Haslegrave M; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. WePeG7040.
Institution, London, United Kingdom
The Commonwealth has less that 30% of the world's population and more than 60% of the world's HIV/AIDS infections, and nearly all of the world's most seriously affected countries are Commonwealth countries. Pan-Commonwealth NGOs, now known as the Para55 Group, were extremely active in bringing this situation to the attention of Commonwealth Heads of Government when they met in Durban, South Africa in 1999. This resulted in paragraph 55 (from where the Group got its name) of their Communique in which Heads of Government recognised HIV/AIDS as a global emergency and pledged their personal commitment to fighting the epidemic. Subsequently the Group has worked at the Pan-Commonwealth level and with national and other NGOs to promote a multi-sectoral response to the epidemic, which was referred to only briefly in the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment, and to develop strategies to bring this and other key issues, such as mother-to-child-transmission, to the attention of Heads of Government for their next meeting in Australia in March 2002. This presentation will assess the impact that working at the Pan-Commonwealth level can have, both for governments and civil society, in promoting awareness and moving to action. It will also consider how the Commonwealth can play a greater role in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the future.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Australia
- Child
- Disease Outbreaks
- Evaluation Studies
- Government
- Government Programs
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Population
- South Africa
- organization & administration
Other ID:
UI: 102254712
From Meeting Abstracts