The Positive People of the Pacific called for affordable access to treatment in every island and every village. With relatively low current levels of infection treating all those who need it would not be expensive now provided we act quickly and stop the epidemic from spreading.
Availability of treatments has been shown to increase uptake of voluntary testing and counselling and reduce stigma and discrimination, another key area that the Positive community says needs to be urgently addressed. In turn this leads to far more effective prevention.
These priorities are expressed in the attached declaration, as presented by Jane Bruning at the opening Plenary of the Pan Pacific Conference in Auckland on October 26th. Please direct all enquiries to Jane Bruning of Positive Women of New Zealand 09 309 1858 or email positivewomen@xtra.co.nz.
Declaration of the Positive People of the Pacific at the Positive Pacific Forum Held in Auckland on October 25th 2005 At the PAN Pacific Conference
Priorities in Key Areas for Positive People in the Pacific
As seen by Positive Pacific People
Key Areas:
- Stigma & Discrimination
- HIV in the Workplace
- Treatments
- Advocacy
Stigma & Discrimination
- Awareness by Governments of the negative implications of Stigma and Discrimination
- Eradication of Stigma and Discrimination in the health care sector by training and education, involving Positive People
- Support in fighting Stigma and Discrimination from NGO’s and other community leaders
- Funding of PLWHA groups to address self stigma, and to empower Positive People to participate in the HIV response
HIV in the Workplace
- Access to treatment to enable Positive People to participate in the workforce
- Enactment and Implementation of laws and policies protecting Positive People in the workplace
- Education of the workforce on HIV involving HIV Positive People
Treatments
- Affordable access to treatments for everyone who needs it, in rural and urban settings, of Anti Retrovirals and for Opportunistic Infections
- Training in HIV treatment of all health care sector providers such as general practitioners, mid wives, and community carers
- An approach to health care based on Partnership with Positive People
- Treatment Preparedness led by Positive People
Advocacy
- That HIV Positive People are recognised and acknowledged as equal members of every community
- That Positive People have real and meaningful involvement in all areas of:
- Decision making
- Policy Making
- Strategy
- Implementation
- Project Development
- Education
- Effective legal protection through legislation and application to protect our human rights and defend us against stigma and discrimination
- Accountability of HIV money
This Advocacy to be directed to:
- Governments
- Community & religious leaders
- National and International Aid agencies and HIV AIDS organisations
- The global Positive community
A Call was issued for
- Funded regular Positive Pacific meetings to advance this agenda
- Positive People to be supported to come forward to assist in the response to fight HIV in the Pacific
| Attachment | Size | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-10-panpac-declaration.pdf | 24.1 KB |  PDF |