A consensus statement summarising international recommendations for achieving universal access to HIV services has been developed by the International Advisory Group (IAG) in preparation for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS on 8-10 June 2011. IAG is a multi-stakeholder group that was created by the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board with the mandate to review progress towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
As part of this review process, consultations that included a strong voice from civil society were held in all regions of the world. Then on 26-28 April, the IAG met in Johannesburg, South Africa to hammer out a document that reflected its recommendations for the UNGASS, which is a follow-up to Special Sessions held in 2001 and 2007.
The consensus document builds on the landmark HIV Declaration of Commitment (DoC) on HIV/AIDS that was adopted in 2001 by all UN member states. The DoC provided a framework to reverse the HIV epidemic and set a target of 2010 to fulfill commitments. This June Special Session is an opportunity for UN members both to hear the progress reports and renew commitments to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic.
One issue that was highlighted at the IAG meeting was the lack of recognition of TB as the leading killer of people with HIV.
Dr Paula Fujiwara, Director of the TB and HIV Departments for The Union, who represented Stop TB Partnership Executive Secretary Dr Lucica Ditiu at the IAG meeting, strongly –- and successfully -- argued that TB control is central to any strategy for stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic and that TB had to be mentioned as the biggest killer of people living with HIVAIDS in the consensus statement.
"TB has not been prioritized in previous documents and received little attention in the regional and national consultations prior to the meeting in South Africa", said Dr Fujiwara. "It was not included in the initial draft, but it was incorporated into the final version. Given the many priorities competing for attention, we were pleased to gain this visibility."
The purpose of the consensus statement is to inform the high-level deliberations at UNGASS and serve as an advocacy document as the campaign for universal access to HIV services goes forward.
Read the IAG consensus statement here.