-Wide Approach has been launched with the purpose to improve countries aid coordination strategies. This by a joint cooperation between development actors at different levels of society, locally, nationally and internationally. This thesis aims to investigate what NGO`s, private businesses and the Zambian state are practically doing, through the methodological framework of a qualitative desk study. Focus will also be on Zambia`s aid coordination strategies within the health sector, and specially towards HIV/AIDS. This through a broad perspective, from the global policies which includes international donors, to the local level such as NGO`s (Sundewall, 2009).vThis paper aims to problematize the question of how development actors coordinate aid towards the health sector, to address the HIV&AIDS issue in Zambia. This by using social constructivist view, text analysis and two main analytical approaches. The community mobilization and the top-down & bottom up will be used as analysing tools, by an abductive approach (Klotz & Lynch, 2014; Campbell & Cornish, 2010; Fraser et al; 2005). Overall results provide information about two sides of argument of aid coordination. Some researchers argue for the negative impact of aid, through ineffective coordination through the existing fund mechanisms, like the current parallel funding within the health sector. These funds for HIV/AIDS are channelled separately through the National AIDS Council. However, others argue for the importance of aid to improve local community participation (Sundewall, 2009). Since the year of 2007 when Zambia adopted new aid policies by formulate the joint assistance strategy for Zambia JASZ, the country has had the structure to be able to follow the Paris declaration strategies from 2005. However, in practice the country still has overall improvements to do, since four of the indicators recorded a setback, while eight other targets showed a positive progress, but still need improvements (Leiderer, 2015).