In June 2001, the United Nations held a United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AID where all UN Member States agreed to respond to HIV/AIDS with specific commitments and deadlines in a ’Declaration of Commitment’. Despite the fact that the Declaration is not legally binding, more than 100 national governments around the world submitted reports measuring their progress against the defined targets.
According to European health NGOs, the 2006 UNGASS Review should be about strengthening the Declaration, by examining obstacles, reaffirming the commitment to successfully achieve the targets of the Declaration and updating the deadlines.
Further to the opportunity for NGOs to participate in the meeting, a group of 13 EU-wide organisations working on health and rights call for leadership from the EU during the meeting. The position paper sent to the Austrian Presidency as well as Member State representatives can be downloaded below.
Key messages
Due to its political strength and financing capacity, the Statement calls for the EU to stand for:
A strong commitment to address the challenges to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care.
The reaffirmation of the DoC of 2001 as an accountability tool in the global fight against HIV and AIDS.
The acknowledgement of HIV/AIDS both as an exceptional issue, needing an urgent response and a cross-cutting issue, concerning all aspects of development.
True and meaningful involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS in the response to the pandemic.
Increased political and financial support to address the unfulfilled rights of the millions of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, and of their care-givers (articles 65-68 of the DoC).
The importance of scaling up comprehensive and evidence-based prevention programmes.
The recognition and implementation of the inextricable link between HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Putting human rights at the heart of the global HIV/AIDS response
Universal access to treatment, prevention and care
Links between tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS
The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, an EPHA member since December 2005, is also advocating for increased attention to the links between tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. According to the statistics, TB is the leading infectious killer of people with HIV.
You can find below the civil society recommendations for UNGASS which include "universal access to comprehensive services to help people discover their HIV status, delay progression to AIDS and to prevent and treat HIV-associated conditions and opportunistic infections. In particular, all people who are co-infected with TB and HIV will have access to appropriate treatment for both diseases."
EPHA supports the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development in its work to ensure that in the UNGASS political process, TB/HIV co-infection is brought higher on the agenda.
More information:
European Programme for Action to Confront HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (April 2005) - Council Conclusions in May 2005
Three new bodies to coordinate more efficiently the EU fight against HIV pandemic
EU ministers address HIV/AIDS threat in Europe
World AIDS Day 2005: EU commits to help combat the rising epidemic
