Put human rights at heart of the AIDS response
24 May 2006
Human rights have always been central both to our understanding of the dynamics of HIV and to how we must respond to it, but not nearly enough has been done to promote and protect the rights of people living with or affected by HIV.
“While there is widespread, though not universal, recognition that stigma and other rights violations fuel the epidemic and that many people’s rights are seriously harmed by HIV, these basic understandings are not adequately reflected in law and policy, or in HIV programming,” said Alliance Senior Policy Adviser, Joseph O’Reilly.
“The move towards universal access to prevention, care and treatment demonstrates the potential of concerted international attention and action. We need to see the same focus given to protecting and advancing the human rights of those most affected by HIV and AIDS.
The UN Secretary General’s Note, Scaling up HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, describes in detail some of the necessary human rights interventions to bring about universal access, but these interventions do not appear anywhere in the list of national targets.
“We are calling for the development and implementation of a global action plan on HIV and human rights which would help mobilise national, regional and international action to protect and to promote human rights – thereby helping to prevent HIV and mitigate its most negative effects,” confirmed O’Reilly.
The plan would identify those actions necessary to advance human rights, focusing on reducing HIV vulnerability and protecting the rights of affected communities. Following its development, international expertise and funding could be identified to help the UN, Member States and civil society implement the plan.
“We also believe that the international community in general and the UN system in particular needs to enhance its understanding of the human rights violations which fuel the epidemic and which also follow infection. Above all they must understand how to protect and promote people whose rights are all too routinely violated. We are proposing the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on HIV and Human Rights by the new UN Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur would act as the focal point for UNAIDS’ work in leading the development and implementation of the action plan, and would make an important contribution to generating the interest and political will necessary for the UN to tackle HIV-related human rights violations,” said O’Reilly.
“It is very clear that a step change in our commitment to human rights is necessary if we are going to make them a reality for people living with and affected by HIV. The changes needed to achieve this will only come about if there is a clear focus backed up by an ambitious and funded plan.
“There is no doubt that in the case of HIV related human rights violations the first step must be the formulation of a plan to eradicate them. The High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS provides the international community with a unique opportunity to begin that process.”
