Feature Story

(From left) UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and the President of the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly Mr Joseph Deiss. 25 February 2011.
Credit: UNAIDS/B. Hamilton

The President of the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly Mr Joseph Deiss convened the first formal meeting on the preparations for the 2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and the event co-facilitators.

The General Assembly President recently appointed Ambassador Gary Francis Quinlan, Permanent Representative of Australia and Ambassador Charles Thembani Ntwaagae, Permanent Representative of Botswana as co-facilitators of the high level review which will take place 8-10 June 2011. They are tasked to hold timely, open, transparent and inclusive consultations with all Member States, with a view to adopting a concise and action-oriented declaration as an outcome of the high level review.

Mr Sidibé thanked the General Assembly President for his personal leadership to ensure the success of the forthcoming 2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS.

Mr Deiss has urged countries to participate in the event. “I call on all nations to unite at the High Level Meeting on AIDS. Together we can chart the future of the AIDS response,” wrote Mr Joseph Deiss.

Remembering the 33.3 million people living with HIV, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé is aware of the significance of June’s gathering: “The decisions made at this High Level Meeting on AIDS will change lives today and for future generations.”

Friday’s high level discussion included exploration of the themes of the roundtable sessions as well as high level representation from all regions and member states.

As part of the preparatory process for the June gathering, the President of the General Assembly will hold an informal interactive civil society hearing on 8 April 2011. To discuss this process and the hearing, the President and Mr Sidibé also met with members of civil society.