CARE Experts Cite Failures in AIDS Response at UN Session

NEW YORK (May 25, 2006) - AIDS experts working in Africa and Asia say that attempts to halt the pandemic will fail unless governments better support grassroots efforts to fight the disease. As member states meet May 31 to June 2 to review their progress on the 2001 United Nations Declaration of Commitment, CARE will issue a report showing that the people who are supposed to benefit from international commitments are not fully part of the processes that affect them.

"The Declaration of Commitment is a powerful tool for accountability, but it will only succeed if civil society is better involved. At this point, those key participants are largely missing from the equation," said Denis Caillaux, President, CARE International.

Caillaux also noted that the Declaration and related documents do not adequately incorporate the link between AIDS and lack of food. "In order for prevention, treatment, care and support to work, people must have access to nutritious food. Far too often, they do not."

CARE works to prevent HIV/AIDS and to provide care, treatment and support to vulnerable communities impacted by the disease in 38 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. At the United Nations meeting, CARE representatives will present findings from Cambodia, Kenya, Malawi, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Kingdom revealing that civil society representatives do not understand the Declaration of Commitment and their role in meeting its goals. Drawing from experience in communities most affected by AIDS, CARE will offer specific recommendations on how to bolster the role of civil society and better address the intersection between a lack of food security and the impact of AIDS.

To learn more about the how members of civil society are excluded from the process, download the testimonials below:

Testimonial: Rukia Ahmed (PDF, 108KB)

Testimonial: Elsa Ouko (PDF, 113KB)

Participants available for media interviews include:

• Dr. Helene Gayle, President and CEO of CARE USA, President of the International AIDS Society
• Millicent Obaso, HIV/AIDS Advisor, East and Central Africa
• Dr. Gioi Tran, HIV/AIDS Advisor, Asia
• Madhu Deshmukh, HIV/AIDS Director, CARE USA
• Michelle Munro, HIV/AIDS and Health Program Director, CARE Canada