Policy Focus

EU must live up to promises on Aids, say MEPs

MEPs and the Stop Aids Alliance have signed a joint declaration to put an end to discrimination against Aids sufferers.

In a joint statement released on Monday, UK Labour deputy Michael Cashman, Belgian Socialist Anne Van Lancker and Martijn Pakker from the Stop Aids Alliance, said:

“There have been many commitments and promises made to tackle the HIV/Aids pandemic. The time is now to live up to these commitments in order to deliver the results we are all hoping for: halting and reversing the spread of HIV.

“By implementing and promoting comprehensive national policies, including legal and human rights protection of people living with HIV and groups most at risk, these people will be empowered to take control of their situation.”

In the latest issue of the Parliament Magazine, the group adds that the development of some form of vaccine for HIV/Aids must be considered.

“We stand an excellent chance of halting the spread of HIV and ending Aids if we can develop a safe, effective and affordable Aids vaccine,” they write.

“Developing this vaccine is a major challenge, and it won’t be achieved without the concerted effort of scientists and researchers around the world,” they add.

MEPs are also keen to address the issue of treatment for HIV/Aids in developing countries.

Italian GUE/NGL deputy Vittorio Agnoletto, a member of parliament’s subcommittee on human rights, said that the financial crisis provided a good chance to look at other global issues such as HIV/Aids and how to improve health inequalities.

“The crisis in neoliberal globalisation offers an historic opportunity to balance the opportunities for treatment between the northern and southern parts of the planet,” he said in a press release.

The European parliament adopted a resolution back in November calling on the European commission to “commit substantial political, financial and human resources” to the promotion of early diagnosis of the condition and early care of those who have it.

The resolution states that “many people do not know whether they are infected or not”, and that “effective public health measures to facilitate the early diagnosis of HIV need to be introduced”.

A report released in November by the WHO revealed that 26,279 newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection were reported in 2007 in the EU and the European Free Trade Association area.

Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids, added his voice to calls for more dedicated policies and financial support on the issue.

“We have to ensure that there is strong and long-term leadership and financial commitment to respond to Aids that is grounded in evidence and human rights.”

EU health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou also acknowledged that more had to be done in the area.

“We must continue to improve the knowledge, awareness and information on HIV/Aids, especially among young people and high risk groups. As long as there is no cure for Aids, prevention remains the best weapon to combat HIV/Aids,” she said in a statement on Monday.