ACW UNGASS Action Alert
from ACW secretariat, August 2005
As most of you are aware, a key focus of the ACW campaign is to monitor national and international commitments to HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
Most recently the campaign highlighted the imminent disappointment of the World Health Organization’s ‘3 by5’ initiative and called for more attention to be paid towards scaling up access to other care options that keep people living with HIV/AIDS alive while they wait for antiretroviral drug programmes to deliver on their promises. (See ACW press release at http://www.aidscarewatch.org/cms/UserFiles/Image/ACW-PR-29Jun05.pdf)
It is clearly urgent to check progress on commitments made by national governments in relation to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Four years ago, under the heading of ‘Global Crisis- Global Action’, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held an unprecedented special session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) - the first time the assembly had ever addressed a specific health issue.
The resulting Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (DOC), signed by all member states of the UN, articulated a comprehensive framework to achieve Millennium Development Goal #6: “Halting and beginning to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015.”
In relation to HIV/AIDS care and treatment, our governments made explicit pledges to “…make significant progress in implementing comprehensive HIV/AIDS care strategies by 2005.”
The full care and treatment commitments governments promised to fulfill by 2003 and 2005 were:
55. By 2003, ensure that national strategies, supported by regional and international strategies, are developed in close collaboration with the international community, including Governments and relevant intergovernmental organizations, as well as with civil society and the business sector, to strengthen health-care systems and address factors affecting the provision of HIV-related drugs, including anti-retroviral drugs, inter alia, affordability and pricing, including differential pricing, and technical and health-care system capacity. Also, in an urgent manner make every effort to provide progressively and in a sustainable manner, the highest attainable standard of treatment for HIV/AIDS, including the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, and effective use of quality-controlled anti-retroviral therapy in a careful and monitored manner to improve adherence and effectiveness and reduce the risk of developing resistance; and to cooperate constructively in strengthening pharmaceutical policies and practices, including those applicable to generic drugs and intellectual property regimes, in order further to promote innovation and the development of domestic industries consistent with international law;
56. By 2005, develop and make significant progress in implementing comprehensive care strategies to: strengthen family and community-based care, including that provided by the informal sector, and health-care systems to provide and monitor treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS, including infected children, and to support individuals, households, families and communities affected by HIV/AIDS; and improve the capacity and working conditions of health-care personnel, and the effectiveness of supply systems, financing plans and referral mechanisms required to provide access to affordable medicines, including anti-retroviral drugs, diagnostics and related technologies, as well as quality medical, palliative and psychosocial care;
57. By 2003, ensure that national strategies are developed in order to provide psychosocial care for individuals, families and communities affected by HIV/AIDS.
It is now time to find out if they have delivered on those promises.
Beginning in August, all governments will be asked to compile reports of what progress they have made towards fulfilling the 2001 commitments. As required by the Declaration of Commitment, governments are to ensure a participatory and transparent approach throughout the reporting process. This means that civil society groups, including people living with HIV/AIDS networks, should be included in the national review and reporting process.
The progress review will take place from August until December 2005. The overall report will be presented in mid 2006, when a comprehensive assessment of national performance against specific targets laid out in the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment will be held in New York.
Get Involved!
Over the course of the next several months, there are several ways for ACW friends and partners to take action on this important process.
1. Complete the ACW Interview: AIDS-Care-Watch is conducting a large scale survey among its partners and key stakeholders to compile critical opinion about access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. By completing the ACW Survey, you will help the campaign create a ‘real-life’ picture of access to essential HIV/AIDS care and treatment at the ground level, and in turn provide key information to show whether your government has fulfilled its promises on care and treatment. To complete the interview, please go to: http://www.aidscarewatch.org/cms/subcategory.asp?sid=94
If you have already completed the survey, please see the next two actions!
2. Tell others: Forward this message onto to your friends and colleague working in HIV/AIDS and encourage them to complete the ACW Interview.
3. Tell us: Please let ACW know if you would like to be introduced to the organization that is coordinating civil society input in your country’s UNGASS report for 2005.
More information and updates will be shared with ACW friends and partner as they become available. If you have further information or experience with the UNGASS 2005 reporting process that you would like to share with others, please let us know.
Best wishes,
Abigail Erikson
Abigail@aidscarewatch.org
As most of you are aware, a key focus of the ACW campaign is to monitor national and international commitments to HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
Most recently the campaign highlighted the imminent disappointment of the World Health Organization’s ‘3 by5’ initiative and called for more attention to be paid towards scaling up access to other care options that keep people living with HIV/AIDS alive while they wait for antiretroviral drug programmes to deliver on their promises. (See ACW press release at http://www.aidscarewatch.org/cms/UserFiles/Image/ACW-PR-29Jun05.pdf)
It is clearly urgent to check progress on commitments made by national governments in relation to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Four years ago, under the heading of ‘Global Crisis- Global Action’, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held an unprecedented special session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) - the first time the assembly had ever addressed a specific health issue.
The resulting Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (DOC), signed by all member states of the UN, articulated a comprehensive framework to achieve Millennium Development Goal #6: “Halting and beginning to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015.”
In relation to HIV/AIDS care and treatment, our governments made explicit pledges to “…make significant progress in implementing comprehensive HIV/AIDS care strategies by 2005.”
The full care and treatment commitments governments promised to fulfill by 2003 and 2005 were:
55. By 2003, ensure that national strategies, supported by regional and international strategies, are developed in close collaboration with the international community, including Governments and relevant intergovernmental organizations, as well as with civil society and the business sector, to strengthen health-care systems and address factors affecting the provision of HIV-related drugs, including anti-retroviral drugs, inter alia, affordability and pricing, including differential pricing, and technical and health-care system capacity. Also, in an urgent manner make every effort to provide progressively and in a sustainable manner, the highest attainable standard of treatment for HIV/AIDS, including the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, and effective use of quality-controlled anti-retroviral therapy in a careful and monitored manner to improve adherence and effectiveness and reduce the risk of developing resistance; and to cooperate constructively in strengthening pharmaceutical policies and practices, including those applicable to generic drugs and intellectual property regimes, in order further to promote innovation and the development of domestic industries consistent with international law;
56. By 2005, develop and make significant progress in implementing comprehensive care strategies to: strengthen family and community-based care, including that provided by the informal sector, and health-care systems to provide and monitor treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS, including infected children, and to support individuals, households, families and communities affected by HIV/AIDS; and improve the capacity and working conditions of health-care personnel, and the effectiveness of supply systems, financing plans and referral mechanisms required to provide access to affordable medicines, including anti-retroviral drugs, diagnostics and related technologies, as well as quality medical, palliative and psychosocial care;
57. By 2003, ensure that national strategies are developed in order to provide psychosocial care for individuals, families and communities affected by HIV/AIDS.
It is now time to find out if they have delivered on those promises.
Beginning in August, all governments will be asked to compile reports of what progress they have made towards fulfilling the 2001 commitments. As required by the Declaration of Commitment, governments are to ensure a participatory and transparent approach throughout the reporting process. This means that civil society groups, including people living with HIV/AIDS networks, should be included in the national review and reporting process.
The progress review will take place from August until December 2005. The overall report will be presented in mid 2006, when a comprehensive assessment of national performance against specific targets laid out in the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment will be held in New York.
Get Involved!
Over the course of the next several months, there are several ways for ACW friends and partners to take action on this important process.
1. Complete the ACW Interview: AIDS-Care-Watch is conducting a large scale survey among its partners and key stakeholders to compile critical opinion about access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. By completing the ACW Survey, you will help the campaign create a ‘real-life’ picture of access to essential HIV/AIDS care and treatment at the ground level, and in turn provide key information to show whether your government has fulfilled its promises on care and treatment. To complete the interview, please go to: http://www.aidscarewatch.org/cms/subcategory.asp?sid=94
If you have already completed the survey, please see the next two actions!
2. Tell others: Forward this message onto to your friends and colleague working in HIV/AIDS and encourage them to complete the ACW Interview.
3. Tell us: Please let ACW know if you would like to be introduced to the organization that is coordinating civil society input in your country’s UNGASS report for 2005.
More information and updates will be shared with ACW friends and partner as they become available. If you have further information or experience with the UNGASS 2005 reporting process that you would like to share with others, please let us know.
Best wishes,
Abigail Erikson
Abigail@aidscarewatch.org
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 11:33 am
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