BULLETIN ÉLECTRONIQUE DE LA PLATE-FORME SUISSE «VIH/SIDA ET COOPÉRATION INTERNATIONALE» juin / juillet 2008

L’été est enfin là, et nous ne sommes plus seuls à nous lamenter d’une élimination à l’Euro 08.

Vu la proximité des vacances, je vous transmets une Newsletter plus courte que d’habitude, avec tout de même quelques informations de Suisse et d’ailleurs, et un accent particulier sur la Réunion de haut niveau des Nations Unies sur le sida 2008 qui s’est tenue en juin à New York. Autre sujet de discussion abordé: le débat soulevé par un article de R. England dans lequel celui-ci préconise la suppression du Programme commun des Nations Unies sur le sida (ONUSIDA).

Je vous souhaite une bonne lecture et, par-dessus tout, une belle et reposante saison estivale.

Helena Zweifel Coordinatrice aidsfocus.ch

1. High-Level Meeting on AIDS, New York, 9 June - Investments made in the AIDS response over the last 10 years are starting to bear fruit, according to a report by United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon which highlights decreases in new HIV infections and AIDS deaths over the past decade.

However, despite the advances and increase in resources for HIV, which totalled US$10 billion last year, the UN chief warned that the gap between available resources and actual need was hampering efforts to achieve universal access goals. “The world will fall short of achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in the absence of a significant increase in the level of resources available for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries,” he stated.

http://data.unaids.org

June 2008 – In his report on the United Nations General Assembly High level meeting on HIV and AIDS in New York (10-11 June 2008), Farai P. Mahaso, Batanai HIV/AIDS Support Group, Zimbabwe highlights the civil society hearing. The informal civil society hearing, with the theme of Action for Universal Access 2010: Myths and realities took place on the 10th of June. The civil society speakers brought frontline experience to the session; they addressed the challenging issues underlying the spread of HIV/AIDS such as gender issues, criminalisation of HIV and stressed the importance of accountability and involvement as we near the targets set to fulfil the Declaration of commitment and universal access.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

1. June 2008 - As civil society participants to the 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS, we came here to review progress in implementing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. We were disappointed that few heads of state chose to attend this meeting and many governments, from both resource-rich and resource-poor countries, failed to report the reality on the ground.

None of the UNGASS goals were achieved in 2003 or 2005, despite the efforts of some governments and key stakeholders. We are deeply concerned that given the current rate of progress, due to a lack of commitment and the ever-increasing funding gap, universal access will not be achieved by 2010, perpetuating the cycle of underdevelopment and poverty. (UNGASS)

http://www.ua2010.org

1. Juni 2008 - Universeller Zugang droht ohne Erhöhung der finanziellen Mittel zu scheitern. Die Sondersitzung der Vereinten Nationen ist gestern in New York ohne konkrete Ergebnisse zu Ende gegangen. Das Aktionsbündnis gegen AIDS und internationale zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen hatten gehofft, dass das Ziel des Universellen Zugangs bis 2010 bekräftigt würde. Dieses Ziel war bei der ersten Sondersitzung der Vereinten Nationen im Jahr 2001 zum Thema HIV und AIDS von allen UN-Mitgliedstaaten verabschiedet worden. Alle Menschen weltweit, die von HIV und AIDS betroffen sind, sollten bis zum Jahr 2010 Zugang zu Behandlung, Prävention, Pflege und Betreuung erhalten.

Doch die Realität weniger als zwei Jahre vor dem Stichjahr sieht düster aus: Weniger als drei Millionen Menschen weltweit haben Zugang zu AIDS-Medikamenten. Diese ernüchternden Bilanz zogen die mehr als 2.000 zivilgesellschaftlichen TeilnehmerInnen der internationalen AIDS-Konferenz.

http://www.aids-kampagne.de

New York, 12 June 2008 - The 2008 United Nations High-level Meeting on AIDS concluded Wednesday evening, 11 June 2008. The meeting was attended by stakeholders from across the global AIDS response, including leaders from national governments, civil society groups and United Nations agencies.

The General Assembly gathering was held to review progress made in implementing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. Discussions focused on the important progress made to date, the challenges that remain, and recommendations for ensuring a sustainable response for the future.

http://www.unaids.org

Am 23. Mai 2008 hat die schweizerische Wirtschaftsministerin, Bundesrätin Doris Leuthard, auf den Brief der Erklärung von Bern (von aidsfocus.ch mitunterzeichnet) vom 17. April 2008 geantwortet. Darin hatten wir die schweizerische Regierung gebeten, die Thailändische Regierung wegen ihrer Politik, Zwangslizenzen für Medikamente zu erteilen, nicht länger unter Druck zu setzen. Mittlerweile jedoch hat die am 29. Januar 2008 in Thailand ins Amt eingeführte Regierung von Ministerpräsident Samak Sundarajev beschlossen, dem Druck der Schweiz, der EU und der USA nachzugeben.

http://www.evb.ch

Aids & Kind führt im Juli 2008 eine Tagung für Jugendliche durch, die von HIV/Aids betroffen sind. Durch die Teilnahme sollen die Jugendlichen eine konstruktive Unterstützung erhalten, die ihren Umgang mit der Krankheit verbessert und die ihre Kompetenz im Bereich von HIV/Aids fördert. Der Erfahrungsaustausch soll ihre persönlichen Ressourcen stärken und sie bei der Wahrnehmung ihrer sozialen Verantwortung unterstützen.

http://www.aidsundkind.ch

Das Afro-Europäische Medizin- und Forschungsnetzwerk (AEMRN), eine nichtstaatliche und gemeinnützige Organisation lanciert Projekte in ressourcenarmen Ländern speziell im Afrika der Sub-Sahara. Im Rahmen von selbstinitiierten Konferenzen, Seminaren, Workshops, Austauschprogrammen und ehrenamtlichen Arbeitscamps, einschliesslich medizinischen Camps mit mobilen Kliniken, versuchen die Mitglieder zur Verbesserung der Lage in den Entwicklungsländern beizutragen.

http://www.aemrnetwork.ch

BMJ, 10 May 2008 – Article by Roger England, in which he triggered off a hot discussion about the role of UNAIDS: “The creation of UNAIDS, the joint United Nations programme on HIV and AIDS, was justified by the proposition that HIV is exceptional… The exceptionality argument was used to raise international political commitment and large sums of money for the fight against HIV….

It is no longer heresy to point out that far too much is spent on HIV relative to other needs and that this is damaging health systems. Although HIV causes 3.7% of mortality, it receives 25% of international healthcare aid and a big chunk of domestic expenditure. HIV aid often exceeds total domestic health budgets themselves, including their HIV spending. It has created parallel financing, employment, and organisational structures, weakening national health systems at a crucial time and sidelining needed structural reform…”

http://www.bmj.com

1. June 2008 - It is early Sunday morning but the auditorium at Beijing Modern Vocational and Technical College is already full. The local representative of Beijing Youth League opens the workshop energetically with a clapping exercise. Laughing and playing along the way, the students are learning about AIDS through a variety of games, presentations, quizzes and interactive question and answer sessions.

The training course is part of the volunteers’ preparation for service during the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games. Around 7,500 volunteers will have participated in the course in 13 different universities, while 100,000 volunteers will receive a basic information package on HIV. The training is a unique opportunity to equip Chinese youth with important knowledge and skills on HIV prevention and how to counter discrimination.

http://www.unaids.org

Cape Town, 13 June 2008 - "Comrades, we won!" shouted Zackie Achmat, long-time HIV/AIDS activist and founder of South Africa's AIDS lobby group, Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), outside the Cape High Court in Cape Town on Friday. In a landmark judgment, the Court ruled that clinical trials of multivitamins in the treatment of HIV/AIDS by controversial vitamin salesman Matthias Rath were unlawful, and banned them from continuing. The judgment also forbids Rath from publishing any more advertisements claiming that his product, VitaCell cures AIDS, pending further review by the Medicines Control Council (MCC), South Africa's drugs regulatory authority. (PlusNews)

http://www.plusnews.org

Bangalore, 19 June 2008 - In a historic initiative by Hindu religious groups, over 70 prominent faith leaders from across India came together to commit to incorporating HIV information into their religious education and training of future faith leaders as well as including AIDS in their discourses, rituals and festival celebrations. Senior Hindu religious leaders agreed to join the national effort to reverse the spread of HIV at the first meeting of “Faith in Action: Hindu Leaders Caucus on HIV/AIDS”, which took place 1-2 June 2008 at the Art of Living International Centre in Bangalore, India.

Coming together to sign a joint declaration, the religious leaders committed to working with UNAIDS and the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) to increase HIV awareness among young people and to end stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.

http://www.unaids.org

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Chaque jour, 7000 personnes sont infectées par le virus du sida. En Afrique, l’épidémie a réduit de moitié l’espérance de vie. L’édition 2008 du Rapport de la Croix-Rouge sur les catastrophes dans le monde consacre un dossier complet à ce fléau.

Quelque 33 millions de personnes sont porteuses du VIH dans le monde. L’Afrique compte à elle seule 15 millions d’enfants devenus orphelins suite au décès d’un père et/ou d’une mère souffrant de la maladie. Sur le continent africain, la majorité des sidéens n’ont pas accès à des soins adéquats. Le Rapport 2008 sur les catastrophes dans le monde édité par la Fédération internationale des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge appelle les organisations humanitaires à s’engager plus activement dans la prévention et le traitement du sida.

http://www.ifrc.org

1. June 2008 - Some 3 million people now have access to antiretroviral therapy according to a report issued today by WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF. “Towards Universal Access: Scaling Up Priority HIV/AIDS Interventions in the Health Sector” was launched in Geneva by Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. The report notes that one million people started on treatment last year alone which represents an increase of around 42% from the previous year.

The rapid scale-up of treatment has been attributed to a number of factors, including increased availability of drugs, in large part because of price reductions; improved delivery systems; and increased demand as the number of people who are tested and diagnosed with HIV rises.

http://www.unaids.org

The report of the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA) calls for serious “discussion and action” on cultural issues which many societies find uncomfortable and challenging, but which determine the spread of HIV and undermine the effectiveness of national response to the epidemic.

Citing the example of Zambia where the penal code has been amended to criminalize certain cultural practices such as widow cleansing, the report says many African countries had begun to reform their laws to address harmful cultural norms. (June 2008)

http://www.uneca.org

Women, Ink., a programme of the International Women’s Tribune Centre, has compiled a collection of materials entitled “HIV/AIDS and Women: Resources to Support Policy and Advocacy”. Comprising some 50 action-oriented tools as well as analyses, reports, and case studies, this resource pack was assembled to support informed participation on issues of women and HIV/AIDS at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS 2008.

http://www.womenink.org

Malawi, like the rest of southern Africa, has a high adult HIV prevalence (estimated at about 12% in 2004) yet the country’s health sector is struggling, largely due to limited investment. This paper reports on a study to assess equity in uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Malawi in 2005, especially according to age (children vs. adults), gender (men vs. women) and income. Particular reference is made to the scaling up of ART and the removal of fees for ART in 2004. (Eldis 2008)

http://www.equinetafrica.org

Mexico City | The International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2008) is the most important gathering for the release and discussion of scientific, programmatic and policy developments in the global response to HIV/AIDS. As the largest and most diverse international meeting devoted to a global health issue, the conference brings together the movement of people responding to the epidemic to share lessons and together stake out the road ahead. (3-8 August 2008)

The AIDS 2008 theme, Universal Action Now, emphasizes the need for continued urgency in the worldwide response to HIV/AIDS, and for action on the part of all stakeholders.

http://www.aids2008.org

Thun | Vorankündigung: Die Thuner Tagungen zur sozialwissenschaftlichen HIV/Aids-Forschung in der Schweiz sind in den letzten 10 Jahren zu einem wichtigen Ort für die wissenschaftliche Debatte, die Weiterentwicklung und Vernetzung der Forschung in diesem Feld sowie zu einem Ort des Austauschs zwischen Wissenschaft, Politik und Praxis geworden. Angesichts des bleibenden Bedarfs nach wissenschaftlicher Diskussion und Austausch in diesem Gebiet haben das Institut Universitaire de Médecine Sociale et Préventive der Université Lausanne und die Hochschule für Soziale Arbeit, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, die Vorbereitungsarbeiten für die 8. Thuner Tagung an die Hand genommen.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Bern |Des motivations personnelles et une ouverture au monde sont le point de départ de ce petit projet d’aide directe. Depuis 1991, l’association «Jumelage d’Hôpitaux d’Enfants Bienne-Haïti» entretient un partenariat avec l’Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) en Haïti.

Quels sont les défis qu’implique la collaboration avec une grande organisation améri-caine? Que faire quand il y a discordance d’idées et de conceptions entre cette organisa-tion, le personnel haïtien et nous-mêmes? Jean Klingler, président de l’association «Jumelage d’Hôpitaux d’Enfants Bienne-Haïti», présentera les défis auxquels l'Hôpital Albert Schweitzer est actuellement confronté.

http://www.medicusmundi.ch

Bern | The Afro-European Medical and Research Network (AEMRN) will be holding their first annual Strategic Planning Symposium on the theme: “Knowledge Management, Resource Mobilisation and sustained HIV/AIDS Research in Low-income Countries - Case of Sub-Saharan Africa”.

The programme include presentation of papers from selected speakers around the World as well as brain storming and plenary sessions on Knowledge Management, Resource Mobilisation and HIV/AIDS Research.

http://www.aidsfocus.ch

Bienne | cinfo: Le VIH/SIDA est une réalité douloureuse dans de nombreux pays de la coopération internationale (CI). Il affecte non seulement chaque aspect de la vie des populations concernées, mais il a également un impact considérable sur la vie et le travail de personnel expatrié de la CI. Ce séminaire a pour objectif d’accompagner les participants/es afin qu'ils/elles puissent mieux gérer ce défi.

http://www.cinfo.ch

aidsfocus.ch, la Plate-forme suisse «VIH/sida et coopération internationale» est un projet de Medicus Mundi Suisse. 33 organisations partenaires et la Direction de Développement et Coopération (DDC) participent avec une contribution financière.

Les partenaires d'aidsfocus: Afro-European Medical and Research Network, Action de Carême, Aide Suisse contre le Sida, Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Caritas suisse, cinfo, CO-OPERAID, Croix-Rouge suisse, Déclaration de Berne, EPER, Esperanza Medicines Foundation, FEPA, Fondation Terre des hommes, Fédération Genevoise de Coopération, Féderation Internationale du Croix-Bleue, Gemeinschaft der St. Anna-Schwestern, IAMANEH Suisse, INTERTEAM, Institut Tropical Suisse, Kindernothilfe Schweiz, Kwa Wazee, Médecins Sans Frontières, medico international suisse, mediCuba-Suisse, missio, mission 21, MIVA Suisse, REPSSI, Sida & l'enfant, SolidarMed, Swiss Aids Care, Tear Fund, terre des hommes schweiz, World Vision Suisse.