SIGN-ON: Civil Society Recommendations for the Political Decla-
ration on AIDS
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Dear Friends,
A number of us have worked the past several weeks on this docu-
ment, and while the full list of initial signatories did not get
captured below due i believe to time constraints, CHANGE and a
range of other organizations are signed on to this document as
well and urge all of those who can do to so in support of civil
society at UNGASS.
(PLEASE SEND YOUR ORGANISATION'S ENDORSEMENT/SIGN-ON TO
mailto:universalaccess@icaso.org )
* THIS IS A CALL TO SIGN-ON TO A SET OF CIVIL SOCIETY RECOMMEN-
DATIONS FOR THE POLITICAL DECLARATION OF THE HIGH LEVEL MEETING
ON AIDS * (French and Spanish language versions will be avail-
able 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 re-
ports of civil society consultation meetings and processes, re-
ports from civil society country monitoring of UNGASS implemen-
tation, specific language proposed by civil society for the Uni-
versal Access consultations processes, and many more existing
recommendations coming from civil society groups around the
world. The recommendations are therefore based on their priori-
ties and commitment of all these groups.
The document can be used by anyone in negotiations with govern-
ments 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 to-
gether push our governments to finally do what is need to halt
the unprecedented human catastrophe of AIDS. Countries and in-
ternational institutions need to live up to their commitments
and deliver the effective HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in-
terventions 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 effec-
tively addressing the epidemic: failure to commit adequate re-
sources, disregard for human rights and dignity, decades of in-
attention to health workers and health care systems, refusal to
base prevention interventions on the evidence of what is effec-
tive, 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:
mailto:universalaccess@icaso.org*
Copies of the recommendations can be found at
http://www.icaso.org . 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
Kieran Daly
Director, Policy & Communications
International Council of AIDS Service Organisations - ICASO
International Secretariat
65 Wellesley Street E., Suite 403
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4Y 1G7
mailto:kierand@icaso.org
http://www.icaso.org