Policies and Areas for Attention by Civil Society’s Participation in the National Response Robert Carr Executive Director Ministerial Meeting on HIV and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review Jamaica, 4-6 June 2009

Three Case Studies Sheila tested positive when she went to the clinic for prenatal care. Faithful to her husband she knows she did not bring HIV into their marriage but he has become angry and abusive and blames her nonetheless. He refuses to be tested. Since he was 13 years old Colin knew he wanted to be with men, but he saw what happened to homosexuals in his community. Now 25 years old he is married and adores his 2 children. He has clandestine sex when he travels to other islands. Carla has become addicted to crack. Her family has rejected her as a drug addict; she is homeless and depressed. She thinks she may be HIV+ but is afraid to get help.

Individual Relationships (e.g. parents, sexual partners, sex work clients, drug use partners) Community and organisations ( e.g. leadership, networks, gender norms, social capital) Structural/ Societal ( e.g. cultural values; residence patterns, policies and laws) Reached through local gatekeppers, employers, educators, local government, kin goups,neighbours, etc. Reached through political groups; lawmakers; religious leaders, etc. Ecological models illustrate “levels” or “layers” of influence that affect individual opportunities and choices. Different stakeholders operate at these different “layers” and all must be reached using appropriate channels and activities in order to shift the barriers to universal access. Reached by and through individuals and their networks System Wide Coherence

UNDP’S VIRTUOUS CIRCLE HIV Prevention Pre-empts need for treatment Reduces risk, strengthens communities Makes communities less vulnerable Pre-empts need for further mitigation Treatment and Care Makes people less susceptible to infection Addressing the Impact on Human Development Strengthens systems for delivery and care Pre-empts need for future mitigation STIGMA HIV/AIDS: Implications for Poverty Reduction, UNDP 2001

“Human rights promotion and protection is central to the response to HIV/AIDS. Denying the rights of people living with HIV, and those affected by the epidemic, imperils not only their well-being, but life itself.” HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: International Guidelines, 2003 HIV & HUMAN RIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS Product of social evolution –Civil rights movements –Notions of social progress as tolerance Linked to political debates –Regionalism vs. nationalism –Global governance vs. sovereignty Linked to notions of –vulnerability –social justice

HUMAN RIGHTS & CARIBBEAN HISTORY Abolition of Slavery Labour Riots of 1938 Formation of Nationalist Parties Arrival of Independence and Enfranchisement –The little man –The barefoot woman

Policies and Areas for Attention Civil society’s role in policy and programming is to –reach out to the marginalised and disenfranchised –remind duty bearers of the irrevocable rights of rights holders –speak truth to power in the name of human development as the building of just societies

We as Civil Society respectfully request that our governments: Respect, promote and fulfil the rights of all citizens to realise their full potential and to reduce their vulnerability to HIV Adhere to legal obligations signed under international human rights instruments and ensure that national legislation is harmonised with international human rights obligations In Summation

We as Civil Society respectfully request that our governments: (i) Repeal legislation which is premised on prejudicial and oppressive notions and (ii) pass legislation which advances social justice without discrimination or distinction based on gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, or age In Summation

We as Civil Society respectfully request that our governments: Address social drivers of the HIV epidemic such as marginalisation, poverty, gender, exclusion, violence and abuse as they undermine our people’s rights & freedoms and increase HIV infections in our communities In Summation

We as Civil Society respectfully request that our governments: Put in place social protections and measures to increase access to justice and AIDS-related programmes for all, including user-friendly services for young people and children to ensure an AIDS-free generation In Summation

We as Civil Society respectfully request that our governments: Guarantee inclusive structures and policies that respect civil society’s right to participation, including our full and equal participation in resource allocation for the AIDS response In Summation

Thank You