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[2 June 2006] - Civil society has expressed outraged at the outcome of the UN High Level review on HIV and AIDS, stating the declaration lacks any global targets or timelines on treatment, resources and prevention.
“In addition, commitment to women’s rights have become a subject of controversy, rather than being recognized as a critical component of a pandemic that is increasingly becoming a women’s issue.” ActionAid International is concerned that the declaration does not commit governments to urgently fill the $10 billion funding gap needed every year to finance the scaling up towards the goal of universal access.
“Today, 40 million HIV positive people have been let down by our governments and the international community,” said Sharma. “It is incomprehensible how negotiators could come up with such a weak declaration when we needed urgent action to stop 8,500 people dying and 13,500 people from becoming infected every day.” ActionAid will step up its campaign to hold governments accountable to delivering on their 2001 commitments as well as the goal of universal access. “We are determined to fight this pandemic and will mobilise huge coalitions at national level,” Sharma added.
ActionAid and other organisations had been calling on negotiators to create a viable action plan to back up the goal of providing universal access to all HIV affected people by 2010. Such a plan should have addressed structural barriers such as lack of investment in healthcare, unaffordable treatment, as well as the denial of human rights of HIV positive women, men and children.
“Having been at Abuja just a few weeks ago where we mobilised from the grassroots right up to parliament, we are outraged that the Africa group led by Gabon have blocked a clear endorsement of the Abuja Commitment,” said Leonard Okello, International Head of HIV /AIDS at ActionAid International. “For a continent that bears the brunt of the crisis, this is close to criminal.”
“We are dying, but we are not dead,” said Beatrice Were, an HIV positive activist from ActionAid Uganda. “At this crucial time it seems the world is giving up on us. How long do we have to wait? Do we all have to die before we see justice.”
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ActionAid International: Civil society protest provokes UN lock-out (2 June 2006)