UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 23 June 2008 -- Over 500 representatives from civil society organizations participated in the United Nations (UN) High Level Meeting on AIDS concluding last week. The following are some of the collective statements and individual reactions to the meeting:

Individual reactions:

“We are a bald tire slipping on ice, and we have to put some treads on our tires so we can move forward. When I come here, I hear the same thing from governments.  Civil society have said some pretty strong things, but I have this sense that we’ve said it all. Somehow we all have to find new and creative ways to raise the level of commitment and, most of all, action.” 

- Susan Weissert,  Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

 “The business sector – a non-traditional partner in some respects – clearly demonstrated during the high level meeting that it brings a new and diverse set of skills and attributes to the discussion on AIDS programming. This is an added value.” 

- Neeraj Mistry, Global Business coalition on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

“There has to be greater urgency, to really turn the tide for women. The most effective way is to significantly increase resources for gender-sensitive and human rights based prevention, treatment, care and support – for both epidemics – violence against women and HIV and AIDS .” 

- Alessandra Nilo, GESTOS, Brasil, a member of the Women Won’t Wait Campaign

"We have heard millions of words and hundreds of speakers in these three days — all agree that the response to HIV is urgent, and shamefully that we are falling behind.  All governments must do more and do better, turning the words in to actions. And each and every citizen is called to hold their government accountable."

- Linda Hartke, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

“As Africans we are deeply concerned that the representation and participation of African leaders in the issue centered debates at the High Level Meeting was weak”

“As African civil society, we demand that our government leaders redouble their efforts, especially in the area of prevention, to achieve Universal Access by 2010.  In addition, African leaders must fulfill the 2001 Abuja Declaration promising 15% of national budgets for HIV, TB, malaria, and other related diseases”.

- Olayide Akanni of Journalists Against AIDS Nigeria

“Governments give a very rosy picture of what is happening in their countries. But they very rarely acknowledge that NGOs, faith-based organizations, and other grassroots organizations are providing at least 30 percent of the services for 5 percent of the money. And for the first time I have heard from the UN, from Antonio Maria Costa  of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime who spoke about the different marginalized groups and mentioned mind-boggling statistics about the trafficking of women and children. He said an estimated 10 million women are trafficked with100 million clients. When you link this to HIV transmission, because of the number of sexual partners these women are coerced into having, this adds incredible urgency to the need for this issue to be addressed in HIV education and prevention.

-Sr. Maura O’Donohue, Caritas Internationalis, USA

“After the UN meetings in 2001 and 2006 I felt a lot of hope that there was so much new information and a plan of action. But now I feel completely disappointed. There has been nothing new. I don’t see a concrete proposal to change this situation that we are still in.”

- Rev. Lisandro Orlov, Pastoral Ecumenica VIH-SIDA, Argentina

“The longer-term impact of this meeting for civil society is the connections made, and the fact that there is a sense of us being better represented at the UN level and being heard.”

- Sonal Metha, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in India

Civil Society Declaration: 

Over 100 organizations have signed onto a civil society declaration on the High Level Meeting on AIDS. Excerpts include:

“We came here to review progress in implementing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. We were disappointed that few heads of state chose to attend this meeting and many governments, from both resource-rich and resource-poor countries, failed to report the reality on the ground.

“None of the UNGASS goals were achieved in 2003 or 2005, despite the efforts of some governments and key stakeholders. We are deeply concerned that given the current rate of progress, due to a lack of commitment and the ever-increasing funding gap, universal access will not be achieved by 2010, perpetuating the cycle of underdevelopment and poverty.”

“The criminalization of HIV transmission and population behaviors marginalizes the vulnerable and affected groups. It is a violation of human rights and is a barrier to accessing prevention, treatment, care and support. All laws criminalizing transmission and behaviors must be abolished. We urge all governments to abandon travel restrictions that block people living with HIV/AIDS to move freely across the world, as well as all coercive measures such as mandatory testing and deportation.

“We are concerned about the shift of financial priorities from AIDS to other issues, and the lack of transparency and meaningful participation of civil society in decisions about funding allocation and priorities. Therefore we urge the governments of high-income countries, especially the G8, to fulfill their commitment of contributing 0.7 percent of their gross national product to official development assistance.”

“We join the three excluded organizations; Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights; from this year’s meeting in appealing to the UN General Assembly to ensure that the rhetoric of "universal access" is matched with participation and inclusion of all voices. It is necessary to develop a mechanism to monitor accountability that ensures meaningful participation of civil society, especially people living with HIV and marginalized groups, in country level and international processes.”

Direct Link to the Full Text of the Declaration: http://www.ua2010.org/en/UNGASS/Press-Centre

Women Demand Action and Accountability

Sixty organizations as of June 11 signed a statement, Women Want Action and Accountability Now!:

“We, women's groups (including women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and young women) present here at the High Level Meeting on AIDS, urge national governments  and the UN system to keep their promises to women and girls who continue to be at an alarming risk of HIV infection and of receiving inadequate prevention, treatment, care and support as a result of persisting social, cultural and economic subordination, structural inequalities, as well as pervasive violence in their homes, communities, schools, workplaces, streets, markets, police stations hospitals, and situations of institutional confinement.”

“In all aspects of national, regional and global AIDS responses it is essential to ensure that the voices and experience of people living with HIV&AIDS – especially women and girls whose voices are too often silenced – are given prominent position in designing and scaling up the global AIDS response.”

“Women ask all governments to be accountable to the Declaration of Commitment and the Political Commitment, and to place gender equality and women’s empowerment at the center of national AIDS responses by allocating resources, strengthening data collection, and developing and improving means for measuring action and mechanisms for quality meaningful participation and leadership of women and girls.”

Direct Link to the Full Text of the Statement: http://www.ua2010.org/en/UNGASS/Press-Centre

For Further Information: 

More information for the media on civil society statements and actions during the High Level meeting can be found at: http://www.ua2010.org/en/UNGASS/Press-Centre

For more information or to set up interviews email  media@ua2010.org or call:

Callie Long, International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO): 1-647-267-9813

Kelly Castagnaro, International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC): 1-646-707-1004

Labels: United Nations, U.N., Civil Society, UN High Level Meeting on AIDS, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Global Business Coalition on AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria, GESTOS, Women Won't Wait Campaign, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, HIV, AIDS, Africa, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, Caritas Internationalis, Pastoral Ecumenica VIH-SIDA, International HIV-AIDS Alliance, India, G8, Women Want Action and Accountability Now!, Structural Inequalities, Declaration of Commitment and Political Commitment

 

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