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.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. <\/p>\n
"Once more we are disappointed at the failure to demonstrate real Supporting organizations: Hungarian Civil Liberties Union Raminta Stuikyte 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1003,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2900],"tags":[],"countries":[],"section":[],"video-author":[],"drug":[],"archive":[3214],"video-series":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-articles","7":"archive-drug-policy-and-law","8":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Kardos Tam\u00e1s","author_link":"https:\/\/drogriporter.hu\/en\/author\/kardost\/"},"yoast_head":"\n
\npolitical leadership in the fight against the pandemic" said The Most Revd
\nNjongonkulu Ndungane, the Anglican Archbishop of Capetown. "Even at this
\nlate stage, we call on the world’s political leaders to rise up and meet
\nthe challenges that the pandemic presents and to set ambitious targets at
\na national level to guarantee universal access to treatment, care, support
\nand prevention."
\nUN Member States refused to commit to hard targets on funding, prevention,
\ncare and treatment. They rejected frank acknowledgement that some of the
\ntoday’s fastest growing HIV epidemics are happening among injecting and
\nother drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with men. "The final
\noutcome document is pathetically weak. It is remarkable at this stage in
\nthe global epidemic that governments can not set the much needed targets
\nnor can they can name in the document the very people that are most
\nvulnerable" said Sisonke Msimang of the African Civil Society Coalition.
\n"African governments have displayed a stunning degree of apathy,
\nirresponsibility, and complete disrespect for any of the agreements they
\nmade in the last few months" said Leonard Okello, Head of HIV\/AIDS for
\nAction Aid International. "The negotiation processes was guided by trading
\npolitical, economic and other interests of the big and powerful countries
\nrather than the glaring facts and statistics of the global AIDS crisis,
\nseventy percent of which is in Sub-Saharan Africa."
\nAfrican government delegations reneged on their promises in the 2006
\nCommon position agreed to by African Heads of State.
\n
\ntargets on prevention and treatment, despite the fact that both
\nparticipated in the Abuja Summit that endorsed ambitious targets to be
\nreached by 2010. "The continent that is most ravaged by AIDS has
\ndemonstrated a complete lack of leadership. It is a sad, sad day as an
\nAfrican to be represented by such poor leadership" said Omololu Faloubi of
\nthe African Civil Society Coalition.
\nBut the African governments were not alone. The
\nparticularly damaging to the prospects for a strong declaration.
\nThroughout the negotiations they moved time and again to weaken language
\non HIV prevention, low-cost drugs and trade agreements and to eliminate
\ncommitments on targets for funding and treatment. "It’s death by
\ndiplomacy," said Eric Sawyer, veteran activist and 25-year survivor of
\nHIV\/AIDS. "Hour after hour, my government fought for its own selfish
\ninterests rather than for the lives of millions dying needlessly around
\nthe globe"
\nThere has however been a strong recognition in the declaration of the
\nalarming feminization of the pandemic. Commitments were made to ensure
\nthat women can exercise their right to have control over their sexuality
\nand to the goal of achieving universal access to reproductive health by
\n2015.
\nThis progress was undermined however by regressive governments. "
\n
\nact to empower girls to protect themselves from HIV infection" said Pinar
\nIlkkaracan, President of Women for Women’s Human Rights. "Their failure
\nto commit to ensuring access to comprehensive sexuality education for
\nyoung people, and promote and protect sexual rights will undermine the
\nresponse to the HIV pandemic."
\nThis was compounded by the declaration failing to acknowledge that some of
\nthe today’s fastest growing HIV epidemics are happening among injecting
\nand other drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with men, despite
\nstrong support from the Rio Group of countries. For example, governments
\nhave ignored the needs of injecting drug users by not stating the need for
\nsubstitution drug treatment, putting them at further risk. "Failing to
\nfully address the needs of these groups, and particularly to counter
\nstigma and discrimination by decriminalizing drug use and sexual
\nbehaviors, will render them more invisible and ultimately lead to even
\nhigher rates of HIV\/AIDS" said Raminta Stuikyte of the Central and Eastern
\nEuropean Harm Reduction Network.
\nAgain the
\ndeclaration text contains a substantially weaker reference to the AIDS
\nfunding need. It now only acknowledges that more money is needed, rather
\nthan committing to raising the needed funds. An estimated $23 billion is
\nneeded per annum by
\nand health infrastructure. "At this stage in the pandemic, we expected
\ngovernment commitment to close the global funding gap," said Kieran Daly
\nof the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations. "Instead they
\nhave tried to let themselves off the hook."
\nWhile there has been a failure of governments to face the realities of
\nHIV\/AIDS, civil society will be holding them to account. Civil society
\nwill hold governments to account to deliver on universal access. Civil
\nsociety will make sure governments recognize and support vulnerable
\npopulations. The failure of governments to commit will not be accepted.
\nEDITORS NOTE: "Vulnerable populations" includes women and girls, youth,
\nolder people, men who have sex with men, injecting and other drug users,
\nsex workers, transgenders, people living in poverty, prisoners, migrant
\nlaborers, orphans, people in conflict and post-conflict situations,
\nindigenous peoples, refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as
\nHIV\/AIDS outreach workers and people living with HIV\/AIDS.
\nAAHUNG
\nACT UP NY
\nAction Aid International
\nAdvocates for Youth
\nAfriCASO
\nAfrican Committee Services
\nAIDS Access Foundation
\nAids Fonds
\nAIDS Foundation East-West
\nAIDS Law Project
\nAIDS Task Force, Africa Japan Forum
\nAsia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations (APCASO)
\nAustralian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO)
\nBlue Diamond Society
\nCALCSICOVA (Cordinadora de Asociacia Ves de Lucha Contra el SIDA de la
\nCournida Valenciana
\nCatolicas por el Derecho a Decidir (Brasil)
\nCenter for AIDS Rights, Thailand
\nCenter for Health and Gender Equity
\nCentral and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network (CEEHRN)
\nCESIDA – Coodinadora Espanalu en Sida
\nColectivo Juvenil Decide\/ Bolivia
\nEuropean AIDS Treatment Group
\nGAT-Grupo Portugues de Activistas Sobre Tratamentos de VIH\/SIDA
\nGender AIDS Forum
\nGlobal AIDS Alliance
\nGlobal Youth Coalition on HIV\/AIDS Eastern Africa Region
\nGlobal Network of People Living with HIV\/AIDS (GNP+)
\nHealth & Development Networks
\nHealth GAP (Global Access Project)
\nHelpAge International
\nHIV Association Netherlands
\nHousing Works, Inc
\nICW Latina
\nInternational Council of AIDS Service Organisations
\nInternational HIV\/AIDS Alliance
\nInternational Women’s AIDS Caucus & FEIM
\nInternational Working Group in Social Policies and Sexuality
\nInternational Parenthood Planning Federation (IPPF)
\nJournalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS\/Nigeria)
\nNamibia Network of AIDS Service Organizsations (NANASO)
\nNational AIDS Trust (UK)
\nNational Association of PLWHA in Namibia (Lironga Eparu)
\nNational Empowerment Network of PLWHA in Kenya
\nNepal HIV\/AIDS Alliance
\nNew Ways
\nNNIWA
\nOSISA
\nPositive Action Movement, Nigeria
\nPositive Women’s Network
\nRed Latinoamericana y Caribena de Jevenes pro
\nReproduction (REDLAC)
\nRed Tra Sex
\nRED2002 (Spain)
\nRSMALC
\nRutgers Nisso Group, The Netherlands
\nSensoa V2W
\nSEICUS
\nShare – Net
\nStop Aids Liberia
\nStudent Global AIDS Campaign
\nTenemos Sida (Spain)
\nTreatment Action Group (TAG)
\nTreatment Action Movement, Nigeria
\nUK Coalition of People Living with HIV and aids
\nUnitarian Universalist United Nations Office
\nUnited Nations Association in Canada
\nVSO
\nWomen for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR)
\nWorld AIDS Campaign
\nWorld Population Foundation, Netherlands<\/p>\n
\nCentral and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network
\nSecretariat:
\nAddress: Pamenkalnio 19-6, LT-01114 Vilnius, Lithuania
\nPh. +370-5 269 1600, cell +370-699-66677
\nFax +370-5 269 1601
\nE-mail info@ceehrn.org<\/a>, raminta@ceehrn.org<\/a>
\nWeb site: www.ceehrn.org<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"