On June 8, 2016 UN General Assembly adopted Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: On the Fast-Track to Accelerate the Fight against HIV and to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030.
The important moment is that Declaration includes Harm Reduction programs as key direction of HIV prevention and point of inadequate coverage of vulnerable groups: “43: Note that some countries and regions have made significant progress in expanding health-related risk and harm reduction programmes … , yet note the lack of global progress made in reducing transmission of HIV among people who use drugs, particularly those who inject drugs, and call attention to the insufficient coverage of such programmes and substance use treatment programmes that improve adherence to HIV drug treatment services, as appropriate in the context of national programmes, the marginalization and discrimination against people who use drugs through the application of restrictive laws, particularly those who inject drugs which hamper access to HIV-related services, and in that regard, consider ensuring access to such interventions including in treatment and outreach services, prisons … and note with concern that gender-based and age-based stigma and discrimination often act as addition all barriers for women and for young people who use drugs, particularly those who inject drugs, to access services”.
This important political action took place in the framework of The High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS(June 8 -10, UN General Assembly). The main aim of the Meeting is to focus the world’s attention on the importance of a Fast-Track approach to the AIDS response over the next five years.
Alliance for Public Health is represented by Andriy Klepikov, Executive Director and Anton Basenko, Senior Program Officer, who represents also HLM Stakeholders Task Force.
On June 7th Andriy Klepikov presented at the High-Level Meeting Side Event “Action on Extreme Poverty and Inequality to End AIDS: Addressing HIV, Poverty, and Inequality in Urban Settings to End AIDS.”
The session was co-chaired by Charles King, President and CEO, Housing Works, Ambassador Deborah Birx, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator andLuiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS.
City of Kyiv was selected as a site for the demonstration project for the Fast-track cities approach. Address from the City Major VitaliyKlitschko emonstrated his firm commitment leadership.
Alliance for Public Health with support of international donors providing the most substantial support to fight HIV and TB epidemics in Kyiv. Andriy Klepikov presented the civil society perspective of making Kyiv the fast- track city. At the same session Olga Gvozdetska presented the work of All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV and its collaboration with the Major’s office.
On June 8 Andriy Klepikov participated in the special session “Ending TB deaths among people living with HIV: Time for action”. The overall aim of the side-event is to catalyse and intensify efforts in the response to end TB deaths among people living with HIV through firm political commitment, strong country ownership and adequate investments. It is also intended to highlight and bring into focus the problem of HIV-associated TB at the HLM as well as to provide a platform to elicit actions that will transform the implementation of policies and strategies.
The session was chaired by Eric Goosby, Secretary Genersl Special Envoy on TBand raised great interest, Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health of South Africa and Isaak Adewole, Minister of Health of Nigeria presented at the session, as well as Ren Minghui, WHO, Mark Dybul, the Global Fund, Ariel Pablos-Mendez, USAID, Deborah Birx, PEPFAR, Lucica Ditu, Stop TB Partnership, Michel Kazatchkine, Special Envoy of Secretary General on AIDS in EECA presented at the meeting.
Andriy Klepikov in his comments emphasize importance of harmonizing more TB and HIV response, especially in moving forward new initiatives such as Fast track cities: “We cannot allow ourselves be fast on HIV and slow on