UNGASS Special Session on HIV/AIDS 2006 

THE FACTS

 The United Nationas General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS was held 31 May-2 June 2006 in New York City.  Pre-events included a Youth Summit, a day of strategic planning with Civil Society participants from around the world as well as an Interfaith prayer service on the eve of the first day of the event co-sponsored by UNANIMA International at St. Bartholomew’s Church.

The purpose of the Special Session was to reflect, review, identify problems and constraints as well as to recommend action to realize the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS targets.  In an interactive exchange of civil society members with UN member states we heard “Act Now!” and “Just do it!”  One of the speakers in this event was Thandiwe Mathunjwa, the director of Health Outreach from Cabrini Ministries in Swaziland. She was chosen to be one of the speakers on the issue of children at the Civil Society hearings mentioned earlier and she again shared on the challenges she faces as the only nurse working with the 500 families and over 200 orphans at St. Philip’s Mission in the hardest hit country in sub-Saharan Africa. 

 Some of the concerns and points of debate throughout the session included:

1. Access to comprehensive treatment for all with specific targets and timelines to reach this goal;

2. Inclusive treatment, prevention, care and support especially for all vulnerable populations keeping in mind particular human rights issues regarding gender, sexual reproductive rights, domestic violence and human trafficking, especially of women and children;

3. Participation of those living with HIV including children and youth in all levels of decision-making;

4. Transparency of expenditures amount to US $20-24 billion annually;

5. Strategies for dealing with health worker shortages;

6. Condoms/no condoms; needle exchange; substitute drug therapy;

7. Strings attached to US money related to abstinence;

8.  Shifts in thinking:
            Morality to Mortality
            Less talk and more action
            Fighting transformed to respect and openness to others.

 On 1 June UNANIMA International worked with the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS to present a panel on “Children and HIV/AIDS in Africa: Good practices and challenges on Comprehensive Care.” The speakers included three members of the UNANIMA International delegation to the event, Diane Dalle Molle, MSC and Thandiwe Mathunjwa from the Cabrini Health Care Services in Swaziland, Linda Fuselier, an educator and social worker with 15 years experience with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and southern Africa.  The two other panel members were Fatima Ahmad the director of a women’s development group in Sudan and Anita Thomas the main representative of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts (WAGGS) in New York.

 MY REFLECTIONS

 Imagine working day by day with people who society views as expendable, marginal and worthy of discrimination, violence, ostracizing, and stigmatization.  Then – one day after twenty-five years leaders of almost every country put the “vulnerable” up on the radar screen and proclaim their human rights and the need to care and respect the former “untouchables.” What a miracle!

 Yes, this was my experience as I sat in the General Assembly of the United Nations and heard the oral declarations of commitment to people living with HIV.  The Prime Minister of Lesotho whose country is on the brink of annihilation if the world does not cooperate challenged member nations to “walk the talk” and “act now.”  Time will only tell if world leaders will meet both the declaration and recommitment (2001, 2006) as well as the Millennium Goal target by 2015 regarding HIV/AIDS care for all.

 My delight was to be with 1600 Civil Society members and delegations from each country and never feel lost in the crowd.  I was welcome at any table I approached and carried on conversations in corridors, elevators or simply waiting in line for tickets or security checks with heads of states, their representatives or passionate activists, imams, concerned NGO advocates, doctors and social workers and members of many organizations like WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, UNICEF, Catholic Relief Services, etc.)  All were friendly, kind and united in the fight against AIDS.  A highlight was to see Catherine Ferguson, UNANIMA International coordinator, display extraordinary leadership that is powerful, effective, gentle, compassionate and uniting whether with her NGO associates, partners, guests or the stranger simply struggling to communicate in a foreign language.

 Thanks for the wonderful experience to observe and share.

Linda Fuselier, snjm