PHA-Exchange> African civil society denounces UN political declaration on AIDS

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 from Omololu Falobi <omololu at nigeria-aids.org> -----

African civil society denounces UN political declaration on AIDS
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PRESS RELEASE
Issued by the African Civil Society Coalition on AIDS

African civil society denounces political declaration on AIDS

Leaders at AIDS meeting have failed Africa, say activists

NEW YORK, June 2 2006: African civil society organisations have denounced a 
political declaration adopted today by world leaders attending a United 
Nations AIDS meeting in New York.

At the High Level Review Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, which 
closed today, member-states negotiated a political declaration, which African 
activists have described as 'utterly retrogressive' and 'a sham'. 

AIDS organisations expressed their 'utter disappointment' at African leaders 
and negotiators at the meeting, for excluding key regional priorities and 
commitments in the political declaration.

"What has been signed on by African leaders at this meeting is a document that 
set us several years back, to the days of denial, complacency and a criminal 
refusal to act in the face of a consuming epidemic", said Prudence Mabele of 
the Positive Women's Network, a South African organisation that provides 
services to HIV-positive women.

"Our leaders have shown an utter lack of responsibility in standing up for the 
lives of 25 millions HIV-positive Africans", she added.

The activists particularly lamented the absence of any reference to the 
African Common Position on AIDS, adopted last month in Abuja, Nigeria, which 
lists targets, milestones and commitments which African states should meet to 
achieve universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support of HIV and 
AIDS by the year 2010. 

"The political declaration has pushed Africa several steps back in our fight 
against AIDS," said Adenike Esiet of Action Health Inc, which runs youth 
reproductive health programmes in Nigeria. 

"By refusing to push for inclusion of targets and commitments agreed to in 
Abuja, African leaders have shown that they are not to be trusted when human 
lives affected by HIV are concerned."

The activists are particularly angry at countries such as Egypt, South Africa 
and Gabon, which repeatedly blocked all references to the African Common 
Position, and removed references to specific populations that are most at risk 
of HIV, such as women and girls, sex workers, and men who have sex with men. 

But they commended Nigeria and Namibia, which spoke out in support of the 
Abuja commitments, even when other African countries were not in agreement. 

Also criticised was the attitude of many African missions as well as the 
African Union, whose diplomats stayed away from the key negotiations that 
produced the political declaration. 

"It's a shame that many countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are most affected 
by this epidemic were nowhere to be found when it came to protecting the 
interest of their peoples", noted Innocent, Laison of the African Council of 
AIDS Service Organisations, based in Senegal. 

Civil society organisations are however resolute in defence of the regional 
and national targets as contained in the African Common Position. To this end, 
African CSOs have declared a Week of Action - from June 13 to 17 - to mobilize 
support at country and regional levels for the Abuja commitments. 

"We will not allow this betrayal to stand," said Ludfine Anyango-Okeyo from 
Kenya.  "We will work tirelessly to hold our leaders accountable to their 
commitments."

Issued by the African Civil Society Coalition on AIDS



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