Religious summit engages religious leaders in the HIV response

[Guest guest]

Religious summit engages religious leaders in the HIV response

http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories/archive/2010/2\

0100323_WEBstory.asp

23 March 2010

(L to R) Rev. Canon Gideon Baguma Byamugisha (Uganda), His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi

Shankar (India) and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé Credit: UNAIDS

A Summit of High Level Religious Leaders on the Response to HIV took place in

The Netherlands from 22 to 23 March. The meeting explored opportunities for

religious leaders to promote universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care

and support in their communities and speak out against stigma and discrimination

affecting people living with HIV. It brought together some 40 Baha'í, Buddhist,

Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh leaders together with the Executive

Directors of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the AIDS Ambassadors of The Netherlands

and Sweden, leaders and representatives of networks of people living with HIV

and other organizations active in the response to HIV.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said,

" As I travel the world, I see increasing evidence of social injustice. Growing

economic disparities, inequality and social injustice stalk the earth. The

greatest impact is felt by the poorest segments of society, on women and girls

and on the marginalized. Social injustice only serves to increase the

vulnerability of the vulnerable and push them farther out of reach of HIV

services. I sincerely hope that this meeting will produce a call for action to

make these services available and virtually eliminate mother to child

transmission of HIV. Nothing would be more noble than a world with no more

babies born with HIV. "

I sincerely hope that this meeting will produce a call for action to make these

services available and virtually eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV.

Nothing would be more noble than a world with no more babies born with HIV.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé

During the Summit, participants addressed the realities of how stigma and

discrimination are perpetuated both in religious communities and society at

large. They identified best practices to strengthen the voice and action of

religious leaders and bring about collaboration among different faiths and with

other sectors involved in the response to HIV.

" The leaders gathered at this summit have the ability to inspire and empower

change – within their own communities, across countries, and throughout wider

communities, " said Rev. Dr. Fee, Chair of the Board of Directors of the

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance and General Secretary, Life and Mission Agency,

Presbyterian Church in Canada. " In the midst of what appears to be `AIDS

fatigue " they have the potential to galvanize efforts against a disease that

continues to spread, driven by silence, fear, violence and injustice. "

Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, religious communities, mosques,

temples, churches, hospitals and clinics have reached out to provide support to

those living with and affected by HIV. Strengthening their leadership can

greatly influence the lives of many people, and leaders speaking out responsibly

about AIDS can make a powerful impact at both community and international level.

The Honorable Kirby, Justice of the High Court of Australia until 2009

and member of the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights said, " The AIDS

paradox teaches that if you want to prevent spread, you have to get into the

brains and hearts of the people that are most at risk and to do that you have to

respect their human dignity…you have to relieve stigma, you have to treat them

with love as human beings. "

A young woman participant from the Middle East disclosed her HIV status in

public for the first time at this meeting. She talked movingly about the stigma,

the lack of HIV treatment services in her own country and the need to leave her

country with her husband to seek treatment in Europe. She called for equality of

service provision for people living with HIV in all countries and challenged

participants to strive for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.

Her renewed vision for life has come from her HIV negative son.

Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in

America and President of the Lutheran World Federation, called for public acts

of repentance by religious leaders for the hurt caused to people living with

HIV.

The co-chairs of the event were His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of

the Art of Living Foundation; Rabbi Rosen, Director of Interreligious

Affairs of the American Jewish Committee; Ms. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General

Secretary of the World YWCA; and the Right Rev. Gunnar Stålsett, Bishop Emeritus

of the Church of Norway.

The Summit was organized by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance and Cordaid, with

support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNAIDS, International

Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV or AIDS

(INERELA+), the World AIDS Campaign and the European Council of Religious

Leaders (Religions for Peace).