NAC dissatisfied with outcome of UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS

Jun 26, 2011 News

---

The National Aids Committee (NAC) on Friday, last, took the opportunity to comment on the outcomes of the last high level meeting on HIV/AIDS at the United Nations held earlier this month.
Coming out of that meeting was the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to Eliminate HIV/AIDS. The NAC laid out their contentions with some of the resolutions presented in that declaration document in the context of combating HIV/AIDS in Guyana.
The NAC said of the document that it “does not provide as comprehensive a road-map to “zero death, zero new infections and zero discrimination” as anticipated.
The Committee pointed out that rather than providing leadership at an international level, the Political Declaration represented a compromise between the competing and conflicting agendas at the meeting.
They noted that divesting international leadership of the fight against HIV the way in the manner done by the declaration will force regional and national leaders to “explore more robust and effective forms of cooperation to replace dwindling international resolve.”
Speaking for the NAC was Mrs. Merle Mendonca, Secretary of the Committee and a representative of the Guyana Human Rights Association who said that “Passing the mantle of responsibility increases the need for new regional and in-country partnerships, not least the role of people living with HIV/AIDS themselves, which unlike the 2006 UNGASS Declaration is explicitly recognized in the new declaration.”
She went on to point out that the declaration offers something for everyone without attempting to bridge longstanding differences. There are new goals and targets, but the declarations were vague on where the resources are to be found.
“A weak recognition of international responsibilities to provide resources took the form of urging developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 percent of Gross National Product for development assistance by 2015, without any specific reference to HIV,” said Mendonca.
There were contentions over the position that the conference of nations took on Human Rights issues.
According to Mendonca, “there is on the one hand a recognition of human rights” where the document states the need to eliminate discrimination and stigma against people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS among other concerns.
But then she went on to point out that the declaration “fails to make clear that international human rights commitments take precedence over national laws and national development priorities.
Reflecting the influence of the Holy See and the Islamic bloc of countries, the issue of identity rights is avoided altogether with no reference to ‘trans’ people (transvestites, trans-sexuals and trans-gender) nor to reform laws governing sexual orientation.”
Other issues of concern for the Caribbean and Guyana were also discussed by the panel. Among these are Universal Access, Persons Living with HIV/AIDS, Women, Conventions on the Rights of Peoples with Disabilities, Condom Use, Young People, Indigenous People and Most at Risk Populations: Men who have Sex with other Men (MSM), People who inject drugs and Sex Workers.
It was highlighted that sustaining the coverage of antiretrovirals is a challenge for the Caribbean countries and it will continue to be so, as more and more cases are discovered each day.
Meanwhile, for persons living with HIV/AIDS, the role of this group in the fight against the disease was also considered. In the declaration it was stated that the vision for this vulnerable group extends to “engaging people living with and affected by HIV in decision-making and planning, implementing and evaluating the response, and to partner with local leaders and civil society… to develop and scale up community-led HIV services and to address stigma and discrimination.” A position, which according to NAC, harmonizes well with the desires expressed by Caribbean organisations, of people living with HIV assuming leadership roles in positive prevention in the Caribbean.”
It was pointed out that for the first time in three declarations the “correct and consistent use of condoms” is included in the declaration as opposed to the simpler condition of just having access to condoms.
It was, however, a matter for contention that the “timidity surrounding the issue only allowed one specific reference to ‘female’ condoms”. It was said that such specificity needed to be reiterated to strike a balance between male and female condom use and the inclination to think solely in terms of male condoms.
A member of the NAC who is himself a youth and an indigenous person delivered his address on the committee response to these two groups and the responses surrounding their welfare in the declaration. Patrick Ashley, of Region One, noted that the fact that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 account for more than one-third of all new HIV infections, there is a need for Caribbean governments to ensure the involvement of youths in the fight against the disease, especially in the area of providing initiatives that will be well received by their peers.
On the issue of indigenous peoples, it was noted that a focus on this group as a vulnerable one would have been welcome due to conditions such as their isolation, itinerant miners, forced prostitution and labour exploitatation which enhanced their vulnerability to the disease. (Crystal Conway)

---

---