[procaare] International Civil Society Denounce UN Meeting on AIDS as a Failure

["ProCAARE" <procaare@healthnet.org>]

International civil society denounce UN meeting on AIDS as a failure
Ungasshiv.org - June 2, 2006
**************************************

Civil society groups from around the world denounced the final UN
Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, released after marathon negotiations
during the UN High Level meeting on AIDS this week. 

"Once more we are disappointed at the failure to demonstrate real
political leadership in the fight against the pandemic" said The Most
Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, the Anglican Archbishop of Capetown. "Even at
this late stage, we call on the world's political leaders to rise up and
meet the challenges that the pandemic presents and to set ambitious
targets at a national level to guarantee universal access to treatment,
care, support and prevention."

UN Member States refused to commit to hard targets on funding,
prevention, care and treatment. They rejected frank acknowledgement that
some of the today's fastest growing HIV epidemics are happening among
injecting and other drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with
men. "The final outcome document is pathetically weak.  It is remarkable
at this stage in the global epidemic that governments can not set the
much needed targets nor can they can name in the document the very
people that are most vulnerable" said Sisonke Msimang of the African
Civil Society Coalition. 

"African governments have displayed a stunning degree of apathy,
irresponsibility, and complete disrespect for any of the agreements they
made in the last few months" said Leonard Okello, Head of HIV/AIDS for
Action Aid International. "The negotiation processes was guided by
trading political, economic and other interests of the big and powerful
countries rather than the glaring facts and statistics of the global
AIDS crisis, seventy percent of which is in Sub-Saharan Africa." 

African government delegations reneged on their promises in the 2006
Abuja Common position agreed to by African Heads of State.  South Africa
and Egypt, in particular, took a deliberate decision to oppose the
setting of targets on prevention and treatment, despite the fact that
both participated in the Abuja Summit that endorsed ambitious targets to
be reached by 2010.  "The continent that is most ravaged by AIDS has
demonstrated a complete lack of leadership.  It is a sad, sad day as an
African to be represented by such poor leadership" said Omololu Faloubi
of the African Civil Society Coalition.

But the African governments were not alone.  The United States was
particularly damaging to the prospects for a strong declaration.
Throughout the negotiations they moved time and again to weaken language
on HIV prevention, low-cost drugs and trade agreements and to eliminate
commitments on targets for funding and treatment.  "It's death by
diplomacy," said Eric Sawyer, veteran activist and 25-year survivor of
HIV/AIDS.  "Hour after hour, my government fought for its own selfish
interests rather than for the lives of millions dying needlessly around
the globe"

There has however been a strong recognition in the declaration of the
alarming feminization of the pandemic. Commitments were made to ensure
that women can exercise their right to have control over their sexuality
and to the goal of achieving universal access to reproductive health by
2015.

This progress was undermined however by regressive governments.  "Syria,
Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan and Gabon blocked efforts to recognize and
act to empower girls to protect themselves from HIV infection" said
Pinar Ilkkaracan, President of Women for Women's Human Rights.  "Their
failure to commit to ensuring access to comprehensive sexuality
education for young people, and promote and protect sexual rights will
undermine the response to the HIV pandemic." 

This was compounded by the declaration failing to acknowledge that some
of the today's fastest growing HIV epidemics are happening among
injecting and other drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with
men, despite strong support from the Rio Group of countries. For
example, governments have ignored the needs of injecting drug users by
not stating the need for substitution drug treatment, putting them at
further risk.  "Failing to fully address the needs of these groups, and
particularly to counter stigma and discrimination by decriminalizing
drug use and sexual behaviors, will render them more invisible and
ultimately lead to even higher rates of HIV/AIDS" said Raminta Stuikyte
of the Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network.

Again the US, along with other governments, ensured that the final
declaration text contains a substantially weaker reference to the AIDS
funding need. It now only acknowledges that more money is needed, rather
than committing to raising the needed funds. An estimated $23 billion is
needed per annum by 2010 in order to fund AIDS treatment, care,
prevention and health infrastructure. "At this stage in the pandemic, we
expected government commitment to close the global funding gap," said
Kieran Daly of the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations.
"Instead they have tried to let themselves off the hook." 

While there has been a failure of governments to face the realities of
HIV/AIDS, civil society will be holding them to account.  Civil society
will hold governments to account to deliver on universal access.  Civil
society will make sure governments recognize and support vulnerable
populations. The failure of governments to commit will not be accepted. 

EDITORS NOTE: "Vulnerable populations" includes women and girls, youth,
older people, men who have sex with men, injecting and other drug users,
sex workers, transgenders, people living in poverty, prisoners, migrant
laborers, orphans, people in conflict and post-conflict situations,
indigenous peoples, refugees and internally displaced persons, as well
as HIV/AIDS outreach workers and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Supporting organizations:
AAHUNG.ACT UP NY.Action Aid International.Advocates for
Youth.AfriCASO.African Committee Services.AIDS Access Foundation.Aids
Fonds.AIDS Foundation East-West .AIDS Law Project.AIDS Task Force,
Africa Japan Forum.Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations
(APCASO). Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO). Blue
Diamond Society. CALCSICOVA (Cordinadora de Asociacia Ves de Lucha
Contra el SIDA de la Cournida Valenciana Catolicas por el Derecho a
Decidir (Brasil). Center for AIDS Rights, Thailand Center for Health and
Gender Equity. Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network
(CEEHRN). CESIDA - Coodinadora Espanalu en Sida Colectivo Juvenil
Decide/ Bolivia. European AIDS Treatment Group. GAT-Grupo Portugues de
Activistas Sobre Tratamentos de VIH/SIDA. Gender AIDS Forum. Global AIDS
Alliance. Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS Eastern Africa Region.
Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+). Health &
Development Networks. Health GAP (Global Access Project). HelpAge
International. HIV Association Netherlands Housing Works, Inc. ICW
Latina. International Council of AIDS Service Organisations.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance. International Women's AIDS Caucus &
FEIM International Working Group in Social Policies and Sexuality.
International Parenthood Planning Federation (IPPF). Journalists Against
AIDS (JAAIDS/Nigeria). Namibia Network of AIDS Service Organizsations
(NANASO). National AIDS Trust (UK). National Association of PLWHA in
Namibia (Lironga Eparu). National Empowerment Network of PLWHA in Kenya.
Nepal HIV/AIDS Alliance New Ways NNIWA. OSISA. Positive Action Movement,
Nigeria. Positive Women's Network. Red Latinoamericana y Caribena de
Jevenes pro la Derecliora Sexuales y Reproduction (REDLAC). Red Tra Sex
RED2002 (Spain). RSMALC. Rutgers Nisso Group, The Netherlands. Sensoa
V2W SEICUS. Share - Net. Stop Aids Liberia. Student Global AIDS
Campaign. Tenemos Sida (Spain). Treatment Action Group (TAG). Treatment
Action Movement, Nigeria. UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and
aids. Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office. United Nations
Association in Canada. VSO. Women for Women's Human Rights (WWHR). World
AIDS Campaign. World Population Foundation, Netherlands

For more information contact:
Asia Russell +1 (247) 4752645 asia@healthgap.org  or Kieran Daly +1
(416) 2758413