Moscow HIV/AIDS Conference Calls for Greater Leadership, Commitment
The Eastern European and Central Asian AIDS Conference concluded Wednesday, calling for more commitment and leadership in decreasing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region, IRIN News reports (IRIN News, 5/17). At the three-day conference, HIV/AIDS advocates and health experts from 50 Eastern European and Central Asian countries discussed ways to promote effective HIV prevention methods and increase access to treatment. Delegates also discussed how to increase tolerance and reduce the stigma surrounding the disease (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/17). Delegates at the conclusion of the conference reaffirmed the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted by the U.N. General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. They also reaffirmed the Dublin Declaration on Partnership to Fight HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia, which was originally adopted in 2004. Delegates called for increased cooperation among government departments, ministries, religious institutions, media, labor unions, the private sector and civil society in fighting HIV/AIDS in the region (EECAAC release, 5/17).
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Thursday reported on the conference and HIV/AIDS in Russia. The segment includes comments from Svetlana Izambayeva, winner of Russia's Miss Positive 2005 beauty pageant; UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot; and Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the Russian Federal AIDS Center (Feifer, "Morning Edition," NPR, 5/18). The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
