With the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) disability issues have received growing recognition in internaitonal policy debates. The field of HIV is no exception.

GCWA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL DINNER

Speech by Deborah Landey, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, at the Global Coalition on Women AIDS Leadership Council on 6 June 2006 in Canada.

Let me start by saying how pleased I am that this is a joint meeting between the ISSTDI and the IUSDI.

I first want to thank Jim Kim, Peter Bell, Agnes Binagwaho for inviting me here today, and to pay tribute to the tremendous work they – and all of you – are doing.

It’s a real pleasure to be back here. This is the third time I’ve spoken here at the Woodrow Wilson Center. I’ve spent a lot of time in Washington over the years, and this has been always an important stop. The research and the activism at the Woodrow Wilson Center are really crucial for our campaign to fight AIDS.

My name is Peter Piot and I am executive director of UNAIDS. Thank you for inviting me to testify today before the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the work of UNAIDS to address this epidemic, and the critical difference that PEPFAR has made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

AIDS as Health, Dignity and Security: A New Paradigm for the Future of the Global Response. Dear friends and colleagues, it is a privilege to deliver my first speech in Washington among friends and colleagues here at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

I thank Chairman Howard Berman and Congresswoman Barbara Lee for their leadership on this issue. I would also like to thank the “MSM Policy Working Group” of the Global AIDS Roundtable for organizing this Forum and inviting me to say a few words. I am honoured to share the platform with my good friend Ambassador Eric Goosby, who brings extensive experience working with the gay community’s early response to the epidemic and San Francisco and to all of you working on the front lines.

I want to thank the organizers and particularly Latida Smith for the invitation to spend some time with you today. I'd like to make sure you know the UNAIDS Washington team, Pauline Muchina, Greg Smiley and John Hassell—who I want to thank for connecting us. Most importantly, I want to thank each of you all for the difference that you make to the AIDS response.