United Press International - Monday, 25 June 2001
Rodolfo A. Windhausen

The negotiations on the draft text, to be approved Wednesday at the end of the special meeting, extended through the weekend, but no final agreement was reached over issues like the definition of vulnerable persons, AIDS and human rights, the empowerment of women and, especially, the implementation of prevention programs by U.N. agencies.

Australian Ambassador Penny A. Wensley, acting as a spokeswoman for the negotiations she headed, said several objections had been raised to the draft's wording.

"Frankly, it has been a very difficult negotiation," Wensley said. "It's clearly a document that contains many compromises. There are careful qualifications (in it), careful use of language, to try to accommodate the concerns of various delegations."

Sources close to the talks told United Press International the main objections came from Islamic nations, the Vatican and various Christian denominations, which oppose the U.N.'s policies on sex education, distribution of condoms and homosexuality.

An Egyptian delegate had proposed to include a condemnation of homosexuality in a section about the factors contributing to the disease.

Wensley said the document is "very strong in many areas," but declined to elaborate. "We believe it offers significant targets, strategies for governments, for the private sector, and at the national, regional and global level."

"Essentially, the negotiations have concluded," she added. However, she said, the final points of the talks are still being refined.

Wensley admitted the text would contain some references to obstacles for action on care and prevention of HIV/AIDS due to legal, economic, social and cultural differences. Some governments had expressed their reservations, even before the session began, about implementing U.N.-sanctioned policies that could clash with their national culture and religion.

"Inevitably, any major negotiation involves a compromise. As a chairman of a process, when everybody is unhappy, then essentially you have a sense that you found the middle ground," Wensley added in reference to the objections.

Many non-governmental organizations and groups of governments participating in the negotiations have agreed on the text "reluctantly," she said.

"The group that is still considering its position is the Organization of Islamic States, because from the very beginning it has been clear that they have profound concerns about language that, from their perspective, may be in conflict with their religious and cultural values," the Australian diplomat said.

Their main concern, other sources said, revolves around the empowerment of women, which is firmly advocated by U.N. agencies like the United Nations Development Fund for Women, known as UNIFEM.

Wensley's remarks, later confirmed by a General Assembly spokeswoman, seemed to indicate that the lobbying against sex education programs and other policies had left many nations dissatisfied with the final text.

She recalled that many churches and other religious groups had indicated their objections to U.N. policies over the last 20 years since the AIDS pandemic first appeared.

The Vatican has pointed out that is strongly opposed to sex education for adolescents, the distribution of condoms to prevent spread of the disease and any artificial contraceptive methods for family planning.
010625
UP010628

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .