Compiled by Martin Flynn & Bruce Wainwright
Protests and promises at UNGASS

HIV activists blocked New York streets early in June during the United Nations Special General Assembly on Aids (UNGASS). Hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest against the Bush administration’s attitudes toward HIV drug availability in the US and prevention overseas.
Inside the UN building, the US, African and Islamic countries blocked the inclusion of vulnerable groups to HIV (such as gay men, sex workers and drug users) in the final UN declaration.
Inevitabley there were squabbles over the wording over texts, but the compromise reached was still roundly condemned as inadequate by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and activists.
Aids organisations, including the UKC, issued a statement saying: “The UN members refused to commit to hard targets on funding, prevention, care and treatment.”
In 2001, at its General Assembly Special Session on Aids, the UN committed to meet again five years later. The 2001 meeting set important targets for action on HIV but neglected to set any targets for HIV treatments.
Things heated up in New York, with packed NGO meetings in a windowless room in the basement, trying to stay on top of the negotiations and develop civil society positions.
Some countries’ behaviour in negotiations was predictable, others surprising. The US and the Organisation of Islamic States were the most hostile to references to the rights of vulnerable groups, such as sex workers and IV drug users. Trying to get explicit mention of these groups was a complete non-starter. These two also pushed for references to abstinence and respect for different cultures (which means against imposing rights-based approach).
The African Union (AU) was the most disappointing. NGOs and civil society who had attended May’s meeting of the AU in Abuja were jubilant a very strong declaration was agreed for New York. Their declaration included references to vulnerable groups, rights of women and clear targets for universal access to treatment.
Unfortunately, no one appeared to have told Gabon’s permanent representative to the UN (negotiating on behalf of all African states) who ignored these commitments and argued against many of these positions.
Relations among the African Group became strained and African civil society was furious in its condemnation of their leaders. Nigeria was praised for taking a stand against Gabon and, at one point, threatening to withdraw from the common negotiations.
In the end, the compromise document was both better and worse then expected. It endorsed evidence-based approaches and condoms but also endorsed “abstinence” and “faithfulness”. It mentioned “vulnerable groups” but then talked about the importance of cultural values. It committed to universal access to treatment, prevention and care by 2010 but then refused to set meaningful targets.
This treatment commitment was probably the most important outcome. Back in 2001, antiretrovirals were thought an unrealistic dream for developing countries and
prevention was seen as the only “cost-effective” option.
Five years on, treatment is on the agenda. The cost of meds has fallen and have been shown to work well in all settings. Our challenge now is to take the commitment and insist that countries take the action to provide the increased aid to make universal access to HIV treatment by 2010 a reality. Simon Wright, ActionAid
See feature, page 34

Gay men ‘don’t regret disclosure’

Gay men who are HIV positive rarely regret revealing their health status to others, according to a new US study.
Many HIV positive gay men often experience anxiety about disclosing their status, usually anticipating a negative reaction.
But research carried out by Ohio State University discovered that in only 4.2 per cent of ‘disclosure events’ did they actually feel regret. This even applied when the disclosure was by someone else who ‘outed’ them.
The study involved 75 gay men who were followed for a year, getting them to note down occasions when they disclosed to friends, family, colleagues or sex partners.
Friends, understandably, were easier to disclose to than family, colleagues or sex partners, but the differences in reactions were not significant.
One of the authors of the study, Julianne Serovich, said: “I was very surprised at how little regret we found, because you see the angst in HIV positive men who deliberate very carefully on whether or not to tell people.
“The results offer hope to people working in the field. We can tell HIV positive men that others in their position rarely regret the fact that others know their status.”
• Reference: April 2006 edition of ‘AIDS Education and Prevention’, Ohio State’s College of Human Ecology

Green Legged Chickens spread message at Brussels European HIV agencies came together at the EU last month to spread the message that HIV is an employability issue.
The Green Legged Chicken partnership involves six European HIV agencies that are all trialling new ways of supporting HIV positive people into work.
Green legged chickens are an endangered species bred as an ecological employ- ability project in Poland, and the partnership see parallels between the need for gentle animal husbandry and the need to support people living with HIV to ensure they can participate in the workforce.
The project is part of a European Social Fund Equal partnership. Pictured dressed as a green legged chicken is UKC chief executive Stephen Bitti alongside two Polish delegates in national dress.
• www.e-pf.org.uk

'Prevention for positives’ campaigns work

Successful HIV prevention campaigns aimed at people already HIV positive, so-called ‘prevention for positives’, can work if targeted effectively, new research reveals.
Risk reduction strategies targeted at HIV positive people have met with only partial success so far, that’s according to American researchers writing in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
Fifteen studies of previous trials were examined, and 13 of them also provided motivational components such as social support and behavioural skills training.
These ‘interventions’ were shown to lead to a significant increase in the level of condom use for anal, oral and vaginal sex.
But there was no evidence that either motivational or behavioural interventions had any effect on the number of sexual partners that HIV positive individuals had.
Investigators also found out that the more successful interventions involved younger rather than older people.
It was suspected “older samples may have longer duration partnerships... a factor that is known to increase resistance to change.”
Researchers also discovered interventions with the fewest gay men tended to be the most successful, and were least successful when the population entirely comprised of gay men.
There was strong evidence that interventions with a strong skills training component can achieve “notable reductions” in sexual risk taking by gay men.
As HIV organisations around the world campaign for more ‘prevention for positives’, this US research has shown key practical solutions are possible to slow the spread of the virus.

Words

“At this rate, by 2020, the total death toll from Aids will reach 70 million, more than double that of the Black Death in Europe in the 14th century”
Nicholas Kristoff, from the New York Times

“The rate at which people are infected with HIV may have peaked in the late 1990s”
UNAIDS report

“HIV positive people have not been involved nearly enough (in fighting the pandemic) and the international community has not made full use of their expertise and commitment. Too often, attempts to engage them have looked like tokenism”
Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, addressing UNGASS

“I erred in having unprotected sex. I should have known better and I should have acted with greater responsibility. For this, I apologise to all the people in this country”
South African former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, who was acquitted of rape charges last month

“The International Labour Organisation estimates the total loss due to HIV/Aids, which hits people of working age hardest, is expected to be $270 billion by the year 2020 in the 41 countries hardest hit by the epidemic”
Julian Taiwo, from ‘This Day’ newspaper, Lagos, Nigeria