Foro 2007

April 20th - Abril 20

On the final day of the FORO, the

Alliance

family had an early start with a working breakfast titled: “Towards improved collaboration between the World Bank and Civil Society in the response to HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the

Caribbean

.” The breakfast aimed to provide a space where the World Bank and representatives of civil society could come together to discussed improved collaboration in the response to HIV/AIDS in the region. Stephen Lewis, Head of the Latin America and Caribbean team at the

Alliance

opened the discussion by presenting the findings of the

Alliance

study examining the extent to which the World Bank is supporting civil society to reach four key populations (MSM, sex workers, IDUs and persons living with HIV/AIDS). The study found that in many projects, appropriate emphasis on civil society organisations and key populations was placed during the project design. However, over half of the projects in the region are failing to fulfil the intentions of their design. The detailed findings can be found at

Joana Godinho, Senior Health Specialist from the World Bank, presented the mechanisms available to involve civil society in the World Bank’s HIV/AIDS projects. The World Bank takes the position that the HIV epidemic cannot be controlled without the participation and involvement of civil society, and requires governments to disburse at least 50% of the funds received from the World Bank to civil society organisations. However, grants and loans from the World Bank are always provided to the government, who then is responsible for their distribution and the implementation of the project. In cases where funds are not disbursed to civil society, she emphasised the fact that the World Bank can exert only limited pressure on the government. Joana described several challenges the Bank has experienced in working with civil society, including low capacity for implementation, financial management accountability, and in monitoring and evaluation systems, and highlighted the need for extensive capacity building of civil society to enable more effective engagement with the World Bank.

Malcolm McNeil, DfID Senior Health Advisor for the LAC region, outlined DfID’s main approaches to increasing civil society and international financing institutions. He identified lack of political will at the national level as a key obstacle to an effective response to the needs of key populations, as well as the shift in the international arena which has undermined investments and commitments to reproductive health rights. Malcolm emphasised the need for strategic partnerships between donors and civil society that enable open and constructive dialogue that result in strong collaborations. Further, consortia and partnerships between civil society organisations enable the disbursement of funds from donors to intermediate civil society organisations – this limits the administrative resources from donors, and can therefore facilitate increased funding for civil society. Malcolm briefly addressed the importance of DfID’s fast response funding.

Patricia Perez, Regional Coordinator of ICW Latina, highlighted key obstacles that are preventing effective engagement of civil society with the World Bank. Civil society organisations are lacking information, which prevents civil society from entering into dialogue. Patricia questioned how it was possible to meet the needs of key populations without direct dialogue and engagement by the World Bank with those most in need. Political will was needed to overcome this lack of communication and engagement. Further, Patricia highlighted that political requirements by donors were imposed on civil society in detriment of the quality of programmes and comprising the extent to which needs were being met. She called on the World Bank representatives present to take this message back with them, and to create a political forum that would enable this dialogue between the World Bank and civil society. Only in this way are available funds going to be used in ways that best address the needs in the region.

At several occasions, the

Alliance

was identified as a possible key partner in facilitating this dialogue and increasing the extent to which civil society benefits from the World Bank, by building the capacity of civil society organisations in the region. The following discussion highlighted the importance of UNAIDS as the coordinator at country level to facilitate the dialogue between individual donors and civil society. Anton Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor at the

Alliance

, highlighted the difference among donors and the available mechanisms for civil society with the example of the Global Fund. He also drew the participants’ attention to the World Bank’s new draft strategy for health, emphasising its lack of references to family planning and sexual and reproductive health. The engagement of civil society would have ensured a comprehensive strategy, with the adequate commitment and investment in family planning.

In conclusion, the World Bank emphasised that the messages from this breakfast would be taken communicated within the institution, and that it hopes to increase the number of similar opportunities for direct dialogue.

Today a very successful and well attended session was held in which the Code of Good Practice was introduced and presentations were heard from two organisations who have been actively working with the Code and who shared their experiences to date.  Stephen Lewis introduced the session and briefly introduced the Code, looking at how it came about.  Alvaro Bermejo expanded on the history of the Code and said that it had come about following the pressure on donors to contribute to HIV/AIDS work and that more actors were sought in the fight against AIDS.  More money was coming from the donors to implement the projects and civil society needed a clear voice.  Many organisations working in HIV/AIDS had not necessarily worked in this area before and as donors requested that recipients of funding deliver.  Alvaro clarified that the meeting was not to discuss what we should take out or change from the Code but to talk about how we can use it so that the civil society voice can be heard and that all actors are held to account.

Esperanza Delgada from IIPF, Mexfan presented how they had made use of the Code. She described  that it was being applied in 17 organisations and that 6-7 of the guiding principles had been used to:

1.   Make a general analysis of the organisation

2.   look at the different services available

3.   look at the level of understanding by medical staff

4.   What the actual situation was in terms of stigma and discrimination

5.   check the  internal policies of the organisations

The Code made clear to Mexfan that it could work together with other HIV networks and to take advantage of their expertise.  This led to Mexfan receiving funding to enable them to put together a more integrated plan.

The Code is in its first phase, and they are looking forward to working with Key Populations.  Mexfan is very satisfied with the work done so far with the Code.

Jose Maria di Bello, Red Cross, Argentina, also presented their experiences of using the Code.  The Red Cross is currently holding the second phase of the Code.  He mentioned that often organisation don’t like to be told what to do, but that the Code is very inclusive and summarizes the ideology of most organisations.  He added that civil society was a difficult group to work with, but that the Code invites civil society to be united in its diversity.

In introducing Amira Herdoiza from Kimirina in Ecuador, Steve mentioned that the Code had been adapted and used in

Ecuador

, but that this was not to ay that the

Ecuador

experience should be replicated, but that it was an example that it is a live document which can be adapted for any organisation.

Amira presented what had been done with the Code in

Ecuador

.  They made an analysis of the principles.  Amira then talk us through the organisational and programmatic principles with which they worked.  She described that they were taking their time to do the analysis as they don’t want the Code to become a cliché.  They would like it to become a recognised process which would be used to:

-         express and uphold the principles of the Code

-         strengthen NGO work

-         create strong collaborations with the different actors

-         give a stronger voice to PLHA

So far, the activities undertaken are:

1.   the formal launch of the initiative

2.   Active search of new members

3.   the creation of steering team including: Kimirina, Care Ecusdor, CEEPVS, Equidad y Famivida

4.   Productions of the user-friendly version Code documents

Forthcoming work includes:

1.   a national consultation meeting for the role-out.  Three big workshops are planned

2.   Implement a communication and distribution plan

3.   develop capacity plan to strengthen capacity (and reach minimum standards).

4.   create a Technical Secretariat for the follow-up and communication

Amira closed by saying that the Code should not be seen as anything additional, but as a tool which can assist organisations to move forward.

Health is not for Commerce

Anton Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor at the

Alliance

, joined a discussion titled Health is not for Commerce. The meeting was hosted by Alessandra Nilo. The panel discussion aimed to increase regional support to address issues related to access to essential medicines and to engage and mobilise civil society in a coordinated way.

The panellists gave an overview of key barriers that prevent countries from accessing affordable medicines such as the intellectual property system maintained by the WTO and international trade. The presentations explained how the WTO international trade regulations protect intellectual property for the benefit of pharmaceutical companies. Countries are bound to these regulations, regardless of the product purchased. The mobilisation of civil society and DOHA agreements led to the agreement that public health public health should be the primary consideration, with the protection of intellectual property being of secondary importance. This allows countries to use TRIPS flexibilities in order to prioritise the public health of their population. However, in reality, due to existing free trade and bilateral agreements, countries are not fully able to use TRIPS flexibilities, and in some cases legal action is taken against them by the relevant pharmaceutical companies.

The panel moved on to discuss key questions facing civil society’s role in overcoming barriers to access to essential medicines. These questions included whether access to ARVs should be considered separately from access to essential medicines in general. Participants discussed the two mechanisms available to drive down the prices of drugs: increased and improved use of TRIPS flexibilities or a review of the international intellectual property regime within the WTO. Alternatively, messages of advocacy efforts could push for a focus on mechanisms that drive down prices by focusing on competition.

Anton Kerr showed the important role of civil society in the region for ensuring access to affordable medicines. He provided background on the UNITAID initiative, launched and supported by

Brazil

,

Peru

,

France

, the

UK

and

Norway

, and highlighted the need for civil society to engage with the UNITAID board members from the region. These, in contrast to other members, have shown to support more conservative approaches to increasing access. The International HIV/AIDS has been able to help secure

UK

and G8 commitments to universal access and within this framework a commitment to increasing access to affordable medicines. UNITAID presents a new mechanism that facilitates achieving this goal. Civil society in the region needs to ensure that their governments represented on the board pressure their governments to ensure that all mechanisms that support achieving universal access are fully supported and used. 

Participants of the discussion forum agreed that national, regional and international civil society organisations need to work together to identify the needs for advocacy and to work jointly with those active in issues relating to trade negotiations and general development to maximise the impact. The lack of many countries’ ability to locally produce medicines highlights the need for a regional approach to procurement and trade negotiations related to essential medicines.

April 19th - Abril 19

Today a very successful and well attended session was held in which the Code of Good Practice was introduced and presentations were heard from two organisations who have been actively working with the Code and who shared their experiences to date.  Stephen Lewis introduced the session and briefly introduced the Code, looking at how it came about.  Alvaro Bermejo expanded on the history of the Code and said that it had come about following the pressure on donors to contribute to HIV/AIDS work and that more actors were sought in the fight against AIDS.  More money was coming from the donors to implement the projects and civil society needed a clear voice.  Many organisations working in HIV/AIDS had not necessarily worked in this area before and as donors requested that recipients of funding deliver.  Alvaro clarified that the meeting was not to discuss what we should take out or change from the Code but to talk about how we can use it so that the civil society voice can be heard and that all actors are held to account.

Esperanza Delgada from IIPF, Mexfan presented how they had made use of the Code. She described  that it was being applied in 17 organisations and that 6-7 of the guiding principles had been used to:

1.   Make a general analysis of the organisation

2.   look at the different services available

3.   look at the level of understanding by medical staff

4.   What the actual situation was in terms of stigma and discrimination

5.   check the  internal policies of the organisations

The Code made clear to Mexfan that it could work together with other HIV networks and to take

advantage of their expertise.  This led to Mexfan receiving funding to enable them to put together a

more integrated plan.

The Code is in its first phase, and they are looking forward to working with Key Populations.  Mexfan is very satisfied with the work done so far with the Code.

Jose Maria di Bello, Red Cross, Argentina, also presented their experiences of using the Code.  The Red Cross is currently holding the second phase of the Code.  He mentioned that often organisation don’t like to be told what to do, but that the Code is very inclusive and summarizes the ideology of most organisations.  He added that civil society was a difficult group to work with, but that the Code invites civil society to be united in its diversity.

In introducing Amira Herdoiza from Kimirina in Ecuador, Steve mentioned that the Code had been adapted and used in Ecuador, but that this was not to ay that the Ecuador experience should be replicated, but that it was an example that it is a live document which can be adapted for any organisation.

Amira presented what had been done with the Code in Ecuador.  They made an analysis of the principles.  Amira then talk us through the organisational and programmatic principles with which they worked.  She described that they were taking their time to do the analysis as they don’t want the Code to become a cliché.  They would like it to become a recognised process which would be used to:

-         express and uphold the principles of the Code

-         strengthen NGO work

-         create strong collaborations with the different actors

-         give a stronger voice to PLHA

So far, the activities undertaken are:

1.   the formal launch of the initiative

2.   Active search of new members

3.   the creation of steering team including: Kimirina, Care Ecusdor, CEEPVS, Equidad y Famivida

4.   Productions of the user-friendly version Code documents

Forthcoming work includes:

1.   a national consultation meeting for the role-out.  Three big workshops are planned

2.   Implement a communication and distribution plan

3.   develop capacity plan to strengthen capacity (and reach minimum standards).

4.   create a Technical Secretariat for the follow-up and communication

Amira closed by saying that the Code should not be seen as anything additional, but as a tool which can assist organisations to move forward.

Health is not for Commerce

Anton Kerr joined a discussion titled Health is not for Commerce. The meeting was hosted by Alessandra Nilo. The panel discussion aimed to increase regional support to address issues related to access to essential medicines and to engage and mobilise civil society in a coordinated way.

The panellists gave an overview of key barriers that prevent countries from accessing affordable medicines such as the intellectual property system maintained by the WTO and international trade. The presentations explained how the WTO international trade regulations protect intellectual property for the benefit of pharmaceutical companies. Countries are bound to these regulations, regardless of the product purchased. The mobilisation of civil society and DOHA agreements led to the agreement that public health public health should be the primary consideration, with the protection of intellectual property being of secondary importance. This allows countries to use TRIPS flexibilities in order to prioritise the public health of their population. However, in reality, due to existing free trade and bilateral agreements, countries are not fully able to use TRIPS flexibilities, and in some cases legal action is taken against them by the relevant pharmaceutical companies.

The panel moved on to discuss key questions facing civil society’s role in overcoming barriers to access to essential medicines. These questions included whether access to ARVs should be considered separately from access to essential medicines in general. Participants discussed the two mechanisms available to drive down the prices of drugs: increased and improved use of TRIPS flexibilities or a review of the international intellectual property regime within the WTO. Alternatively, messages of advocacy efforts could push for a focus on mechanisms that drive down prices by focusing on competition.

Anton Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor at the Alliance, showed the important role of civil society in the region for ensuring access to affordable medicines. He provided background on the UNITAID initiative, launched and supported by Brazil, Peru, France, the UK and Norway, and highlighted the need for civil society to engage with the UNITAID board members from the region. These, in contrast to other members, have shown to support more conservative approaches to increasing access. The International HIV/AIDS has been able to help secure UK and G8 commitments to universal access and within this framework a commitment to increasing access to affordable medicines. UNITAID presents a new mechanism that facilitates achieving this goal. Civil society in the region needs to ensure that their governments represented on the board pressure their governments to ensure that all mechanisms that support achieving universal access are fully supported and used. 

Participants of the discussion forum agreed that national, regional and international civil society organisations need to work together to identify the needs for advocacy and to work jointly with those active in issues relating to trade negotiations and general development to maximise the impact. The lack of many countries’ ability to locally produce medicines highlights the need for a regional approach to procurement and trade negotiations related to essential medicines.

A highlight of the day was the launch of the book “High Heels. Women, sex workers and activists”. The book was produced by Redtrasex, the regional network of sex workers that has been supported by the Alliance for the past two years. The book presents the voices of sex workers in Latin American and the Caribbean telling their stories and experiences, and is a training manual for other groups of sex workers to strengthen their organisations and work. The Alliance has been supporting the network for the past two years. At the launch and press conference, facilitated by Elena Reynaga, head of the network, representatives from 8 countries in the region were present.

Download picture_005.jpg

For the first time, the International AIDS Conference is going to be held in the LAC region – in Mexico in 2008. This represents an important opportunity to increase the visibility of the projects, initiatives, responses, leaders and civil society representatives in this region. The IAS, Fundación Huesped and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance organized a session during the Foro to promote and support participation from the LAC region in Mexico 2008. The session had two main objectives:

First, to offer tools to civil society to increase the quality and quantity of participation in the Conference. The tools that have been identified include: a system of virtual support to strengthen abstracts; a high percentage of events in the conference will not be based on abstracts (over 50%); tools to carry out local workshops to orient community members about the structure of the conference and ways to participate.

Second, to collect inputs, ideas and suggestions for topics which are important to include in the conference and ways to organize it so that it is more friendly. With this end, ideas were collected during the session to take to the next meeting of the scientific, community and leadership committees in May, and incorporate them in the program. There will also be other opportunities to give ideas/suggestions/inputs.

A key message of the session was that we know that there is a lot of high quality work in the LAC region and it is important that this is reflected in the abstracts and other spaces of the conference. We have to improve the quality and quantity of participation of the LAC region.

The session was led by:

Dr. Pedro Cahn: Internacional AIDS Society:

Juan Jacobo Hernández: Executive Director, Colectivo Sol (México) and co-chair of the community program for México 2008

Javier Hourcade: Region Representative of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and co-chair of the leadership program for México 2008

Kart Frieder, Director of Fundación Huésped, facilitated the session.

SPANISH:

Por primera vez, la Conferencia Internacional del SIDA va a ser en la región Latinoamericana y Caribeña --  en México en el 2008. Esto representa una oportunidad para visibilizar los proyectos, iniciativas, respuestas, líderes y representantes de la sociedad civil de esta región. La IAS, la Fundación Huésped y la Alianza Internacional contra el VIH/SIDA organizaron una sesión durante el Foro para promover y apoyar la participación de la región LAC en México 2008. La sesión tuvo dos propósitos:

Primero, ofrecer herramientas a la sociedad civil para participar con mayor calidad y presencia en la Conferencia. Las herramientas identificas incluyen: un sistema de tutoría virtual para fortalecer los abstracts; un porcentaje alto de eventos en la conferencia que no se basan en abstracts (mas de 50%); herramientas para realizar talleres locales para orientar a las comunidades sobre la estructura de la conferencia y las maneras de participar.

Segundo, conseguir insumos, ideas y sugerencias tanto para temas que son importantes de incluir en la conferencia como de maneras de organizarla para que sea mas amigable. Para este fin, se escuchó y se recogió ideas durante la sesión para llevarlas a la próxima reunión de los comités científico, comunitario y de liderazgo en Mayo y incorporarlas en el programa. También, habrán otras oportunidades para dar ideas/sugerencias/insumos.

Un mensaje clave de la sesión fue que sabemos que hay mucho trabajo de calidad en la región y es importante que esto se vea reflejado en los abstractos y en los diferentes espacios de la conferencia. TENEMOS QUE MEJORAR LA CALIDAD Y CAPACIDAD Y CANTIDAD DE PARTICIPACION DE LAC

La sesión fue organizada por:

Dr. Pedro Cahn: Internacional AIDS Society:

Juan Jacobo Hernández: Director Ejecutivo de Colectivo Sol de México y co-chair de programa comunitario de México 2008

Javier Hourcade: Representante Regional de la Alianza Internacional y co-chair del programa de liderazgo de México 2008

Kart Frieder, Director de la Fundación Huésped, facilitó la sesión.

Download alliance_stand_2.jpg

Download alliance_stand_1.jpg

The Alliance stand has been a great meeting point for all members of the Alliance family, and has attracted many visitors over last days.

April 18th - continued

In the second section of the Alliance's satellite session, Carlos Passarelli, Deputy Director of the Brazilian National AIDS Programme, and Anton Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor from the Alliance shared information on UNITAID and the opportunities and need for civil society to engage with UNITAID. UNITAID is an innovative financing mechanism that aims to bring down the prices of medicines for HIV for the poorest countries. The initiative aims to address the barriers that prevent countries from purchasing affordable medicines that are critical for achieving Universal Access. The added value of this initiative is that it generates additional sustainable resources to purchase essential medicines in bulk at decreased prices. UNITAID’s main partner is the Global Fund.

Anton Kerr emphasised the need for civil society to engage with UNITAID. Many countries in the region are paying high prices for second line ARVs. UNITAID is uniquely mandated to drive down the cost of medicines by addressing the barriers to accessing generic drugs. Of the 5 countries that came together to form UNITAID, two are from the LAC region (Brazil and Chile), and have an influential role on its structures and processes. Currently, UNITAID focuses on bringing down prices through increasing competition among companies, through price reduction achieved by purchasing in bulk. Anton emphasised that UNITAID could have a greater impact if UNITAID expanded its approach by supporting countries to use their TRIPS flexibilities. By leveraging price reductions in this way, affordable drugs will be available to all countries. Members on the UNITAID board from the region are least supportive of expanding UNITAID’s approaches. In order to achieve universal access, we need to use all tools available. UNITAID has the potential to have a great impact and pressure from civil society is needed to ensure that UNITAID is most effective.

April 18th - Abril 18

Please see below for some selected pictures of last night's Opening Ceremony:

On the first official day of the actual FORO conference, AllianceIn the morning, the Alliance was hosting a satellite session called Universal Access & Civil Society: Opportunities & Challenges at the National Level and aimed to share updates and experiences of the involvement of regional civil society actors in the processes of setting, implementation and monitoring national targets for Universal Access.

family members attended various sessions and discussion fora during the course of the day. Two of the Alliance events were taking place today.

Download final_uaprog1.doc

UNAIDS provided an update on the progress of targets at national level with specific reference to the region. Luiz Loures showed that 9 countries in Latin America and 5 in the Caribbean have set national targets for achieving Universal Access. He drew attention to the fact that despite commitments made by governments for achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010, it was “business as usual” in the region, commitments and efforts do not meet the needs in the region. A paradigm shift is needed in the region, in order to turn this commitment into reality. Overall, the importance of the involvement of civil society in the planning and design of policies and programmes was emphasized. Basil Williams, Director of the Alliance’s regional office in the Caribbean shared experiences of civil society engagement in the region. He showed the great potential and entrypoints for the participation of civil society. However, in reality, civil society engagement is still limited. Basil identified greater networking and partnerships among civil society organizations in the regions as a crucial step to ensure more impact through a coordinated response.

Juan Jacobo Hernandez, Executive Director of Collectivo Sol identified barriers to effective civil society engagement based on his experiences in Mexico. In this context, he identified the lack of knowledge and awareness of international and national frameworks among civil society. This lack of key information prevents civil society to engage in the relevant processes, and highlights the need to increase the capacity of civil society to facilitate engagement.

Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, concluded by drawing attention to the necessary steps for civil society in order to reach universal access by 2010. We need to understand and benefit from the available tools, and we have an obligation to inform civil society and use the information available. Governments need to be held accountable for the commitments they have made at the international level. With specific reference to the region, Alvaro made reference to statistics presented by UNAIDS and drew out key messages on the process of universal access target setting to date. He emphasised the importance for civil society to put pressure on their governments to ensure that adequate systems for drug procurement were established that enabled access to medicines across all countries in the region. He also highlighted the lack of international support in the region and identified the Global Fund as an important source of additional resources that would allow for greater inclusion and services for key populations. Data shows the lack of consideration for the needs of key population in national universal access targets, and reflects the need for civil society to monitor national targets to ensure that these are appropriate to the epidemic and required response.

The Alliance’s afternoon satellite session titled Civil Society Engagement in the Global Fund and UNITAID explored how civil society can engage with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and with UNITAID to ensure that these international mechanisms better support the global AIDS response.

Download final_gfprog1.doc

Lelio Marmora, Cluster Leader for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Global Fund Secretariat, provided an overview of the structures and mechanisms of the Global Fund at national and international level. He identified the Board, country coordinating mechanisms (CCM) and the role of Principal Recipients as key opportunities for civil society engagement. Lelio’s presentation highlighted the Fund’s guidelines and requirements that support civil society engagement but also outlined the reality within CCMs, that shows that in many cases these requirements are not met. He emphasized the need to systematize civil society engagement and highlighted the need for a chance in attitude within the region to enable effective civil society engagement and partnership with other sectors active in the response to HIV. The LAC region currently receives only 10% of Global Fund resources and the need for stronger proposals to the Fund for future rounds was emphasized.

Dr. Ruben Mayorga Sagastune, UNAIDS Country Coordinator, Peru, Bolivia & Ecuador, provided insight into some of the challenges faced by civil society in the Global Fund processes at nacional level, based on the example of Peru. Enrique Chavez from the Observatorio Latino emphasised the need for civil society to monitor the Global Fund at national level. The Observatorio aims to provide independent monitoring of the Global Fund programmes by monitoring and documenting experiences from countries in the region.

Javier Hourcade Bellocq, regional representative for the Alliance and Alternate Board Member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for the Communities living with HIV, TB and affected by Malaria Delegation, presented opportunities for civil society to engage with the governance structures of the Global Fund. Based on his experience as an alternate board member, Javier highlighted the opportunities for members of civil society to engage with board delegations from the regions, and shared successes of past engagement. He also expressed some of the challenges involved at the national level and identified lack of information sharing and conflicts of interest as two of the main challenges faced.

Discussion Forum on MSM, their vulnerability and their right to social inclusion.

Raul Regueiro, from the National AIDS Programme from Cuba, introduced the MSM programme. The programme started in 2001, comprising of 120 promoters and 8000 volunteers working across all the provinces of Cuba. Since 2005, national annual meetings have been organised which have led to higher visibility of issues relating to MSM in Cuba. Raul mentioned that the acknowledgement of MSM by the government has contributed to the successful implementation of the programme. However, the programme faces several challenges. There is need to consolidate the multi-sectoral work to guarantee that volunteers stay with the programme for longer periods of time, to decrease the discrimination and homophobia, and to obtain financial resources and to increase the perception of risk of HIV among MSM.

Kevin Farara from the Caribbean Regional Office of the Alliance presented the office’s work on MSM, HIV and human rights in the Caribbean. He introduced his session with background on the context and challenges in the implementation of work on MSM in the Caribbean. Among the challenges, Kevin spoke about the fact that MSM are often hidden. He also mentioned that the society is denying the existence of MSM and governments fail to recognise their needs resulting in low access to services for MSM. Kevin also specifically addressed the issue of confidentiality on the small islands of the region. Limited HIV services mean that the community is aware when services are sought, and is preventing those in need from accessing services due to the fear of stigma and discrimination. Finally Kevin emphasised lessons learnt from the project. The project enabled the establishment of safe places for MSM, to increase their access to information and empowerment. The involvement of MSM in the implementation and planning has been very effective for the programme. The programme has contributed to the recognition of the human rights of MSM, but much remains to be done.Both Raul and Kevin emphasised the need for more opportunities to share experiences and lessons learnt in the region.

SPANISH:

Mesa de Discusión Población HSH: Grados de Vulnerabilidad en su Incersión Social.  La primera intervención estuvo a cargo de Raul Regueiro Segura, del Programa Nacional de Cuba para el trabajo con HSH, unico en el tema en Cuba.  El programa se inicio en el 2001 además del equipo y 120 promotores, cuentan con 8000 voluntarios en todas las provincias del pais.  Han instaurado el encuentro nacional de HSH desde 2005 que ha contribuido a una mayor visibilizacion de los HSH en Cuba.  Raul indico que el reconocimiento de los gobiernos locales sobre la temática HSH y HIV/SIDA ha contribuido al mejor funcionamiento del proyecto. Dentro de los desafios se mencionaron la necesidad de consolidar el trabajo intersectorial, elevar la permanencia de voluntarios, trabajar en la disminución de actos de discriminación y homofobia, la obtención de financiamiento y el aumento de la percepción de riesgo entre HSH. 

A continuación, Kevin Farara del progama del Caribe de la Alianza hizo su presentación sobre el trabajando con hombres que tienen sexo con hombres y HIV y Derechos humanos en el Caribe.  Inicio con el contexto y algunos desafíos encontrados en el trabajo de implementación de trabajo con HSH en el Caribe anglófono.  Entre los desafios hablo sobre la naturaleza escondida de los HSH en el Caribe y de los lugares de encuentro que son muy escondidos, lo que aumenta el nivel de riesgo. Indico como en muchos casos se niega la existencia de sexo entre hombres y también como los gobiernos que prefieren negarlo lo que ha dado como consecuencia una ausencia de servicios y leyes en los HSH.

Explico las limitaciones y problemas en las islas mas pequeñas y el tema de la confidencialidad; dijo como en muchos casos por ejemplo solo se cuenta con una clínica en el pais y donde todos se conocen lo que hace que muchos HSH terminen no se acudiendo a practicar la prueba o evitando practicarla localmente.  Finalmente, Kevin listo algunas de las lecciones aprendidas; el haber creado lugares seguros para HSH como parte del programa ha permitido que se comparta la información y aumente la autoestima; el involucrar a HSH en la implementación y planeacion de las intervenciones igualmente a sido muy efectivo para su involucramiento y el mayor reconocimiento de Derechos Humanos de los HSH que aun es muy incipiente en esta region.

Tanto Raul como Kevin hicieron un llamado para que se coordinen mas intercambios de experiencias con el resto de América Latina, teniendo encuenta que el trabajo con HSH y HIV es mas reciente en el Caribe

April 17th - Abril 17

Please see below for text in English.

INSTALACION FORO COMUNITARIO Se inician las sesiones del Foro comunitario 2007, con la primera plenaria Participación Comunitaria, Desarrollo de Capacidades y Acceso Universal. Intervinieron Silvia Panebianco de MEXIDA quien resalto como en nuestra región aun queda mucho por hacer en temas de acceso Universal indico que los esfuerzos no son suficientes “…ni nuestros gobiernos [nivel UNGASS] ni nosotros como sociedad civil hemos buscado el compromiso al mas alto nivel que nos permita avanzar en la lucha contra VIH/SIDA a nivel regional…”. Llama que tanto este foro al igual que el Foro mundial de México 2008 son espacios claves para lograr que mas gobiernos a nivel regional se comprometan a garantizar el acceso universal A continuación Edgar Carrazco, secretario de LACASSO entro a revisar el concepto de Acceso Universal vinculándolo directamente al contexto de los DDHH, que busca el cumplimiento efectivo por los que están obligados a realizarlo, una obligación de los estados. Algunas de sus recomendaciones apuntaron a la necesidad de crear mas espacios para el análisis crítico del movimiento VIH/SIDA para y desde su sector comunitario; remarco la importancia de continuar privilegiando la capacitación del sector en la diversidad de áreas vinculadas al acceso universal. Finalmente hizo un llamado a la promoción de la implementación del Código de Buenas Practicas para las organizaciones y otros sectores trabajando en el VIH/SIDA promovido desde su inicio por la Alianza Internacional.

Posteriormente se paso a la Plenaria Cooperación, Sostenibilidad, Liderazgo y Alianzas que inicia con la intervención de Javier Hourcade Responsable regional de la Alianza Internacional para el VIH/SIDA, quien presento la ponencia Cooperación Internacional: liberación o dependencia? Inicio su charla con la pregunta si la dependencia de la cooperación internacional es una respuesta sustentable al VIH/SIDA. Posteriormente hizo un interesante recuento de cómo se organiza la cooperación internacional para terminar con una mirada al mecanismo del Fondo Global y la relación de este con la participación de la sociedad civil. Destaco los cambios en las agencias de cooperación que han llegado ha reconocer como experiencia de los últimos 25 años, la sociedad civil mucho mas eficaz en implementar que el gobierno.

Otros temas tratados por Javier fueron los cuellos de botella de la sociedad civil y la cooperación y las políticas sobre elegibilidad de regiones, países y grupos (Países de bajos. Medianos-bajos y medianos ingresos). Concluyo diciendo que la cooperación aun tiene mucho por aprender respecto de la sociedad civil, de las ONG y redes; de otro lado indico que la sociedad civil es muy eficiente y ha mejorado en la ejecución pero que aun tiene que dar mas en materia de rendición de cuentas. Termino diciendo que es necesario refundar el movimiento de los 25 años de trabajo de la sociedad civil y parar un poco a pensar que ha implicado ser receptores o subreceptores y ver como hacerlo sin renunciar a los valores que abrazados hace 25 años y en los que se viene trabajando.

Para la tarde se invito a la audiencia a tomar parte en los 10 grupos de trabajo (Derechos Humanos, HSH, Mujeres VIH, PVVS, Privados de libertad, Pueblos originarios, Reducción del daño, Trabajo Sexual, Transgéneros y Jóvenes Adolescentes). El objetivo de estos talleres fue el de revisar que se necesita por sector en los próximos 8 años cuando se cumple el límite del cumplimiento de los objetivos del Milenio para garantizar que estos se realicen.

ENGLISH:

The Community Forum began with a plenary session titled Community Participation, Skills Building and Universal Access. Silvia Panebianco from MEXIDA highlighted that there is a lot of work to be done in Latin America in terms of Universal access “neither ourselves, as civil society, nor our governments have pushed enough to get the commitments to move forward in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the region. Both this Foro and next year’s World AIDS Conference in Mexico are key opportunities to move forward.” Edgar Carrazco, Secretary of LACASO proposed to revise the concept of Universal Access by directly linking it to human rights. Some of the recommendations included the need to create more spaces to critically analyse the movement of HIV/AIDS for and from a community sector. Finally Edgar called for the promotion of the implementation of the Code of Good Practice for NGOs and other sectors working on HIV/AIDS. This has been promoted and supported by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance from the very beginning.

The next session was on Cooperation, Sustainability, Leadership and Alliances which began with a presentation by Javier Hourcade, Regional Representative of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance on International Cooperation: Liberty or Dependence? He started a discussion with the question of whether dependency on International Cooperation was the answer for a sustainable response to HIV/AIDS? He then made an interesting comment on how international cooperation should be organised in the same approach as the Global Fund and emphasised its approaches to enable civil society participation. He pointed out the changes within the international organisations that have to recognise through 25 years of experience that civil society has been a more successful implementor than governments.

Other topics mentioned were civil society bottlenecks, international cooperation and the politics behind geographical eligibility, countries and groups (low and middle-income countries). He concluded by saying that international cooperation still has a lot to learn in terms of learning to appreciate and respect civil society, NGOs and networks. In addition he pointed out that civil society is very efficient and has improved in its delivery but that it still needs to be accountable. He finished by saying it is necessary to revisit the 25 years of work that civil society has carried out, to carefully analyse what the implications have been in civil society becoming grant recipients or sub-recipients and to see how to do it without renouncing the values that we have embraced over 25 years.

In the afternoon the audience was invited to take part in ten working groups (Human Rights, MSM, Women Living with HIV, PLHA, Prisoners, Incarcerated Indigenous Peoples, Harm reduction, Sexual Work, Transgender and Young People). The objective of these workshops was to revisit what each sector needs in the next eight years in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

The Alliance members finished off the day by attending the opening of the FORO conference. The opening was a great opportunity for all the major networks of key populations and others involved in the response to welcome the participants to the FORO through a ceremony with welcome addresses and a cultural show. The audience was also addressed by Argentina’s Minister of Health and the evening ended with a fashion show of the newest collection of a prominent Argentinian designer.

On April 18th, the Alliance team will engage in various events and sessions at the FORO, including two satellite sessions related to civil society engagement in Universal Access and the Global Fund.

April 16th - Abril 16

Please see below for text in English and the photo albums for pictures of the day!

Inducción a los miembros de la Alianza. Javier y su equipo coordinador tuvieron una sección donde todos los miembros de la familia de la Alianza pudieron obtener información sobre el foro comunitario, del 16 de abril y sobre el Foro 2007 que iniciara con una ceremonia de apertura el 17 de abril. Asuntos sobre logística y otra información relevante de como sacar mayor ventaja de estar en el evento y en Buenos Aires fue igualmente dada a conocer.

A continuación los integrantes de la Alianza asistieron a la apertura del Foro Comunitario “25 años de Respuesta Comunitaria al VIH/SIDA en Latinoamérica y el Caribe” varias intervenciones reflejaron el estado actual, desafíos y oportunidades para el futuro. El Foro fue auspiciado por la Alianza , ONUSIDA, HIVOS Positive Action, Ministerio de Salud y la GCTH. Los organizadores fueron las 8 redes que trabajan la temática en la región GCTH, Relard, ICW Latina, Redtrasex, Laccasso, MLCM+, Redla+ y Asical. Representantes de diferentes redes y sectores de la sociedad civil y de agencias trabajando en la región intervinieron entre ellos Georgina Gutiérrez de Mujeres Viviendo con VIH (ICW México) quien pidió a las audiencias un aplauso por un minuto en solidaridad y como un homenaje a los y las luchadores/as contra la epidemia en estos 25 años.

Juan Jacobo intervino con una interesante ponencia sobre los últimos 25 años de la epidemia en la región y de cómo se había originado la respuesta comunitaria en la lucha contra el SIDA en América Latina y el Caribe. Alvaro Bermejo el director ejecutivo de la Alianza resalto como la sociedad civil ha sido, y sigue siendo un elemento clave en todas las respuestas exitosas. Sin el activismo, el trabajo de las redes de población gay y otros HSH, de TS, de usuarios de drogas, de PVVS la respuesta en LAC y el mundo no seria lo que es hoy. Respecto del compromiso de los gobiernos indico que tenemos un compromiso firmado por todos los gobiernos de alcanzar el acceso universal a la prevención, cuidados y tratamiento en los próximos 3 años, pero sabemos que queda mucho camino por andar. Es el momento de parar, reflexionar y repensar nuestro rol.

La noche terminó con una suculenta cena de comida Argentina en la noche Alvaro oficialmente dio la bienvenida a la familia de la Alianza a Vía Libre de Perú e IDH de Bolivia como las dos nuevas organizaciones enlace en la región. Esta fue una oportunidad para agradecer a Vía Libre e IDH su interés en unirse a la Alianza como nuevos socios y ratificar lo valioso que será tenerlos como parte de la familia de la Alianza. A continuación notas de prensa anunciando la integración de estas dos organizaciones a la Alianza.

Durante el día otros integrantes de la Alianza participaron en otras reuniones; Javier Hourcade y Steve Lewis se reunieron con el equipo del CICT del Brasil, una organización que trabaja con consultores alrededor del tema HIV/SIDA en la región quienes están abriendo convocatorias para aumentar su numero de consultores y quienes han invitado a miembros de la Alianza para que participen en este proceso, lo que es sin lugar a dudas una muy buena oportunidad para contribuir a la respuesta contra el VIH/SIDA en la región. Para mayor información contactar a Steve Lewis (slewis@aidsalliance.org) o visite la pagina web del CICT.

Download idh_via_libre_nota_de_prensa_final_english.doc

ENGLISH:

As many members of the Alliance have been arriving today to attend the FORO over the next few days, Javier and his team coordinated an induction session to introduce everyone from the Alliance family. The session also provided important information on the Community Forum on April 17th, the conference, logistics, and helpful hints how to make most use of the stay in Buenos Aires.

After the session, all participants moved on to the Opening Ceremony of the Community Forum, which was held in the Centro Cultural Borges. Representatives from key populations and other members of civil society from the region attended the opening to celebrate 25 years of community response to the epidemic. Representatives of various Latin American networks welcomed the participants - among them Georgina Gutierres from ICW Mexico who led the audience in a session of continuous 1-minute applause in solidarity with community leaders active in the response in the last 25 years.

Juan Jacobo Hernandez, Executive Director of Alliance linking organisation Collectivo Sol, Mexico provided an interesting overview of the last 25 years of the epidemic in the region and the growing strength of communities in responding to it. Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, highlighted the importance of civil society in the response and emphasised the role of networks representing key populations. The response to the epidemic in the region and worldwide would not be the same without their activism and commitment. Further, he noted that following governments’ commitments to universal access to prevention, care, treatment and support, there still remains much to do, and it is the time for us to reflect on and consider our role in achieving in universal access.

The Community Forum itself will be taking place on April 16th and 17th with individual sessions continuing throughout the week. The Forum has been organised by the 8 regional networks and supported by the Alliance, UNAIDS, Hivos, Positive Action, the Ministry of Health of Argentina, GCTH, and the Centro Cultural Borges. The evening ended with a generous meal of Argentinian cuisine for the Alliance family.

During the meal, Alvaro Bermejo officially welcomed the new Linking Organisations Via Libre and IDH from Peru and Bolivia respectively to the Alliance family. See above for the link to the press release for more information of the new partners and announcing their joining of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. We took the opportunity to express our warmest welcome to the new members of the Alliance and very much look forward to working with them!

During the course of the day, Alliance members attended various other ongoing meetings. Steve and Javier attended the annual management meeting of the International Technical Cooperation Centre (CICT), a Brazil-based technical support organisation. Currently CICT works with consultancy firms in the region, is looking to expand its network of consultants and encourages members of the Alliance family to join CICT. This is a great opportunity for members of the Alliance to become further involved in South-South technical cooperation in the HIV response. Please contact Stephen Lewis (slewis@aidsalliance.org) at the Alliance or check out CICT’s website for more information.

Please visit this space tomorrow for an update on the Community Forum and the Opening of the FORO 2007!

Foro 2007

Welcome to the Alliance's blog from Foro 2007. There will be regular postings during the conference, being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 16 to 20 April.