As part of an official visit to Nicaragua to learn more about the impact AIDS is having on women, UNAIDS Special Representative, HRH the Crown Princess of Norway visited a grassroots AIDS organisation working on issues of human rights and the sexual and reproductive rights of women and children.

The visit to Fundación Xochiquetzal was part of a four-day advocacy mission to the region for the Crown Princess during which she will be engaging with different groups and individuals involved in the AIDS response and participating in events organised at the 5th Central American Congress on AIDS (CONCASIDA). The visit aims to raise awareness about how AIDS is increasingly affecting women and girls in Latin America and the Caribbean and to help step up efforts to eliminate the widespread stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in the region.

During her visit to the foundation, the Crown Princess talked to the group members about her concerns regarding gender inequalities and poverty present in Central America and expressed her support for the foundation’s efforts to raise awareness and educate people about HIV.

Fundación Xochiquetzal was created as a non-profit organisation in 1990, and focuses on education and research about HIV, social communication, HIV prevention and care and support for people living with HIV. Programmes are aimed at both young women and men, children and adolescents in situations of commercial sexual exploitation, people living with HIV, sex workers, men who have sex with men, staff of state institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

HRH the Crown Princess expressed her appreciation the Xochiquetzal Foundation’s work to support people living with HIV and heralded the commitment and professionalism of the members working for the organisation.

She also reiterated the importance of community participation in the AIDS response and called for efforts to help women have a stronger voice and more presence at the leadership level.

More on Fundación Xochiquetzal

During the past 16 years, Fundación Xochiquetzal, has undertaken a wide range of social projects in the cities of Managua, Estelí, Somoto, Ocotal, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Masaya, Granada, Carazo, León y Chinandega.

Xochiquetzal also provides legal advisory support, defending and promoting the human rights of people living with HIV. Its strategy focuses on coordinating and advocating with different sectors in order to promote free sexuality and respect of human rights for people living with HIV, as well as developing studies whose evidence leads to a better perception of risk and behavioural change among target populations in regards to sexually transmitted infections including HIV.

---

Links:

View photo gallery
More on the V Central American Congress on AIDS (CONCASIDA)
Visit the conference's official web site
Read more on UNAIDS Special Representative, HRH the Crown Princess of Norway

Managua – One of the key meetings taking place in the framework of the V Central American Congress on AIDS (CONCASIDA) was the Second meeting of the Americas on AIDS, prisons and confinement which was held in Managua on 4th and 5th November.

Under discussion were the poor conditions many inmates are facing in prisons across Latin America, exacerbated by the lack of access to health services, dilapidated infrastructure, overcrowding and mistreatment.

The particularly negative effects these conditions are having on inmates who are living with HIV were outlined and participants described how the lack of access to adequate health services contributes to a rapid deterioration in health, affecting both the mental and physical wellbeing of people living with HIV. They also stressed that without proper health care and access to medicines the life expectancy for people living with HIV is often dramatically reduced.

Another important issue discussed at the meeting was how to address the rapid spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases which occur in prisons with inadequate infrastructure and services. 

Participants agreed that urgent action is needed to improve the living conditions of people living in prisons in order to reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection.

Regional Director for UNAIDS, Cesar Nunez highlighted the need to strengthen strategies and actions addressing HIV and prisons within the framework of the “Three Ones” principles. He said, “We need to elaborate an action plan that coordinates the efforts of all actors involved in the response to the epidemic in prison settings. We also need to create or strengthen a coordinating body on HIV on a national level and implement a common monitoring and evaluation system at country level, in order to achieve the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for all people living with HIV, wherever they are.

Participants were united in their support for joint efforts and agreed that the way forward was for all actors involved in this particular area of the AIDS response to work together to promote effective HIV prevention strategies and advocate for better conditions in prisons.

As part of these efforts the Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD) will act as facilitator in the process and will be advising governments in decision making processes concerning HIV and prisons on behalf of all the groups concerned. 

Jose Vila del Castillo, ILANUD Regional Advisor highlighted his commitment to take effective and sustainable action in responding to the AIDS epidemic in the region, particularly for people living in prison settings.

---

Links:

Read more on HIV and Prisons
American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD)

Several countries have recently introduced laws to criminalise HIV transmission, or exposing another person to the virus. A number of jurisdictions have used general laws against serious bodily harm in cases where someone is accused of knowingly transmitting HIV or willingly exposing others to HIV transmission.

Subject of controversy, these measures are sparking debate and concern among policymakers, legal and public health professionals, international organizations and civil society, on whether criminal law is applicable in such cases and if such application is accomplishing or damaging public health goals such as universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Addressing these issues, UNAIDS brought together a range of stakeholders in Geneva for a three-day international consultation (31 October – 2 November) to discuss the apparent trend of criminalization of HIV transmission in the context of national responses to AIDS.

The purpose of the consultation, co-hosted by the UNAIDS Secretariat and UNDP, was to foster dialogue and provide an opportunity to reach an understanding of what constitutes appropriate application of criminal law to HIV transmission, if at all, given public health and human rights imperatives. Participants in the meeting included parliamentarians, members of the judiciary, criminal law experts, civil society representatives and people living with HIV, alongside representatives of WHO, ILO and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Consultation participants expressed concern about the apparent rise in the number of cases in which people living with HIV have been criminally charged for transmitting HIV, or engaging in acts that risk transmitting HIV. In some cases, criminal charges have been laid for conduct that is “perceived” as risking transmission, but where no real risk exists, and sometimes with very harsh penalties imposed. Participants also expressed concern that there are jurisdictions moving to enact or amend legislation specifically to criminalize transmission and exposure. While noting that many legislators may be acting out of good intentions, consultation participants stated clearly that such laws are not an effective way of dealing with the transmission of HIV.

“Like in the early years of the epidemic when I declared that we have now ‘HIL – Highly Inefficient Laws’, when there were the proposals for testing everyone in society, we now have a new wave of HIL. And it’s a wave that’s coming particularly in Africa, but also in other parts of the world,” stated Justice Michael Kirby, judge in the High Court of Australia, in the concluding session of the consultation.

While little is known about the impacts of criminalizing HIV transmission, many are concerned that it may have a negative impact on the uptake of HIV testing and access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services. Sensational media reports can exacerbate stigma and discrimination, and jeopardize HIV prevention strategies currently in place. “Applying criminal law to HIV transmission has a heightened role in stigmatizing HIV, it is ineffective and public health strategies are better used to advance HIV prevention,” said Justice Edwin Cameron, Supreme Court of Appeal, South Africa.

Furthermore, there is also concern that criminal proceedings may compromise basic civil rights such as the right to privacy, especially among the most vulnerable populations. Some legislators and women’s rights groups think such laws will protect women from HIV infection, but as Susan Timberlake, UNAIDS Human Rights and Law Advisor noted, “There is great concern that in fact these laws would hurt women most, as it is women who first find out their status and thus will be first subject to prosecution.  Laws to ensure women’s equality inside and outside marriage would protect them more than laws criminalizing HIV transmission.”

Recommendations from the meeting will inform the finalization of UNAIDS’ policy position and other guidance documents on the criminalization of HIV transmission. “A clear message from the meeting was that criminal law is a very blunt tool to deal with HIV,” said Seema Paul, UNAIDS Chief of Policy Coordination. “The real goal of policy makers is preventing new infections but, in fact, criminalizing HIV transmission – excepting in a very small sub-set of cases dealing with retributive justice – will create disincentives for learning about one’s HIV status and accessing health and other services,” she added.

---

Links:

Read remarks by Edwin Cameron, Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa
Read more on HIV and the law

Audio:

Listen to Rama Valayden, Attorney General and Minister of Justice & Human Rights, Republic of Mauritius (mp3, 3.1 Mb)
Listen to Edwin Cameron, Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal, South Africa (mp3, 1.9 Mb)

Related documents:

International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
Criminal Law, Public Health and HIV Transmission: a policy options paper
Handbook for Legislators on HIV/AIDS, Law and Human Rights
Report on the ARASA/OSISA Civil Society Consultative Meeting on the Criminalisation of the Wilful Transmission of HIV
Legal Aspects of HIV/AIDS - A Guide for Legal and Policy Reform

The impact of HIV in Central America: The United Nations Report
United Nations agencies and programs are committed to taking all the necessary measures to intensify Central America’s response to the HIV epidemic. This announcement was made by the Regional Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean of UNAIDS and UNICEF, participating in the 5th Central American Congress on HIV – CONCASIDA 2007.
Read press release ( en | es )

---

UNAIDS Executive Director's opening speech

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot gave one of the key note speeches at the official opening ceremony of CONCASIDA. During his speech he highlighted the need to deal with the tough issues that lie at the core of the AIDS epidemic in Central America and called for strong and exceptional leadership on AIDS.
Read UNAIDS Executive Director's opening speech ( en | es )
Listen to UNAIDS Executive Director's opening speech (mp3, 2.2 Mb, recorded on location)
View photo gallery

---

Princess of Norway visits grassroots AIDS organization

As part of an official visit to Nicaragua to learn more about the impact AIDS is having on women, UNAIDS Special Representative, HRH the Crown Princess of Norway visited a grassroots AIDS organisation working on human rights and the sexual and reproductive rights of women and children.
Read more
View photo gallery

---

Second meeting of the Americas on AIDS, prisons and confinement

One of the key meetings taking place in the framework of the V Central American Congress on AIDS (CONCASIDA) was the Second meeting of the Americas on AIDS, prisons and confinement which was held in Managua on 4th and 5th November. Read more

---

CONCASIDA 2007

The 5th Central American Congress on HIV is being held in Managua, Nicaragua, from 4-9 November. Over 1,500 participants are expected to attend the Congress including representatives from governments, the United Nations, people living with HIV, women’s organizations, religious groups and the private sector. Read more

The 5th Central American Congress on HIV (CONCASIDA) is being held in Managua, Nicaragua, from 4-9 November.

The 1,500 participants attending the congress include Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, UNAIDS Special Representative HRH the Crown Princess of Norway, people living with HIV, regional Health Ministers, representatives from civil society, women’s organizations, religious organizations and the private sector. Dr Piot will give a keynote speech during the official inauguration ceremony.

As well as a strong focus on scientific developments, sharing lessons learnt and best practices, one of the main aims of the Congress will be to evaluate the progress made on the ‘San Salvador declaration’—a commitment signed in November 2005 by seven Central American countries pledging to ensure that AIDS is included as a high priority on regional agendas. 

Other meetings taking place within the framework of CONCASIDA include the Council of Central American Health Ministers who will meet to discuss policies and strategies to strengthen the AIDS response in the region and the 5th Central American Meeting of People Living with HIV which is being held over two days and where participants will share experiences and debate on issues pertinent to the AIDS response including human rights, children, stigma and discrimination, gender, sexual diversity, nutrition, communication and ethics.

The CONCASIDA congress will provide an important platform for discussion on AIDS in the region ahead of the 2008 International AIDS Conference which will take place in Mexico City in August next year.

---

Links:

Read press release ( en | es )
Read the San Salvador Declaration
Visit the conference's web site
Read more on Latin America

It has been proven that people understand and retain information better when it is written in their own language. So when it comes to reaching as many people as possible with knowledge and information about AIDS making content available in a variety of languages is imperative.

For that reason, UNAIDS translates documents, reports and other forms of content in its four official working languages—English, French, Spanish and Russian.

Further developing its multi-lingual communication and advocacy capacity, UNAIDS has partnered since 2005 with the Faculty of Translation and Documentation of the University of Salamanca, Spain, to design new ways of developing communication on AIDS in Spanish, which, used by 370 million people across the globe, is the third most spoken language worldwide.

Primarily focused on translating the content of the UNAIDS web site which will launch its multi-lingual versions in 2008, the partnership plays a twofold role: in addition to providing UNAIDS with high-quality translations, it offers the University students the unique opportunity to work on current ‘live’ documents of the United Nations and gain increased awareness on AIDS issues at the same time. In this way, the partnership plays a key advocacy role among young people— helping them understand the dynamics of the epidemic in various regions of the world and helping to reduce stigma and discrimination.

Coordinator of the partnership project and vice dean of the Faculty of Translation and Documentation of the University of Salamanca, Dr Jesús Torres del Rey, spoke to www.unaids.org about the achievements to date and the benefits of such partnership.

Q. How does the translation partnership work?

A. As part of their curriculum, students have a wide range of authentic practical translation projects (internships or “prácticas”) to choose from. For the partnership, we decided to make translation of UNAIDS web site material one of these ‘prácticas’, and it has become one of the most popular. We receive the documents in English from UNAIDS and then the students work collaboratively to translate and then revise the translations between themselves. The students themselves are elected to coordinate the whole project. Once completed, the students’ work is further revised and coordinated by the faculty staff. Parallel to the practical sessions, special 2-month seminar sessions are conducted where other UNAIDS texts are translated under a lecturer’s direct supervision. Across the project, strict deadlines and quality processes have to be observed by the students and this makes the task as similar to real life as possible. Last year our project received funding from AECI, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, which is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This helped us acquire some of the necessary hardware and software as well as provide other resources for our students working on this project.

Q. What are the benefits for the students and how can this contribute to the preparation for their professional translator career?

A. The benefits are many. The students work with authentic ‘real-time’ materials with a very clear purpose and use a methodology similar to that of professional environments, while learning about the work of an international organization. Not only are they getting a professional job done but they are also helping to raise awareness about UNAIDS messages and issues. The partnership is also a source of pride and prestige for the University and the students themselves.

Q. In addition to the translation work undertaken at the faculty, the partnership also involves students in a Terminology research project – how does this work and why is it important?

A. Good terminology work before and parallel to translation work is paramount, as all translators need to use specific terms, which have been validated by experts and for specific concepts and situations. For UNAIDS, this means words and terms relating to AIDS, but not only in medical terms but in a much wider social context. Words may have different meanings in specific situations so it is very important to put them in context apart from providing its definition. We also need to make sure that the ideas behind terms and meaning relations between them are clearly understandable by all the Spanish speakers worldwide.

For the terminology research project we will start studying texts and translations, extracting specific words and inserting them into the terminology software. At the same time we will create concept maps to help us manage all the information. What is crucial here is to be able to exchange information with UNAIDS language experts and other officials about concepts, usage, etc and to access actual UNAIDS documents and publications to extract the context in which these words are used.

Q. How will the UNAIDS / Salamanca University partnership continue and grow?

A. We expect to be able to build a solid platform for communication, terminology and translation exchange The main objective is to be able to make the information flow as automatic as possible to help students, UNAIDS staff and users of the information, to have access to timely and accurate information produced by UNAIDS.

 

---

AIDS has become the “greatest leadership challenge to nations and regions” in the 26 years since its discovery, the UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director UNAIDS Michel Sidibe said in his keynote speech at the 7th Annual General Meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), held in Antigua and Barbuda (24 - 26 October).

Addressing some hundred participants, Sidibe said AIDS has become a defining issue of our time. “We are really in the turning point in my point of view. It is important for us to not to just deal with this pandemic like if it is just about managing a short term crisis, it is time for us to look at how we can really think about long term sustainable approach to deal with this pandemic,” he said.

In order to meet that challenge, Sidibe reinforced the urgent need for countries to turn commitments into action by setting and achieving targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services for all those in need. Resonating strongly with the theme of the PANCAP meeting— Universal Access by 2010: Ensuring Success—the UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director maintained that the greatest legacy to future generations would be the attainment of this critical goal.

Taking into account new factors such as the increasing numbers of women becoming infected with HIV, growing stigma and discrimination, and the lack of capacity to get treatment to all those in need, Sidibe said action must be accelerated. “We need to quicken the pace of action,” he said.

Established in 2001, PANCAP is the regional mechanism responsible for coordinating the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic. It is based in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, in Georgetown, Guyana. The PANCAP Annual General Meeting is an important regional event in the Caribbean bringing together the principal leaders in the AIDS response in this Region.

Mr Sidibe, on his first trip to the Caribbean in his capacity as UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director and Under Secretary General of the UN, also met with various leaders and UNAIDS partners in the Caribbean region. These included: Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honorable Winston Baldwin Spencer, Antigua’s Minister of Health, John Maginley, Assistant Secretary General of CARICOM, Dr Edward Greene, Chairman of the Barbados National HIV/AIDS Commission and former Chair of the Global Fund, Dr Carol Jacobs, Belize AIDS Ambassador, Dolores Balderamos Garcia and Dr James St Catherine of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Commending all for their exemplary leadership shown in working to expand the AIDS response and achieve universal access both nationally and regionally, Sidibe pledged increased UNAIDS technical support and assistance to further strengthen efforts.

The Caribbean region is the second most affected by AIDS after sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 250,000 people are living with HIV in the region, more and more of them women. In 2006 there were 27,000 reported new HIV infections.

 

---

Links:

Visit the PANCAP web site
Visit the CARICOM web site

HIV strategies work best when there is a clear understanding of the relationship between AIDS, poverty and human development. In an article published in leading scientific magazine PLoS, UNAIDS examines this relationship and the often called ‘vicious circle’ within which the impacts of AIDS increase poverty and social deprivation, while socio-economic inequalities increase vulnerability to HIV infection.

---

Links:

Read article - Squaring the Circle: AIDS, Poverty, and Human Development
Read presentation - HIV and development challenges for Africa

The Indian President, Pratibha Patil met representatives from UNAIDS, UNICEF, HIV positive networks and government officials in New Delhi to mark the second anniversary of the UNICEF/UNAIDS Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign. The President of India pledged her full support to the campaign and to addressing myths and misconceptions around HIV that are driving stigma and discrimination.

“Raising awareness is the key to fight the stigma and discrimination faced by the HIV positive people especially women and children,” President Patil said.

As part of the event, children and their mothers living with HIV shared their life experiences with The President. President Patil also met with peer educators who presented her with artwork of their messages on stigma and discrimination.

Anand*, a child living with HIV presented Suraksha Bandhan (a blue and red band in which the blue colour represents children and red represents AIDS) to President Patil as a sign of solidarity in the response to AIDS.

Unite for Children Unite Against AIDS is the largest campaign mounted to bring the world’s attention to the global impact of AIDS on children and young people. It also recognizes and addresses the needs of their caregivers. It offers urgent and specific interventions and calls to action. Launched in October 2005, UNICEF and UNAIDS are leading the initiative along with partners from all sectors of society, including governments, NGOs, academic institutions, faith-based groups, community groups and youth and sporting organizations.

Speaking on the occasion of the meeting with the President of India, Dr Dennis Broun, UNAIDS Country Coordinator for India, said that “since its launch two years ago, the campaign has transformed the lives of thousands of children and their families.”

“Great progress has been achieved on prevention and early detection of HIV infection in children, access to care and treatment and the fight against discrimination, notably in schools. Many famous personalities have supported this fight and their engagement has been crucial. There is more to be done and the whole UN family will continue to respond to AIDS in India,” he said.

The number of people living with HIV in India is estimated to be 2.0- 3.1 million. Some 70,000 children below the age of 15 are estimated to be living with HIV in the country.

---

Links:

Visit the Unite for Children Unite Against AIDS web site

Visit the UNAIDS India web site

The Coalition of First Ladies and Women Leaders of Latin America on HIV held its third meeting in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Friday 26 October to discuss the growing rates of HIV infection among women in Latin America and the impact of AIDS on women in the region.

Participants included the First Ladies of Honduras, Mexico, Dominican Republic and El Salvador, the First Ladies’ representative of Suriname, representatives from Ministries of Health, parliamentarians, representatives from the International Coalition of Women and civil society organizations including women living with HIV.

They expressed their firm commitment to take action in response to the AIDS epidemic. This commitment was reaffirmed by Deborah Landey, Deputy Executive Director UNAIDS, who gave a keynote speech at the meeting. “We must demonstrate and promote strong and sustained leadership, throughout the region, to place women at the centre of the agenda. Not mainstreamed. Not sidelined. At the centre,” she said.

Participants discussed ways of implementing the “action platform” which was approved at the last meeting of the Coalition held in Buenos Aires in April 2007. The “action platform” is a strategy designed to mitigate the impact of AIDS in the region, particularly in the context of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, and which promotes women rights in a supportive environment, free of stigma and discrimination. 

Also present at the meeting was the President of the Republic of Honduras, His Excellency Manuel Zelaya Rosales, who delivered a strong message to the participants emphasising the urgent need to address gender inequalities for an effective response to AIDS.

The Coalition of First Ladies and Women Leaders of Latin America, chaired by the First Lady of Honduras Her Excellency Xiomara Castro de Zelaya and supported by UNAIDS and UNFPA, was established in New York on June 2nd 2006, in the context of a parallel meeting of the 26th Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Coalition is the first initiative of its kind in the region. It involves First Ladies and women leaders in an alliance committed to advocating for stronger political leadership and resource mobilization to make universal access a reality, and reduce the vulnerability of women to AIDS in Latin American countries.

---

Links:

View photo-gallery
Read the speech by the UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Deborah Landey
Watch the video of The Coalition of Latin American First Ladies and Women Leaders
Visit the web site of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS
More on women and AIDS
More on AIDS in Latin America
Read other feature stories about AIDS in Latin America