Alliance and partners call for greater attention to HIV and stigma in new EU-Africa strategy
04 December 2007
The Stop AIDS Alliance (a Brussels-based joint initiative by Stop AIDS Now! and the Alliance) is advocating through a letter endorsed by over 18 organisations (including Alliance organisations and civil society partners in Africa) for greater attention to HIV, particularly stigma and discrimination, within the new joint European Union-Africa Strategy. The strategy – which will be finally adopted at a High Level EU Africa Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, on 4-5 December – provides a framework for long-term relations and future cooperation between Africa and Europe.
The letter emphasises the importance of addressing stigma and discrimination as a key barrier to the achievement of universal access to HIV prevention, care, support and treatment. It builds upon the policy-related analysis and advocacy that the Alliance has supported through its Africa Regional Programme.
The signatories to the letter include Alliance country offices and linking organisations, as well as the African Council of AIDS Service Organizations, the Network of African People Living with HIV/AIDS and the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa.
The letter will, among other opportunities, be disseminated at the EU/AU Africa Strategy Civil Society meeting, Lisbon, Portugal; Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, Kampala, Uganda; and ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda.
