IAVI Report - April / June 2001
Abigail Bing

For the first time in the 20-year history of AIDS, the United Nations General Assembly has convened a special session dedicated exclusively to addressing the global epidemic. National delegates from the highest political levels, including at least a dozen heads of state, will gather in New York from 25-27 June 2001, in an attempt to intensify international action and mobilize resources to respond to the global crisis.

The meeting, designated the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS), will focus on four themes: HIV prevention and care (including vaccine development), human rights, the social and economic impact of AIDS, and international funding and cooperation. A primary objective of the session is to gain General Assembly approval of a Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS outlining key activities and establishing concrete targets for progress.

However, this is proving difficult. Drafts of the Declaration released in late February and early May drew criticism from government officials, public health experts, and AIDS advocates alike. Critics argued that the drafts failed to express the urgency of the AIDS crisis or establish sufficiently concrete actions and targets.

In a May preparatory meeting for UNGASS, General Assembly delegates gathered in New York to seek preliminary agreement on the draft's content. Although the latest version had not been publicly released when the IAVI Report went to press, sources say there have been significant improvements.

The draft reportedly now includes language encouraging increased investment in HIV/AIDS-related research, especially for the development of prevention technologies such as vaccines and microbicides. It also includes a call to make AIDS vaccines, once they are developed, available to all who need them. Strong support for the vaccine language reportedly came from southern African nations (the Southern African Development Community), Latin America (the Rio Group), and the European Union.

However, there was growing concern that the declaration will not receive approval from the entire General Assembly. Controversy surrounding human rights issues and the mention of specific vulnerable groups such as commercial sex workers, injection drug users, and men who have sex with men, have become obstacles to gaining sufficiently widespread support. Some countries have suggested they will refuse to sign a document that mentions these groups, while others may refuse to support a document that omits them.

Commenting on the controversy, Richard Burzynski, director of the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations, said that leaving out references to human rights and vulnerable groups "would undermine all the hard work that has gone into preparing the Declaration and result in a watered-down Declaration of limited usefulness.

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©2001. The IAVI Report.

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