GENEVA/WASHINGTON, 10 January 2014—UNAIDS and the Organization of American States (OAS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in efforts to advance the response to HIV among the OAS Member States. 

Through the MoU, UNAIDS and the OAS will increase HIV outreach activities such as information and education campaigns, policy roundtables, forums, lectures and scholarships programmes aimed at reducing new HIV infections, expanding access to antiretroviral treatment and supporting people living with HIV. UNAIDS and the OAS will also foster collaboration with regional networks of HIV positive youth to strengthen HIV awareness and prevention education, enhance social protection for young people, counter gender-based violence and challenge harmful gender norms among young people.

“HIV is more than a disease. It is an issue of security, social justice and distribution of opportunities,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “We must leverage this partnership to ensure that no one is left behind in the response to HIV in the Americas and that people most affected by HIV have access to essential HIV prevention and treatment services.”

Key populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs and transgender people remain most affected by HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although new infections have stabilised, they are still not declining.  The existence and enforcement of punitive laws as well as widespread stigma and discrimination against men who have sex with men, transgender people and sex workers continue to marginalize people most in need and block access to lifesaving HIV services.

“We have managed to break the curve of growth of infection,” said Miguel Jose Insulza, OAS Secretary General. “We now need to address structural, cross-cutting issues, including gender-based violence.”

In June 2013 the OAS General Assembly passed the Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights of People Vulnerable to, Living with, of Affected by HIV/AIDS in the Americas. The Resolution urges Member States to continue their efforts in support to laws and public policies to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people living with HIV, and to increase HIV prevention and treatment for pregnant women and mothers, including preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The Resolution also promotes greater involvement of people living with HIV in decision-making and in the drafting of policies and programmes in response to the epidemic.

AIDS and other health conditions go beyond the bio-medical field and should be addressed from a human rights perspective. This was the main message which emerged from the Latin America regional dialogue held on 4 December in Panama City. The event was part of the series of consultations organized by the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: Defeating AIDS - Advancing global health to gather perspectives on AIDS in the post-2015 agenda.

The dialogue centered around the outcomes of three earlier online consultations which gathered inputs from representatives of civil society organizations, academia, national HIV programmes, international cooperation agencies, key populations and people living with HIV.

Participants

Alessandra Nilo, Director of GESTOS and a member of the UNAIDS and The Lancet Commission Working Group 3; Carlos Garcia, El Salvador Ambassador to the UN; Marcela Suazo, UNFPA Regional Director; Pedro Cahn, scientist and Director of Huesped Foundation; César A. Núñez, UNAIDS Regional Director; Ruben Mayorga, UNAIDS Senior Governance Advisor; as well as other regional experts and leaders in the HIV response.

Key messages

• Scale-up of HIV prevention and treatment services will not be possible until people’s right to health and development are prioritized.
• Strengthening a new generation of skilled activists is key for the future of the global AIDS response and global health architecture.
• Stakeholders should avoid complacency as there are still many legal, cultural, gender and institutional barriers that hinder access to HIV prevention and treatment services especially for most-at-risk populations.
• The leadership of national structures, regional initiatives and PAHO is essential to develop joint regional strategies to reduce prices of HIV treatment and other commodities.
• The focus of the new global health architecture should be to promote health and well-being on the basis of a human rights platform.
• Countries were called on to make an extra effort to achieve financial sustainability to respond to AIDS and other health conditions.

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