BBC News AIDS conference

"Some 1,000 activists have been lobbying delegates

A UN conference on Aids has agreed a declaration designed to be a global blueprint for tackling the disease.The draft - due to be adopted by the General Assembly later - commits countries to work towards universal access to Aids care by 2010.

However, aid agencies condemned what they said was a "weak" document, with few specific targets for governments. One said omitting references to homosexuals, prostitutes and drug-users rendered them "invisible" full article on link above

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The BBC summary of the "World AIDS crisis in Depth" is excellent and should be mandatory reading for those country leaders at the confernce. Some could not bring themselves to say the word "condom". Others were "at one with the Pope" though it seems even the Catholic Chruch is about to approve of the use of condoms in certain cases. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/hea ... efault.stm

World summaries Asia: Low national HIV infection levels in Asia mask the fact that, because of large populations, sizeable numbers of people are living with HIV. Serious Aids epidemics in the region are fuelled by risky behaviour, often involving more than one form, and often related to drug-use and unprotected sex

However, there are concerns that many of the prevention strategies do not take into account this combination of risk-taking, even in those countries where the spread of HIV has so far been contained. One positive among the generally worsening international situation has been a fall in HIV incidence among sex workers and their clients in Thailand and Cambodia.

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Delegates from ActionAid International and Treatment Action Campaign and many other civil society organisations walked out of the UN General Assembly in a symbolic protest against what is likely to be a weak declaration on HIV/AIDS.

Noriene Kaleeba, Chair of Board of Trustees ActionAid International and founder of TASO in Uganda was among civil society representatives to address an evening of remembrance along with Kofi Annan, Richard Gere amongst others. She made a direct call to member states to тАЬensure a strong declaration that sets clear targetsтАЭ. She ended her speech by saying тАЬI donтАЩt apologise for the anger we feelтАЭ.

This gave activists in the room a prompt to lead a standing ovation which was followed by loud chants of key demands тАЬTargets, Treatment, Women and girls, Harm reduction and Vulnerable groupsтАЭ. Protestors then filed out of the room chanting "silence is death" тАУ quoting Secretary General Kofi AnnanтАЩs speech earlier that evening.

тАЬAIDS activists around the world have had enough of governments dragging their feet over promises made at international summits over the years," said Aditi Sharma of ActionAid International. тАЬIn 2006, the scale of the crisis demands urgent, comprehensive and committed action not time-wasting debates over ideology. This is the message we wanted to send through our symbolic protest.тАЭ

http://www.actionaid.org/index.asp?page_id=1002

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