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    GLOBAL TREATMENT ACCESS CAMPAIGN
    Press Release
    24 May 2001

    CONTACT: Sharonann Lynch 212-674-9598

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    COUNTRIES SNUB HIV/AIDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS:

    NGOS AND PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS DEMAND MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION AND GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT

    Public Protests Planned before UNGASS in NYC, June 23, on US World AIDS Shame

    (United Nations) Over 100 experts around the world, including community organizations and people with HIV/AIDS from every region have been ignored and sidelined from United Nations meetings on a global declaration on HIV/AIDS. The meetings constitute the second of two informal consultative sessions preceding the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, which will take place June 25-27, 2001.

    Many NGOs traveled to New York from around the world, responding to the invitation of the President of the General Assembly, but found themselves unable to participate meaningfully or share their expertise with delegates, contrary to the General Assembly's own resolution which called for involvement of civil society in the development of a Declaration of Commitment to be signed by all 189 UN member states in June. While a handful of countries strongly supported civil society's contributions, two brief "dialogue" sessions --scheduled during lunch and evening hours -- went unattended by the majority of countries.

    Annand Grover from the Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unite, Mumbai, India, said "I am very disappointed at the absence of the delegates from countries who are most affected, their short attention span, and the lack of meaningful government participation."

    The United States asked all NGO representatives to leave the room, including those with ECOSOC accreditation, who are normally entitled to observe the proceedings. The Chair was forced to take the action, since the US made a formal complaint, although he was perfectly willing to have the NGOs stay in room.

    "This is a very bad precedent for the future and makes NGOs worry as to what will happen at the General Assembly itself," said one of those ejected, Carol Lubin, Representative to the UN of International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres.

    NGOs call upon UNAIDS, the Secretary General Kofi Annan, and President of the General Assembly Harry Holkeri to:

  • encourage member states to include civil society and particularly people living with HIV/AIDS on their national delegations to the June meeting
  • encourage member states to attend the sessions they themselves have billed as a "dialogue" with civil society
  • ensure that civil society representatives can participate meaningfully in the discussions by having access to preparatory processes between now and the June meeting, and in June being present in the observers gallery and having access to official delegates.

    Leadership must be shown by both developed and developing nations. The marginalization of civil society bodes ill for the achievement of serious political commitment to global and domestic leadership on AIDS. "This policy of marginalization, along with the failure to provide adequate interpreters for the NGO sector, significantly affects people living with HIV/AIDS from countries of Eastern Europe, which are the groups most effective in influencing the passiveness of the official delegations from their countries," said a representative of the All-Ukraine Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.

    "Governments cannot betray the public trust by rolling back the international commitments they have already made to respond to this global crisis. Some governments are pushing for weaker commitment to the promotion, protection and fulfillment of basic human rights than already exist in international instruments," said Edgar Carrasco of Accion Ciudadana Contra el Sida, Venezuela.

    "If countries are unwilling to even name those groups most affected and at risk ­ such as men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users, transgendered individuals and sex workers ­ then the declared commitment rings hollow," said Richard Elliot of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.

    GLOBAL TREATMENT ACCESS DEMANDS WEALTHY COUNTRIES

  • Contribute substantial resources towards a minimum $16 billion global fund for HIV/AIDS. The US government must allocate $2 billion in new US money to the UN fund for AIDS treatment, care and prevention
  • Immediately meet their agreed upon contribution of 0.7 percent of GDP towards overseas development assistance
  • Immediately cease opposition to, and interference with, proposals from resource-poor and non-G8 nations to increase access to AIDS treatment, care, and prevention. The US Government must immediately end the WTO dispute against Brazil over compulsory licensing and Brazil's domestic patent law
  • Commit to canceling the debt of developing countries; IMF and World Bank to use its own resources to cancel debt owed by the world's poorest countries; the US must also call on the World Bank to abandon its support for user fees for health care and education

    NGOs AROUND THE WORLD CALL ON ALL COUNTRIES TO DEMONSTRATE POLITICAL WILL:

  • Increase domestic funds for responding to HIV/AIDS
  • Immediately take legislative and other initiatives to secure access to low-cost, safe and effective treatment, including antiretroviral medication.
  • Support the establishment by WHO of a full drug database containing information on prices, manufacturers, and patent status for HIV/AIDS medicines including antiretrovirals and drugs for the treatment of opportunistic infections.

    Global Treatment Access Campaign:

  • Action Ciudadana Contra el SIDA, Venezuela
  • ACT UP New York, USA
  • All-Ukraine Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Ukraine
  • Canadian AIDS Society, Canada
  • Canadian Treatment Advocates Council, Canada
  • Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Canada
  • Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Brazil
  • Health GAP Coalition, USA
  • International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Campaign
  • International HIV/AIDS Alliance, UK
  • Lawyers Collective, India
  • Norwegian NGO working group for UNGASS on HIV/AIDS

    • For information, contact Sharonann Lynch tel 212-674-9598 ; cell 917-612-3058 http://|www.globaltreatmentaccess.org

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