A Call to Sign-On to a Set of Civil Society Recommendations for the Political Declaration of the High Level Meeting on AIDS

[Guest guest]

THIS IS A CALL TO SIGN-ON TO A SET OF CIVIL SOCIETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE

POLITICAL DECLARATION OF THE HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON AIDS

(PLEASE SEND YOUR ORGANISATION'S ENDORSEMENT/SIGN-ON TO THE EMAIL

universalaccess@...)

(French and Spanish language versions will be available soon.)

The enclosed document includes proposed language for 60 priority issues for

the Political Declaration that reflects the work, discussions and

consultations of a broad and diverse group of thousands of civil society

organizations. It has drawn on reports of civil society consultation

meetings and processes, reports from civil society country monitoring of

UNGASS implementation, specific language proposed by civil society for the

Universal Access consultations processes, and many more existing

recommendations coming from civil society groups around the world. The

recommendations are therefore based on their priorities and commitment of

all these groups.

The document can be used by anyone in negotiations with governments over the

political declaration that they will agree to at the forthcoming High

Level meeting on AIDS (sometimes referred to as the 2006 UNGASS Review), to

be held in New York in 31 May - 2 June 2006.

It is critically important that as many organisations around the world

support the enclosed recommendations so that we can together push our

governments to finally do what is need to halt the unprecedented human

catastrophe of AIDS. Countries and international institutions need to live

up to their commitments and deliver the effective HIV/AIDS prevention and

treatment interventions that exist today. Failure to immediately provide

these services will mean needless death for millions, further devastation in

communities around the globe, and an end to any hope of accomplishing the

Millennium Development Goals.

Political failings drive AIDS and stand in the way of effectively addressing

the epidemic: failure to commit adequate resources, disregard for human

rights and dignity, decades of inattention to health workers and health

care systems, refusal to base prevention interventions on the evidence of

what is effective, and financing and trade policies that undermine access to

lifesaving drugs.

Please participate in this joint effort to push for immediate change and

commitment by governments at this High Level meeting on AIDS.

To sign-on to these recommendations please send an email to

universalaccess@...

Copies of the recommendations can be found at

http://www.icaso.org/icaso2.html. Please distribute widely.

Prior to this call the following have already signed-on to these

recommendations:

1. ActionAid International, USA

2. Advocates for Youth, USA

3. African Council of AIDS Service Organizations (AfriCASO), Senegal

4. African Services Committee, USA

5. Agua Buena Human Rights Association, Costa Rica

6. Asia-Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations (APCASO),

Malaysia

7. HelpAge International, UK

8. International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, UK

9. International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO),

Canada

10. International Women's Health Coalition, USA

11. Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO), Kenya

12. Latin American Council of AIDS Service Organizations (LACCASO),

Venezuela

13. Public Health Watch – Open Society Institute, USA

14. Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero (GESTOS), Brazil

15. Tearfund, UK

16. Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN), Zambia

17. Global AIDS Alliance, USA

Please, find the attachment " Civil Society Recommendations for the UNGASS

Review Political Declaration " in PDF format. If you have problems with

opening the file, please, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send

you the Word version.

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)

65 Wellesley St. E., Suite 403

Toronto, ON M4Y 1G7

CANADA

Tel: 1-416-921-0018

Fax: 1-416-921-9979

E-mail: icaso@...

Web site: www.icaso.org

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