UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS Statements

Combating HIV/AIDS Is a Matter of Both Foreign Policy, Public Health: Brazil
On Thursday at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS, Brazil’s foreign minister said his nation will continue promoting regional and international cooperation to fight the epidemic. “You will also see us very much engaged and keeping focus on the most vulnerable segments as we look at this pandemic, which are men who have sex with men, sex workers, drug users, and other vulnerable segments of society who require special attention,” said Antonio Patriota. He also expressed concern, however, that some donor nations “seem to be disengaging” from the global response to HIV/AIDS.

Globe Has to Create 'Enabling Environment' in Prevention of HIV/AIDS: Sri Lanka
“The establishment of an enabling environment remains a critical part of our interventions” against HIV/AIDS, Dr. G. Weerasinghe of Sri Lanka’s National STD/AIDS Control Program said Thursday at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS. “It is an important dimension in achieving the universal accessibility to prevention, care and treatment services for HIV.” He noted the existence of a “window of opportunity” to quell HIV’s spread among highly impacted populations. “In this context, my country has introduced specific prevention efforts among the groups with high-risk behaviors, such as female sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men, vulnerable youth in tourist areas and migrant employees,” Weerasinghe said.

Preventing HIV a Priority in Battle Against HIV/AIDS: Norway
HIV prevention and treatment “must be mutually reinforcing, and better treatment regimens need to be made available,” Norway’s minister of the environment and international development said Thursday at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS. “Our experience is that the approaches that work well on HIV are those based on rights and on promoting the dignity of people,” Erik Solheim said. “In the next phase of HIV response, we must take AIDS out of isolation and take an integrated approach. HIV and AIDS programs should be mainstreamed into national health systems.” Solheim also stressed the importance of involving the next generation in the struggle, saying, “Young people must be given leadership roles in the AIDS response.”

Greece Calls for International Cooperation in Fight Against HIV/AIDS
Globally, the AIDS epidemic “has deepened the gap between the North and South,” Greece’s minister of health and social solidarity said Thursday at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS. Andreas Loverdos pointed to human trafficking as one force driving the spread of HIV in his country. “Many of these infections concern women from sub-Saharan Africa, who have been brought to the country illegally and forced to work as prostitutes. It is obvious that problems of this kind can be addressed only through closer international cooperation.” Loverdos said Greece is expanding condom distribution and its needle-exchange programs; it also has been providing access to public health services for all people, regardless of their ability to pay.

Italy Sees Prevention Efforts Key to Fight Against HIV/AIDS
The global fight against HIV requires a holistic approach that combines the benefits of science and social policies, Italy’s permanent representative to the UN said Friday at the General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS. “National ownership, alignment with national policies, and mutual accountability are cornerstones of the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Cesare Maria Ragaglini. He underscored the need to pursue gender equity and the empowerment of women, and he noted that Italy supports the “Walking Africa Deserves a Nobel” campaign, which proposes that African women be designated the winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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