In connection to the situation around the 4th Conference on HIV/AIDS in Moscow
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25.04.2014

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In connection to the situation around the 4th Conference on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with a number of organizations having announced their intention to boycott the conference because of the deterioration in relations between Ukraine and Russia, we consider it necessary to make the following statements:
The All-Russian Union of PLHIV NGO is expressing its support to people living with HIV as well as to the whole nations of Ukraine, Russia, and any countries that are now affected by conflicts. As a community of people living with disease, we are not assuming the responsibility of commenting on politics, however, we consider it important to remember, regardless of the political framework, that, in any situations, patient communities should adhere to the principles of protecting people’s right to access to prevention, treatment, care, and support.
Civil society organizations should always exemplify commitment to their fundamental values, such as support, unity, mutual understanding, and meaningful discussion for the sake of saving lives.
In our opinion, any communities affected by HIV are entitled to and must, as part of their activities, raise acute issues that all countries in the ECA region are to some extent or another concerned by, including need for sufficient and continued provision of medicines, availability of necessary tuberculosis and drug-addiction treatments, psychological and social support, implementation of efficient preventive programs, and observance of human rights.
A regional-level conference could offer a unique opportunity to participate in meaningful meetings and discussions, share ideas, develop joint statements, and, finally, influence the regional policy with regard to HIV in order to reverse the epidemics and stop the spread of disease.
In our view, a decision whether to participate or not in the conference should be made responsibly and prudently. We recognize a boycott as a way of expressing one’s position, however, we believe that such a decision may eventually lead to disunity of the community organizations and have an adverse impact on anti-HIV efforts in the ECA region. On the contrary, meaningful involvement in the conference activities would be, in our opinion, much more beneficial for all the countries in the region, by providing an opportunity and a right to state one’s view on issues regarding HIV policy.
On our part, we are convinced that we have no right to deny ourselves and people we are advocating for a chance to openly raise their problems and discuss potential solutions at an event conducted at the level like this.
We ask all those who support our position to make their views public or sign this letter personally or on behalf of their organizations.
Address: 20, Zavodskoy proyezd, office 40, 105043, Moscow, tel.: (916) 681-9069, (499) 165-8614, e-mail: e_d@hivrus.ru