Statement regarding participation in EECAAC 2014
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03.04.2014

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The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition in Eastern Europe and Central Asia statement regarding participation in the 4th Conference on HIV/AIDS in the EECA region.
On May 12, the 4th conference on HIV and AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECAAC 2014) will be held in Moscow. The co-organizers are the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (CPS) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) .
Representatives of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ITPCru) are participating in the Conference Program Committee. ITPCru will assist in facilitating discussions on the role of "Civil Society" in addition to the organization of specialized seminars.
In light of the political landscape in the region in recent months, different positions have been voiced from civil society organizations about holding EECAAC 2014 in Russia, ranging from criticism concerning policies pursued by the Government of the Russian Federation to statements about boycotting the event.
ITPCru shares the concerns of our colleagues on many issues, and wanted to clarify why we will still be participating in the conference. In the EECA region, according to recent data, the epidemiological situation continues to deteriorate. ITPCru believes it is important to effectively use the platform of EECAAC 2014 to address current policies and jointly develop possible ways out of the epidemiological crisis. Recently, civil society has made progress in the field of working with Russian authorities on the local and regional level. We believe and hope that this progress can be extended to work with higher level authorities. Constructive and meaningful involvement with government officials attending the conference could be a step in this direction.
As a regional organization, we also believe it is important that we represent the perspectives of our partners, who will not be able to attend the conference. We fear that if all civil society organizations with critical opinions completely boycott the conference, they will be replaced with supporters of conservative approaches in the fight against HIV that have proven to be ineffective.
With respect to the open letter published by Ukrainian non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders in the ITPCru mailing list on March 14, 2014, we thank them for expressing solidarity with Russian colleagues and in turn would like to express our solidarity with all our friends and colleagues in the Ukraine. ITPCru fully supports peace in the region. Regardless of the decision to participate in EECAAC 2014, we are ready to fully collaborate with and support people living with HIV and other partners in the Ukraine and all countries in the EECA region in our joint efforts to combat the HIV epidemic.
Best regards,
Gregory Vergus
ITPCru & CF
www.itpcru.org