terça-feira, abril 11, 2006

Global AIDS Week of Action - 20-26 May, 2006

One week. One voice

Want to have a say in how AIDS in your world will be shaped over the next five years?
Join a groundswell of civil society voices from across the world during the week of 20-26 May to demand a stronger response, more accountability and more resources in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Global AIDS Week of Action is the single, defining moment for influencing decision-makers before they walk into the halls of UN for the UNGASS Review meeting. They will analyse the small gains, the big losses and make new promises to contain the epidemic. They will decide what the priorities are, and how much money will be spent on what. The Global AIDS Week of Action is the glue for civil society to stand together, generate political pressure and influence decision-makers making choices that affect our lives.

Here's how: Between now and the end of May in your country, it's time for action. There is no global coordinating body, no chief organiser. You choose what action, how and where. And if you come up with bright ideas that work, share them with friends and colleagues in other countries. Here's a sample of choices: Expose what AIDS promises haven't been kept, make a noise about what you think are priority AIDS issues in your country. Ensure that your government delegation understands the concerns and needs of people living with HIV, knows who the marginalised affected groups are and has a list of the most urgent needs of frontline health workers before they catch the plane to New York.

The success of the Global AIDS Week of Action depends entirely on committed people, networks and organisations that recognise the strategic opportunity the week offers. It depends on how we link up internationally while setting in motion our own national plans and advocacy activities during the 20-26th May 2006.

One week that can change the next five years. Let's make a big noise.
If you are ready to take the initiative in your country, send an email to aidsweek@ungasshiv.org and we will add yours to the list of active countries at www.ungasshiv.org


Join the Global AIDS Week of Action
20-26 May, 2006

A global strategic moment
The week of 20-26 May, 2006 offers a key opportunity to express collective alarm at the lack of progress our governments have made in tackling the AIDS epidemic.
Because this week spans the World Health Assembly, the HIV/AIDS UNGASS+5 review and the forthcoming G8 summit, it sets the stage for civil society-led demands/actions in each country, and mobilising a wider coalition against HIV/AIDS.
The week is a great opportunity to influence policy-makers and generate national media attention and coverage of the unique perspectives and priorities of people living with HIV and civil society before national delegations head to New York for the UNGASS review.
It presents the key strategic AIDS advocacy moment of the year.

The aim
At the risk of stating the obvious… the litany of promises to reverse the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS rings hollow against the unrelenting advance of the epidemic throughout the world.
In 2001, world leaders made the most significant and specific political promises on fighting the epidemic when they adopted the Declaration of Commitment (DoC) on HIV/AIDS at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGASS). Leaders will gather again, from 31 May to 2 June 2006 in New York, to review the progress made on these commitments during the past five years. In 2005, world leaders set another target for themselves: to strive for universal access to treatment, prevention and care by 2010.
The Global AIDS Week of Action is an essential chance to convey our disappointment with government performance against previous commitments and declarations on HIV/AIDS. The time has come for a meaningful, and not a tokenistic, involvement of people living with HIV. Let us demand urgency from world leaders in tackling the epidemic.
The proposal is for each country to bring together a wide coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS, civil society organisations including NGOs, movements and individual people, who would then be inspired to take action and jointly plan national Global AIDS Week of Action activities (see below). The coincidence of several simultaneous national actions makes it a global week of action.

Potential benefits/outcomes
Working together more closely and consistently in each country, and the greater national advocacy coherence and coordination that will result, will help to:
Generate more national pressure and political influence, including on your government's UNGASS participation, position and statement(s);
Generate a larger critical mass/louder voice;
Increase unity and solidarity at this (and future) strategic moments;
Align along non-negotiable HIV & AIDS demands and benchmarks;
Strengthen national HIV & AIDS campaigns and action;
Advocate on controversial issues in `sensitive' countries.
And the various country actions would reflect a unified global mobilisation by:
Helping different countries to focus on similar goals;
Being co-ordinated during the same week throughout the world;
Ensuring that each country knows about what other countries are doing;
Communicating the details of other country actions in any of our meetings/press releases.

How should I start things moving now in my country?
There may already be an effort in your country to hold a consultative meeting of people living with HIV, other relevant movements and organisations to discuss this idea. If not, any group could initiate such a meeting with the aims of building a wide coalition, agreeing on the collective demands for your government and planning action/s to suit your national context.
The specific action(s) chosen in each country are not as important as the process of involving a larger coalition in discussing the realities of turning the tide against HIV/AIDS and clearly communicating to our governments key national priorities and demands, as well as essential roles for civil society in the HIV/AIDS response. Partners will vary from country to country. However, this is an opportunity to involve groups who may not have yet joined the AIDS movement in each country, such as faith-based organisations, women's organisations and trade unions, as well as strengthening existing networks of people living with HIV/AIDS and community groups.

You may wish to consider appointing an organisation/individual to take responsibility for communicating your planned national actions and updates to other countries via the supporting website.

How is the Global AIDS Week of Action being coordinated globally?
In short, it isn't! The success of the Global AIDS Week of Action depends entirely on committed people, networks and organisations recognising the strategic opportunity the week offers. Then, to set in motion their own national plans and advocacy activities during the 20-26th May 2006.
Some support structures are being put in place at a global level, mostly focused on providing systems for sharing information, plans and experiences from one country to another.
It will then be up to each country coalition to make their impact felt at a global level by following three simple steps:

- Sharing/Posting details about their action/s through the supporting website;
- Mention that this action/s are part of a global mobilisation during the Global AIDS Week of Action as part of any public statement or press release or meeting with politicians;
- Use the examples from other countries posted on the supporting website in your own statement/release – mention the range of countries/actions and/or highlighting an action from other countries.

Further information about supporting systems and country plans for the Global AIDS Week of Action will be posted on the www.ungasshiv.org website.

We urge you to share your plans with other countries by ensuring that your activities are listed on the website. Please send details of your actions as well as contact organisations in your country to aidsweek@ungasshiv.org and we will ensure that these are added to the website.
If you have a specific question at this stage, please send it to the above email and we shall try to forward your message to relevant organisations/individuals.

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