IPU Governing Council, 19 October 2011Prof. Dr. Marleen Temmerman, Senator

Chair of the IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS

IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS

Who are we?

• 2006: United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS

• Focal point for legislative work in the field of HIV/AIDS

• Max. 12 members, appointed by the IPU President on the basis of attested expertise in the field of HIV and AIDS

• Funding from external sources (Swedish Sida, UNAIDS)

Mission• Guidance on the implementation of international commitments on HIV/AIDS • Design information and training materials for parliamentarians• Field visits to learn lessons from national responses to HIV/AIDS• Organizing committee of inter-parliamentary conferences on HIV/AIDS• Identifying more effective strategies• Prompting parliamentarians to assume positions of leadership in HIV/AIDS issues

Role of parliamentarians

• Reform laws to make it easier for vulnerable populations to be reached

• Reform health care systems to better respond to HIV/AIDS

• Adopt funding to help prevent and treat the disease• Generally help ensure that the concerns of people

with HIV and other stakeholders are brought to the fore of national debates

Achievements

• Regional and global meetings and seminars for parliamentarians to share best practices in the response to the epidemic

• Lobbying in parliaments to:– repeal or amend laws that present obstacles to

effective HIV prevention – encourage parliamentarians to stand up and

speak out for groups that are most disadvantaged

Achievements

• Providing tools to assist policy makers and legislative drafters:– Statement on HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay

and residence, adopted by the Governing Council– IPU/UNAIDS/UNDP handbook for parliamentarians

Taking action against HIV and AIDS– a web-based database of parliamentary bodies

dealing with HIV/AIDS

Achievements

• Partnerships:– UNAIDS (funding agreement), UNDP, the Global

Fund– advocating for a stronger engagement of civil

society in parliamentary activities relating to HIV/AIDS

Context

• 67% of countries report punitive and discriminatory laws that impede effective HIV interventions

• UN Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS (June 2011): concrete commitments with a key role for parliamentarians

• IPU Strategy 2012-2017 commits the IPU to continue to strengthen its role as a global leader on parliamentary work on HIV/AIDS

• Important to SUSTAIN parliamentary action on HIV/AIDS

• Advisory Group helps parliamentarians to strenghten their capacity to respond to HIV/AIDS

Future priorities

• Elimination of punitive and discriminatory laws• Enabling environment for access to care and

treatment• Fight stigma and discrimination• Keep HIV/AIDS high on the political agenda• Comprehensive approach to other social, health and

development issues

Advisory Group members• Marleen Temmerman, Senator (Belgium)• Mohsen El-Hazmi, MP (Saudi Arabia)• Monica Xavier, Senator (Uruguay)• Thabitha Khumalo, MP (Zimbabwe)• Felix Gutzwiller, Senator (Switzerland)• Lediana Mafuru Mng’ong’o, MP (Tanzania)• Salah Abdulrahman, MP (Bahrain)• Ryuhei Kawada, MP (Japan) • Tantowi Yahya, MP (Indonesia) • Malahat Ibrahimgizi, MP (Azerbaijan) • Scheznarda Fernandez, MP (Ecuador) • M. Jagannath, MP (India)

More info: www.ipu.orgThanks!