The General Assembly in its resolution A/Res/65/180 (10 December 2010) called for a High Level Meeting (HLM) on 8 -10 June 2011, to undertake a comprehensive review of the progress achieved in realizing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, as well as to promote the continued engagement of leaders in a comprehensive global response to AIDS.
2011 marks 30 years of AIDS, ten years of the landmark UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS and the resulting Declaration of Commitment, and five years of the 2006 High-Level Meeting where the universal access commitment was made. The deadlines for achieving goals and targets agreed by Member States in 2001 and 2006 expired at the end of 2010.
The 2011 High Level Meeting, therefore, comes at a turning point in the global AIDS response. It will provide a critical opportunity not only to review progress made in addressing the epidemic, but also to identify remaining gaps and challenges and chart the way forward to sustain the response. It will also provide an opportunity to firmly position AIDS in the broader global health and development context, including the Millennium Development Goals.
The outcome of the High Level Meeting will be a new “concise and action-oriented declaration, that reaffirms and builds on the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to guide and monitor the HIV/AIDS response beyond 2010…” (paragraph 19, Resolution 65/180). The declaration will be negotiated by Member States in the months before the HLM.
Civil Society Hearing 8 April 2011
The High Level Meeting will comprise plenary meetings and up to five thematic panel discussions. An informal interactive hearing with civil society will take place two months beforehand on 8 April 2011.
The one day informal interactive hearing with civil society will be chaired by the President of the General Assembly and organized with the active participation of people living with HIV and broader civil society. It will be attended by representatives of Member States, the Observer State and observers, non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, invited civil society organizations and the private sector. The objective of the hearing is to create a space where civil society, NGOs and the private sector can interact with Member States and offer input to the comprehensive review process. A Summary of the hearing will be prepared by the President of the General Assembly, which will be issued as a document of the General Assembly prior to the High Level Meeting.
Proposed arrangements for the informal interactive civil society hearing of the GA High Level Meeting on AIDS (8 April 2011, New York)
Civil Society Participation
The General Assembly has also requested that a list of relevant civil society representatives, “in particular associations of people living with HIV, non-governmental organizations, including organizations of women and young people, girls and boys and men, faith-based organizations and the private sector, especially pharmaceutical companies and representatives of labour, including on the basis of the recommendations of the UNAIDS and taking into account the principle of equitable geographical representation, be submitted to Member States for consideration on a no-objection basis for a final decision by the Assembly on participation in the high-level meeting, including panel discussions”. (paragraph 14, Resolution 65/180)
To facilitate civil society involvement in the high-level meeting and ensure an open, transparent and participatory process, the President of the General Assembly, in partnership with UNAIDS and upon nominations by Civil Society Selection Committee, has established a Civil Society Task Force comprising representatives from civil society and the private sector. The Task Force will, among other things, help determine the format, theme and programme of the civil society hearing, as well as help identify speakers for the civil society hearing and HLM plenary and panel discussions.
In addition, UNAIDS is working closely with a broader coalition of civil society organizations to provide support to civil society and community groups in maximizing the impact of the 2011 UN General Assembly high-level meeting on AIDS. This includes linking strongly to regional reviews on Universal Access and encouraging dialogues between partners at country and regional level in the lead-up to the HLM. As access to the UN building during the HLM will be extremely limited due to space constraints caused by ongoing building work, civil society organizations are encouraged to focus energies on engagement with their governments in the lead-up to the event and to seek to attend as members of their government’s delegation.
For further information contact csp@unaids.org
Application to High Level Meeting and/or Civil Society Hearing
To apply to attend either the HLM and/or the Civil Society Hearing you must go to the DESA Website and complete the 2011 United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS on line application form. You can reach this online application form, by clicking the Hyper-link or by entering it into your browser: http://esango.un.org/event/hlmaids.jsp
* The deadline for applications to participate for ECOSOC and non-ECOSOC organizations is 18 February 2011. No applications will be considered after the deadline has passed.
Application to be a speaker at High Level Meeting and/or Civil Society Hearing
To apply to be a speaker at either the HLM or the CSH:
1) First complete the 2011 United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS on line application form on the DESA Website.
2) Then complete the complete the 2011 United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting/Civil Society Hearing on HIV/AIDS Speaker Application Form and send it by email to HLM-CShearing@unaids.org.
*The deadline for speaker applications is 18 February 2011. No applications will be considered after the deadline has passed.
Related documents and background information
Related links
* Please note that details of all organizations that submit this form will be shared with staff of the United Nations, the Civil Society Task Force involved in planning the review and with Member States. Information on those individuals being proposed as speakers will also be shared.
