Reflections on the International AIDS Conference 2006
By Lina Sheth

The 16th International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto, Canada with the theme of “Time to Deliver” between Aug 13-20, 2006.  The theme affirmed that Human Rights and HIV are inextricably linked and HIV must be fought through this framework for a focused first time.  For me, Bravo! 

Time to Deliver also placed women and young people in center stage after 15 international conferences.  Today, 52% of all AIDS cases in the world are among women and 50% of new cases are among young women and men under 25. For me, Overdue!

After 25 years in the epidemic, the science on HIV has made some great breakthroughs to extend people’s lives through anti-retroviral treatment, and yet poverty, stigma, access to these treatments and political will remain the largest barriers that fuel the HIV pandemic across the globe.  Sub-Saharan Africa continues to share an overburden of disproportionate scale of HIV and AIDS with India, China and Russia dangerously becoming the regions where pandemic is beginning to thrive. Communities of color and sexual minorities in developed worlds also share a disparate share of HIV and AIDS in their communities.

HIV is fueling the re-emergence of TB and malaria in regions that have not been endemic in years.  If we, on a world scale, had been committed to eliminating these diseases where treatment and a cure are readily available, we would not be seeing this scale of TB and malaria again.  How will we act with HIV?

U.S. high-level government presence was little seen but largely felt through the U.S. policy of Abstinence only that is tied to U.S. international funding.  There was a lot of general agreement that Abstinence Only programs not coupled with other prevention technologies equaled to a death sentence for many people throughout the world. 

What is our responsibility as health advocates, people living with HIV, parents, grandparents and community leaders with seeing and hearing that these policies are killing people no different than how war is killing people?  What is our role in influencing our voted legislators?  Many of us have ties to countries outside of the U.S. How can we use this power and compassion?

31,000 people gathered together, the largest group to date, gathered in Toronto, Canada together to deliberate what “Time to Deliver” on HIV/AIDS means.  All the players except government high level leadership were present.  What does this mean for 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, 2008?  We need to make sure these high-level leaders are here in active dialogue to create mutual accountability together. Without this commitment and accountability, the global epidemic will not be stemmed in a moment we may have a chance.

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