participation at the UN AIDS meeting
19 April 2006
The Department of Health notes the joint statement issued by TAC and the
AIDS Law Project yesterday with regard to participation in the United Nations
General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV and AIDS to be held in New
York from 31 May to 2 June.
United Nations resolution (Resolution A/RES/60/224) invites Member States to
include civil society representatives in their national delegations to the
meeting. Civil society may include "associations of people living with HIV and
AIDS, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including organisations of women
and young people, girls and boys and men, faith-based organisations, private
sector and representatives of labour".
The Department has finalised the delegation, which includes 14 people
invited by government from all the sectors of civil society as defined in the
relevant UN resolution.
While most other sectors have one representative per sector, the Department
has invited two people from associations of people living with HIV and AIDS.
(i.e. Sipho Mthathi, General Secretary of TAC and Nkululeko Nxesi, National
Director of the National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS
(NAPWA).
Most of the delegates have responded positively to the invitation except for
TAC's Ms Mthathi who, through a press statement, has put several conditions
regarding her participation in the country delegation.
The main condition is that she will only participate if the AIDS Law Project
is also invited to the delegation. The Department is unable to address this
particular condition.
There are many organisations that are doing sterling work in curbing the
spread of HIV infection and reducing the impact of AIDS in the country.
Therefore, no organisation can claim to be solely entitled to representation in
the country delegation above other organisations.
The UN resolution put the discretion on the country, represented by its
democratically elected government, to decide on the representation of civil
society and the composition of such representation.
The Department is proceeding with the logistical arrangements with regard to
the registration and participation of the delegation at the UNGASS which will
be fully financed by government. This requires that Ms Mthathi to decide
whether she accepts or declines the invitation to be part of the country
delegation.
There are no limitations to the activities of members of the country
delegation to the UNGASS. Delegates are requested to attend regular
country-delegation meetings aimed at ensuring that delegates are spread across
as many parallel activities as possible and they share with the rest of the
delegation some of the issues coming out of those parallel events (e.g. a
children's representative may have to attend UNICEF activities and report back
at the next meeting of the delegation on issues of children and HIV and AIDS
discussed at the UNICEF event).
Enquiries:
Sibani Mngadi
Cell: 082 772 0161
Issued by: Department of Health
19 April 2006
