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IDDC invited to launch 'Disability and HIV Policy Brief' of UNAIDS/WHO/UNOHCHR  On 8 April the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the World Health Organisation and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released their Disability and HIV Policy Brief. IDDC attended the event in Geneva, which called for urgent actions to increase participation of people with disabilities in the HIV response and to ensure their equal access to HIV/AIDS services.
IDDC believes in mainstreaming disability; HIV/AIDS is a good example of this need. Not much attention has been paid yet to the relationship between HIV/AIDS and disability even though people with disabilities are found at increased risk of HIV infection.
The missing alliances between people with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities and the debate about the interaction of HIV/AIDS and disability have amongst others been explored during the event. Speakers at the launch were: - Susan Girois, Director Technical Resources Division at Handicap International. She was the previous Coordinator of the IDDC HIV/AIDS and Disability Task Group and played a key role in the Joint Policy Brief.
- Alice Welbourn, Ex-chair of the International Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS. She is a leader in the positive women community, with many years experience of working in Kenya and Somalia.
- Sharon Peake, Policy Advisor on HIV/AIDS from the International Affairs Directorate at Health Canada.
- Myroslava Tataryn, Policy Advisor on Disability and AIDS at AIDS-Free World.
The event was co-chaired by Dr Ala Alwan, ADG Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health and Dr Barbara de Zalduondo, Chief of the Programmatic Priorities Division, Evidence, Monitoring and Policy Department at UNAIDS. The IDDC HIV/AIDS and Disability Task Group welcomes the release of this important Policy Brief and sent out a press release.
More information and background to the Policy Brief can be found on the UNAIDS website. |
