HIV/AIDS Community Action/Actions de mobilisation VIH/SIDA

2006-09-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Montréal, le 22 septembre 2006
Bonjour,
Un article très intéressant sur UNITAID , la nouvelle ''centrale internationale d'achats des médicaments'' pour les pays pauvres. Vu hier sur IPS.
http://www.ipsterraviva.net/TV/ldcs/en/viewstory.asp?idnews=755
Céline
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2006
LDCS TO BE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES
GLOBAL FUND LAUNCHED FOR LIFESAVING DRUGS
Alejandro Kirk

UNITED NATIONS - A global fund to purchase massive amounts of medicines for developing countries with money coming from "solidarity" flight taxes and other innovative financing systems was launched here Tuesday, sponsored by five countries.

The initiative was presented by the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Lula da Silva, and France, Jacques Chirac; the prime minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg; and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Also present were the foreign minister of Chile, Alejandro Foxley, British international cooperation minister, Gareth Thomas, and former U.S. president Bill Clinton.

In its first stage, the fund, called Unitaid, will focus on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, three diseases that occur most frequently in the world's less developed countries.

The announcement coincided with the high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly to assess the progress of fighting poverty in the 50 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), which highlighted the incidence of pandemic diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria in preventing development.

"About one-quarter of those afflicted by HIV/AIDS live in the LDCs. The disease is primarily a matter of human wellbeing but it also threatens the development and retention of human capacity," Annan said in his latest report on LDCs.

"One of its secondary health effects is an increase in tuberculosis; even when HIV/AIDS is not a major cause, the incidence of tuberculosis remains high. Malaria remains similarly widespread in many LDC's, particularly in Africa," the report adds.

AIDS affects 40 million people worldwide, with 90 percent of new infections taking place in developing countries, while tuberculosis causes two million deaths a year, of which 500,000 are Africans, a Unitaid press release said.

"A child dies every 30 seconds from malaria in Africa," Unitaid stressed.

The new mechanism will have "a very, very small staff and very little overhead" based at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, said Bill Clinton, whose Clinton Foundation is also one of the pioneers of this project.

Unitaid will negotiate bulk shipments of drugs to developing countries directly with producers, on the basis of "high volume, low profit margins and prompt payment," Clinton explained.

Brazil's president Lula said Unitaid is the "concrete result" of the Action against Hunger and Poverty Initiative launched at the U.N. two years ago under the leadership of Brazil and which was supported by over 100 countries.

Subsequently, 79 countries endorsed the Declaration on Innovative Sources of Financing for Development, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly last year. France's president Chirac later proposed the establishment of a drug purchasing mechanism.

Innovative financing schemes were first discussed at the U.N. Financing for Development Conference held in Monterrey, Mexico in 2003. The funds must be raised on top of official development aid resources from donor countries.

"There will be no peace and prosperity in a world where millions of people are still extremely poor. The war we must wage is a war on hunger, poverty and other forms of exclusion, including lack of access to essential drugs," Brazi's Lula said Tuesday.

"Unitaid's regular and predictable sources of financing will ensure its value added and effectiveness. As of now, 18 countries have announced plans to introduce a solidarity levy on airline tickets. Other similar instruments, including additional long-term budgetary resources will also be welcome," the agency said in a statement.

Chile was the first country to start charging the solidarity airport tax two years ago, foreign minister Foxley said, although disbursement of the accumulated funds to Unitaid needs parliamentary approval in that South American country.

President Chirac estimated that in France, where the tax started being charged to travelers in July, the new levy would yield 15 million euro on the first year and 200 million over the next four years.

Norway will assist the fund both from budgetary sources and air tickets taxes, which he calculated would raise some 20-25 million dollars over the next 12 months.

Britain will not charge an airlines levy, but minister Thomas announced a "long-term commitment of 10 years starting with 20 million euro in 2007, up to 60 million by 2010."

"Unitaid's governance will ensure adequate and broad participation of all parties involved in the effort to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, including international organisations, beneficiary countries, NGOs and representatives from the communities living with the diseases," the statement said.

Three young people from Africa and Asia, representing communities suffering from pandemic diseases, while thanking the international community for finding innovative ways of fighting disease, demanded that the "solidarity tax" be made mandatory through an international binding treaty.

On behalf of the African Union, the president of Congo (Brazzaville), Dennis Sassou-Nguesso, called to all United Nations member countries to join the effort.

IPS - Inter Press Service Copyright © 2006 All rights reserved.

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Article du 9 août 2006 dans le Toronto Star

2006-08-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Bonjour ,

Si ce n'est déjà fait, un article très pertinent est à lire à l'adresse suivante:

Canada 'delinquent' in AIDS fight: Lewis
Aug. 9, 2006. 02:53 PM
TANYA TALAGA
STAFF REPORTER

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1155120846444&call_pageid=968332188492

/CR

News Conference with Stephen Lewis

2006-08-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

STEPHEN LEWIS AND CANADIAN CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS TO LAUNCH
CANADIAN ACTION PLAN TO FIGHT AIDS GLOBALLY

TORONTO, August 2, 2006 — Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General’s Special
Envoy for AIDS in Africa, will join the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG) and the
Make Poverty History Campaign to demand government action on AIDS. A four-point
platform will be released in advance of the XVI International AIDS Conference in
Toronto.

WHAT: News conference to release The Global AIDS Crisis: Four
Steps for Canada.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 9, 2006
10:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE: Ontario Bar Association Conference Centre, Salon 3
200-20 Toronto Street (between King and Adelaide)
Toronto

Mr. Lewis will be joined by Joanne Csete, GTAG spokesperson and Executive Director
of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Gerry Barr, Co-chair of the Make Poverty
History Campaign and President-CEO of the Canadian Council of International Cooperation.

HIV/AIDS Community Action/Actions de mobilisation VIH/SIDA

2006-08-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

CUSO–Québec vous invite à une rencontre-conférence
de Bastien Lamontagne et Désiré Nobout
le 30 août à 18 :30 au Centre Afrika, 1644, rue St-Hubert, Montréal

Après leur participation aux congrès VIH / SIDA 2006 à Toronto, ces deux intervenants auprès des personnes vivant avec le VIH-SIDA au Burkina viendront partager leurs riches expériences avec le public montréalais. Deux intervenants de différentes origines, un Africain et un Québécois qui travaillent ensemble au Burkina Faso pour l’organisme communautaire AAS (L’Association Africain Solidarité), viendront partager avec nous les enjeux de leur travail dans la concertation et la solidarité internationale.
Pour plus d’information : CUSO – Québec, (514) 381 0175

Women, orphans & vulnerable children of the South: HIV treatment & support challenges

2006-08-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Join the Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC) HIV/AIDS Working Group for a special breakfast panel presentation:

Women, orphans & vulnerable children of the South: HIV treatment & support challenges
This event will feature a panel of Southern speakers presenting on the particular challenges of women & children in accessing the HIV treatment & support. They will focus on the obstacles, the solutions & what Canadians can do. The panel will be followed by a facilitated question & answer period. Panelists will present in English.

When: Wednesday, August 16th from 8:30 a.m.
Where: YMCA of Greater Toronto (42 Charles Street East – just south of Yonge & Bloor)
Moderated by Elizabeth Dove of Canadian Crossroads International

Please RSVP with Stephanie at admin@ocic.on.ca if you plan to attend. Detailed information on panelists will follow shortly.

International AIDS Vigil

2006-08-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Toronto, ON - July 25, 2006 -- The International AIDS Vigil Committee, a project of the 519 Church Street Community Centre, in cooperation with the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006), presents The International AIDS Vigil, a public memorial to those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.

The event takes place, rain or shine, Thursday, August 17, 9 PM, at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto.

The AIDS International Vigil will begin at dusk with a symbolic candle lighting ceremony & end with the illumination of thousands of glow sticks. The event is expected to attract many of the political, scientific & community leaders working on the front lines of the pandemic as well as a wide representation of people from affected communities. Along with music & readings, the hour-long memorial features the “naming of names”, a poignant moment where the names of the deceased are called aloud from the stage, & from the audience.
For more information, call the International AIDS Vigil info line at 416-392-6878, ext. 312 or visit the 519 Church Street Community Centre Web site at www.the519.org.

411 Presents: A Youth Focused HIV/AIDS Arts Festival During the 2006 International AIDS Conference

2006-08-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

411 Presents: A Youth Focused HIV/AIDS Arts Festival During the 2006 International AIDS Conference

August 15-16, 2006 - Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People - Toronto

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE TICKET: http://www.whatsthe411.ca/ticket

*The 411 Initiative For Change* (411) - a Canadian youth-run organization is proud to announce a two day Youth Arts Festival focusing on HIV/AIDS Education featuring special presentations of 'The Corner' a dynamic musical theatre program merging pop culture with life saving HIV/AIDS information.
The festival works to engage young people & the community at large in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, while also combating misinformation, stigma & stereotyping related to HIV/AIDS.**

The program features special guest musicians *Melanie Durrant, *&*Rochester aka Juice *, poet *Dwayne Morgan*, hip-hop educator *Will Strickl&*, among others special guests. The music & theatre components are complemented by a multimedia exhibit of photography & videos related to HIV/AIDS & young people. This festival provides is free & open to the public of all ages providing a unique opportunity for young people & families in Toronto to take part in activities related to the International AIDS Conference.

*When: Tuesday August 15 & Wednesday August 16, 2006 *Doors 6:30PM / Show 7:00PM -9:00PM (no intermission)

Where: Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People (165 Front Street East,
Toronto)

TIME TO DELIVER -- AIDS ACTION NOW

2006-08-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Women's & Girls' Rally & March

WHEN
Monday, August 14, 2006 Rally starts at 7:00 am March starts at 7:50 am
WHERE
Rally held at Metro Hall Square (King Street West between John & Simcoe Streets) Please see the attached map for details.
MORE
Bring your own banner! The first 1500 people will receive a free t-shirt!
RSVP
Please click here to let us know you can attend: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=766732355748

INFO
Leah Stephenson at leah@ctac.ca or +1-416-422-0114 or http://ctac.ca/en/rally

A place for ideas...

2006-08-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

I hope you have all had a chance to look over all the info in the AIDS mobilization kit we have sent you.

So here it is a blog for you to post your ideas, and events that relate to community action around HIV/AIDS and related issues.