AIDS ADVOCACY ALERT !

Supporting Community Advocates

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)

Issue No.2, Dec 2005

Community Participation in the Monitoring and Evaluation of the implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment (DoC)
(Supported by the UNGASS Civil Society Steering Committee )

This AIDS ADVOCACY ALERT! aims to inform you about an immediate opportunity for civil society to hold their governments to account for the commitments they have made to halt and reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These commitments were made in 2001 in the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (DoC), and now, five years later governments are being called to report on progress they have made toward implementing these promises. This Alert provides you with background information, details of what other civil society organizations are doing, and on how you can become an UNGASS Advocate in your country.

Important Dates: 1st week December 2005: Resolution calling for the UNGASS Review Meeting (2006) is adopted. Governments reports are due to be delivered to UNAIDS. Five-year progress review of UNGASS DoC in New York

31 December 2005: 31 May 2 June 2006:

For more details on the UNGASS Civil Society Steering Committee see end of this document and visit www.icaso.org and www.ungasshiv.org.

Key actions you can take:

1. Contact the UNAIDS Country Coordinator in your country to ask what UNAIDS is doing to involve civil society in UNGASS processes in your country. A list is available by emailing ungass@icaso.org or at the ICASO website: www.icaso.org, under UN

General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS).

2. Contact the head of your governments national AIDS program to ask how civil society is being consulted. You could use the sample letter provided as Appendix 2. 3. Read the DoC and the Core Indicator Guidelines [en | fr | es | rus ], and identify which specific issues are most relevant to your countrys epidemic. 4. Distribute this AIDS ADVOCACY ALERT and copies of the DoC to your colleagues.

5. Draft your own shadow report or articles on UNGASS progress in your country. 6. Press your government to include civil society in your national delegation for the UNGASS 2006 review meeting in New York.
7. Prepare your civil society colleagues to engage actively with the planning and proceedings of the UNGASS Review. 8. Contact us if you are interested in participating in any of the Working Groups to promote civil society participation in UNGASS.

A.

Background: UN progress report on HIV/AIDS commitments

Over four years ago, under the heading of Global Crisis- Global Action, the United Nations General Assembly held an unprecedented special session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) the first time the General Assembly ever addressed a specific health issue. The resulting UNGASS Declaration of Commitment (DoC) signed by all UN Member States provided a comprehensive framework to halt and to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2010, and included specific and measurable milestones for 2003, 2005 and 2010. As the end of 2005 nears, progress by national governments on their commitments is being subjected to intense scrutiny. One of these commitments is to: ..devote sufficient time and at least one full day of the annual session of the General Assembly to review and debate a report of the Secretary-General on progress achieved in realizing the commitments set out in the Declaration.

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All governments have been asked by the UN to urgently prepare a report, by 31 December 2005, on the progress they have made towards fulfilling their commitments. These reports will be the basis for an overall report that will be drafted and presented by the UN SecretaryGeneral in New York between 31 May 2 June. This aims to be a comprehensive assessment of national performance against the specific targets laid out in the UNGASS DoC.

For 2006, countries will be reporting on the achievements against specific targets for 2005, namely: Prevention: HIV prevalence among youth (para 47); programs in the world of work (para 49); programs for migrants and mobile workers (para 50); prevention programs are available (para 52); access to education and information (para 53); and proportion of infants infected with HIV (para 54). Care, Support and Treatment: Implementation of comprehensive care strategies (para 56). HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: Implementation of national strategies promoting empowerment of women (para 59); measures to increase capacities of women and girls to protect themselves (para 60); implementation of strategies for womens empowerment and the promotion of Human Rights discrimination, violence, etc (para 61). Children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS: Implement national policies and strategies for a supportive environment for orphans and children infected and affected (para 65). Resources: Annual expenditure on the epidemic of US$ 7-10 billion (para 80).

In addition, the DoC (para 94) calls for civil society involvement in the national periodic reviews of the progress achieved in realizing these commitments, to identify problems and obstacles to achieving progress, and to ensure wide dissemination of the results of these reviews. In January 2005, a group of civil society organizations submitted a joint proposal to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) asking to establish a formal mechanism for receipt of reports from civil society organizations on the implementation of the DoC in their countries as input for the 2006 Progress Report. An eight-member Civil Society Steering Committee was elected from among the civil society signatories1 to follow up on implementation of that proposal and to promote civil society participation in UNGASS processes more generally. (A list and contact details of the members of Steering Committee (SC) is included at the end of this document). To support the work of the SC, five working groups (WG) have been created to prepare for UNGASS+5 and to expand opportunities for organizations and individuals beyond the SC to get involved in UNGASS preparations. For a list of the five working groups, their members, strategies, and activities, please contact ungass@icaso.org.

For list of signatories and supporters, see www.ungasshiv.org

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B.

Civil society projects monitoring governments progress on achieving UNGASS targets.

In August 2005, the Executive Director of UNAIDS issued a letter to all UN Member States reminding them of their reporting obligations and launching a new document: Monitoring the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS Guidelines on Construction of Core Indicators [en | fr | es | rus ], the main purpose was to provide National AIDS Programs with advice on how to measure the core indicators on HIV/AIDS. The letter also emphasized the importance of fully involving civil society in monitoring UNGASS progress: The guidelinesemphasize a participatory and transparent approach throughout the report preparation process. UNAIDS encourages governments to integrate input from a range of civil society organizations into the national report. UNAIDS also strongly recommends that national governments organize a workshop/forum to present and discuss the draft national progress report before submission; where appropriate, the final report should reflect the discussion at this event.

There are also several NGO-led projects underway around the world in which civil society organizations are actively participating in or monitoring their governments progress and national reporting process. Working from similar methodologies, seven NGOs are conducting complementary research in over 30 countries:
1. The International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), through local partners, is working in Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Morocco, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro, Canada and Ireland. (maryannt@icaso.org) 2. LACCASO and Gestos Soropositividade, Comunicao e Gnero are working in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. (laccaso-sr@accsi.org.ve and alessandra.nilo@gestospe.org.br) 3. The Open Society Institute Public Health Watch initiative is working in Nicaragua, Senegal, Ukraine, the United States, Vietnam and Zambia. (rguglielmo@sorosny.org) 4. Panos is working in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Latvia, Malawi, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (Ronald@panos.org.zm) 5. The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) is working in Ecuador, Brazil (in conjunction with LACCASO and Gestos, see above), Netherlands and Spain. (galvez-kovacicc@worldaidscampaign.org) 6. The AIDS-Care Watch Campaign is working with country-based partners to collect information on progress made toward scaling up care and treatment services and progress made toward comprehensive AIDS care (abigail@aidscarewatch.org) 7. Fundar, Center for Analysis and Research, is working in Mexico. (gabriel@fundar.org.mx)

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These organizations will each produce a set of national shadow reports based on extensive consultations, interviews, and reviews by local civil society organizations and stakeholders, including people living with HIV/AIDS.

C. Becoming an UNGASS Advocate

As noted, the Declaration of Commitment states that governments should ensure a participatory and transparent approach throughout the reporting process, meaning that civil society groups, including people living with HIV/AIDS, must be included in national review and reporting processes. As members of civil society, this is a real opportunity to be involved in the formulation of governments reports, with the potential of being active participants in the national delegations chosen to represent our countries at the at the 2006 UN review meeting. In cases where this involvement is not possible or is tokenistic, civil society groups have the option to produce and submit independent reports to the UNAIDS Secretariat. The methodology used and shared by the seven organizations mentioned above is available for other organizations to use in their own countries (see contact persons listed above).

So what next? What can you do?

1. Contact the UNAIDS Country Coordinator in your country to discuss how you or your organization can be involved in the national reporting process. Encourage them to facilitate a dynamic interchange between government and civil society throughout this reporting process. A list of Country Coordinators is available by emailing ungass@icaso.org 2. Contact the head of your governments national AIDS program (usually housed in the Ministry of Health). Find out who is preparing the governments report (it could be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for example). Use the UNAIDS letter (see Appendix 1) and the UNAIDS Core Indicators Guidelines to urge your government officials to include your input in their national reports. We have also provided a sample letter for you to approach your government authorities (Appendix 2). 3. Read the DoC and the Core Indicators Guidelines and determine which specific issues are most relevant to your countrys epidemic and response. Discuss with other civil society organizations, including people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups, which indicators best describe how your country is or is not responding to AIDS. Your knowledge of your countrys national AIDS program will be key to helping you form a valid opinion of how well your government is implementing the DoC. Government officials should know your perspectives and include them in the countrys final report to the UN. 4. Most of the indicators are highly technical and statistical, which require data collection and analysis that you may not have the time and resources to do. Instead, present to your government the data you collect during your routine evidencebased advocacy. This can include stories from clients, service providers, and colleagues. For example, anecdotes of how people are or are not accessing treatment, or of how HIV+ women in your community are neglected or stigmatized, or an instance of when a friend may have been tested at work against his will. We know

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that any true assessment of our governments AIDS policies and programs cannot be described only in numbers it must be described in individual experiences. 5. Distribute this AIDS ADVOCACY ALERT! and copies of the DoC to friends and colleagues throughout your country and urge them to provide you with anecdotal and qualitative data as described above. 6. Draft you own shadow report. If your government is unwilling or incapable of involving civil society meaningfully in their reporting process, or if you determine that your governments report is inaccurate, insufficient, or incomplete, then draft your own report and email it to UNAIDS. Send us a copy too (mailto:ungass@icaso.org), and we will include it in our Global Advocacy Strategy (contact any of the organizations listed above emails at the end of this Alert- for a copy of the methodology and/or questionnaires used) 7. Press your government to include civil society, especially people living with HIV/AIDS, in your national delegation to the UNGASS review meeting in New York, May-June 2006. (See Appendix 2 for the sample letter where this issue is also mentioned). 8. Prepare your civil society colleagues to engage actively with the planning and proceedings of the UNGASS review meeting. Your organization could: host side-events in and around the UN building during the review meeting launch new publications relevant to your governments DoC commitments press your local media to cover the reporting and the review meeting frequently and in detail reinforce your national advocacy efforts by partnering with others in your region 9. Contact us if you interested in participating in any of the Civil Society Working Groups mentioned at the beginning of the document. Over the past five years, civil society has been more active in the implementation and monitoring of UN policy than ever before. The 2006 UNGASS review is an opportunity to build on that momentum. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by. Lets mobilize, gather our stories, take our rightful place at the reporting table, and hold our governments accountable for their promises. The momentum is ours to seize.

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ICASO has devoted a section of its website to the UNGASS processes:

www.icaso.org
A website has been launched by the World AIDS Campaign as a portal for civil societys engagement with the 2006 review:

www.ungasshiv.org
Keep the Promise: Start Making Sense! provides an eForum for information exchange and discussion centering on the review of progress with implementing the 2001 UNGASS Declaration of Commitment (DoC) on HIV/AIDS. To join over 4000 other people on the forum, go to:

www.healthdev.org/eforums/break-the-silence

Members of the UNGASS Civil Society Steering Committee: Susan Chong (APCASO): susan@apcaso.org Alessadra Nilo (GESTOS): alessandra.nilo@gestospe.org.br Tim France (HDNet): tfran@hdnet.org

Mary Ann Torres (ICASO): maryannt@icaso.org K.K. Abraham (INP+): inpplus@eth.net Allan Ragi (KANCO): kenaids@iconnect.co.ke Rachel Guglielmo (PHW): rguglielmo@sorosny.org Marcel van Soest (WAC): vansoestm@worldaidscampaign.org

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations - ICASO International Secretariat 65 Wellesley Street E., Suite 403 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 1G7 Tel: (1-416) 921-0018 Fax: (1-416) 921-9979 Website: www.icaso.org Email: ungass@icaso.org

AIDS ADVOCACY ALERT !

Supporting Community Advocates

ICASO AIDS Advocacy Alert!

Issue No. 2, December 2005

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Appendix 2: Sample letter

Ministry [in charge of preparing the government report]

Dear Mr./Mrs., On behalf of our organization and as a member of civil society at large, I am writing to you to share our desire to cooperate with the governmental agencies in the preparation of the report on the national progress on the implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment, due on December 31, 2005. Our commitment to involvement in the preparation of the report is not only explained by the important role that civil society organizations like ours play in the response to the AIDS epidemic, but also by the requirements of the Declaration of Commitment itself, that calls on civil society groups to be an integral part in the preparation of the progress reports. As per the letter by Peter Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, from August 11, 2005 (attached for your convenience), civil societys collaboration with national governments is a prerequisite for the reports to be comprehensive. The process of collecting data for the reports cannot proceed without civil society involvement. Members of civil society are equipped to provide their knowledge and tactical expertise to supplement the data collected by the government. Moreover, our direct involvement with the wide range of civil society members, particularly people living with HIV/AIDS, makes it an invaluable asset in order to ensure input from all spectrums of society. An all-inclusive report is exactly what a progress report is required to be, according to the UNAIDS Guidelines on Construction of Core Indicators. Considering the importance of the progress reports for the success of the future response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it is absolutely essential for them to reflect a clear picture of what has been achieved and what is yet to be done. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to start a dialogue with our organization, as well as with other national HIV/AIDS organizations to determine how we could best contribute to our countrys reporting process.

Sincerely,

Your Name Your Organizations name and address

ICASO AIDS Advocacy Alert!

Issue No. 2, December 2005