**Tell the Thai Government: Stop the Drug War! Support Harm Reduction!**

Allan Clear

June 2 at 9:14pm

At the same time as the UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, please join us* for a rally against the Thai Drug War and for humane treatment of drug users, including Harm Reduction

Monday, June 9th at 1:30pm
Thai Mission to the UN
351 E 52nd St, New York City

Speakers will include:

* representatives of Thai civil society participating in the UN High Level Meeting
* US and internationaldrug-user activists
* others, to be determined

In 2003, the Thai government escalated their drug war, and it led to the extrajudicial killing of almost 3,000 Thai citizens, half of whom were never found to have any connection to drugs. On April 2, 2008, the drug war was escalated again. The interior minister of Thailand was quoted as saying ³for drug dealers, if they do not want to die, they had better quit staying on that road. Drugs suppression in my time as interior minister will follow the approach of Thaksin [former Thai Prime Minister]. If that will lead to 3,000-4,000 deaths of those who break the law, then so be it. That has to be done.²

Additionally, 50% of injection drug users in Thailand are HIV+, and are being denied access to lifesaving treatment and comprehensive harm reduction services, including clean needles. UN member countries have committed time and again to Universal Access to HIV treatment. The escalation of the drug war will help fuel the HIV epidemic by driving drug users away from lifesaving care while doing little to stem drug use.

No death as a result of the Thai drug war is acceptable. The Thai government must stop the murder of Thai drug users and immediately prosecute state criminals responsible for past violations!

*This action is sponsored by: African Services Committee, Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), Harm Reduction Coalition, Health GAP, NYC AIDS Housing Network/VOCAL User¹s Union, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group

More information: Kaytee Riek, Health GAP (kaytee@healthgap.org or 215-397-4326)

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Second Meeting Civil Society Task Force High Level Meeting on AIDS, 6-8 April, New York

Quick Summary report
Second Meeting, 6-8 April, New YorkCivil Society Task Force of the 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS

During 6-8 April, 2008, the Civil Society Task Force (CSTF), met in New York for the second time. During this meeting the CSTF focused on the selection of recommended civil society speakers for the High Level Meeting, as well as logistical progress for the meeting.

The CSTF will continue to provide periodic updates, informational notes and Action Alerts to keep you informed. Nonetheless, in recognition of our role and responsibility to communicate widely and in a timely manner with broader civil society, we would like to immediately share the following key issues discussed at this meeting:

1. Civil society speakers: During the High Level meeting, there will be three official spaces for civil society speakers: the Opening Plenary; the 5 panels, and; the informal and interactive Civil Society Hearing. The CSTF worked to identify first choice and alternate speaker candidates for each of these events and will shortly be putting these names forward to the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA). They will seek the approval of Member States to confirm these candidates. The recommendations made seek to achieve regional and gender balance, as well as representation from people living with HIV and a broad base of constituencies. Once confirmed by the OPGA, the list of speakers will be publicly available.

2. Civil Society Hearing (CSH): The CSH is part of the official program of the HLM and will take place in the morning of June 10^th, for a duration of 2 hours. The CSTF is recommending that the theme of the CSH be “Action for Universal Access 2010: Myths and Realities”. Under this umbrella theme, the hearing is likely to address a number of issues, including: people who use drugs; sex work; access to treatment for people living with HIV; sexual minorities; children and HIV; travel restrictions, migration and mobility; women and girls; young people living with HIV; financing and health systems; and accountability and civil society involvement in AIDS reviews. Once the recommendations have been sent to the OPGA, they will be made public.

3. Panels: The OPGA released its latest information update^[1] on the High Level Meeting days after the CSTF met. The note includes information on the Panel topics, and stating that they all should consider cross-cutting issues, including human rights and the urgency in meeting commitments set out in the 2001 Declaration of Commitment and the 2006 Political Declaration. The five topics include:

· How do we build on results achieved and speed up progress towards universal access by 2010 – moving on to reach the MDGs by 2015?

· The challenges of providing leadership and political support in countries with concentrated epidemics.

· Making the Response to AIDS Work for Women and Girls – Gender Equality and AIDS.

· AIDS: A Multigenerational Challenge – Providing a Robust and Long Term Response.

· Resources and Universal Access: Opportunities and limitations.

The CSTF is finalizing the recommendations for the civil society speaker for each of the 5 panels and once they have been sent to the OPGA they will be made public.

4. Travel Restrictions: At the first CSTF meeting, held in February 2008, the CSTF raised its concerns regarding travel restrictions in the host country with the Ambassadors of Botswana and Estonia, who are the Facilitators for the High Level Meeting. In following up on this meeting, and at the request of the UN Global Task Team on HIV-related Travel Restrictions, the CSTF sent a letter to the facilitators, as well as to the OPGA, requesting that one of the 5 official panels be on human rights and travel restrictions. In addition, in order to ensure that the matter of travel restrictions is addressed in the High Level Meeting, it is recommended that it be covered in the CSH issues.

5. Tour of the HLM venue: the CSTF visited the rooms within the United Nations where the HLM will take place to ensure their adequacy and size. The CSTF will do its best to ensure that the CSH is held in a room which can hold the greatest number of participants.

6. Accreditation: The deadline for non ECOSOC organizations to register has passed and the list of verified organizations had been put forward to Member States for their confirmation. The deadline for any opposition from States is April 14^th, 2008. Immediately after that, on April 16^th, the CSTF is planning to have a conference call in an attempt to receive information on any potential issues related to accreditation which may require follow up.

The CSTF will continue to work via email, conference calls and will meet again in-person in early May. Prior to the meeting, we will ensure that the meeting agenda is available.

For further communication, please send an email to: universalaccess2010@icaso.org to join the mailing list and receive up-to-date information.

This Report-back has been prepared by the Civil Society Task Force: Kieran Daly (co-chair), Kate Thomson (co-chair), Claudia Ahumada, Elina Azaryan, Robert Carr, Syed Asif Altaf Cowdhury, Vince Crisostomo, Stijn Goossens, Linda Hartke, Neeraj Mistry, Lilian Mworeko, Rolake Odetoyinbo, Laxmi Tripathi, Zonny Woods.

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URGENT!!! Call For Applicatins For Civil Society Speakers 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS

Applications must be completed IN ENGLISH
and received no later than 30 March 2008 – No extension

La version française (http://www.icaso.org/resources/HLM_Speaker_application_FR_FINAL.doc)

La versión en español (http://www.icaso.org/resources/HLM_Speaker_application_ESP_FINAL.doc)

Перевод на русский (http://www.icaso.org/resources/HLM_Speaker_application_PYCC_FINAL.doc)

English version (http://www.icaso.org/resources/HLM_Speaker_application_EN_FINAL.doc)

To download application, please go to http://www.icaso.org/cstf.html

1. Plenary Speaker (a Person Openly Living with HIV)

2. Speakers at the Informal Interactive Civil Society Hearing

3. Speakers on Panels

Background

On 10-11 June 2008, a High-Level Meeting will be convened in New York by the United Nations General Assembly to undertake a comprehensive review of the progress achieved in realizing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.

Opening plenary: In accordance with the resolution adopted by the General Assembly that sets out the organizational arrangements for this meeting, one person from civil society who is openly living with HIV will be invited to speak at the opening plenary session of the High Level Meeting. The other plenary speakers will be the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the UN General Assembly, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, and an eminent person (to be selected). For more information, see the organizational resolution for the Meeting at:

http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories/archive/2008/20070115_2008_High_level_mtg.asp

Civil society hearing: A 2 hour interactive hearing will be chaired by the President of the General Assembly with approximately 10 speakers from civil society. The dialogue will provide an opportunity to exchange views with representatives of governments. The format for the hearing and specific topics are still under discussion.

Panels: Five panel sessions will be held on specific themes that have not yet been selected but that will be drawn from the report being prepared for the meeting by the UN Secretary General. Speakers from civil society may also be members of each panel along with representatives of governments and inter-governmental organizations.

Applications Process

A Civil Society Task Force has been established to advise the President of the United Nations General Assembly on preparations for the High Level Meeting. The Task Force has been asked to propose the names of civil society speakers (including business/private sector) for the opening plenary, civil society hearing and panels. The Task Force has therefore established criteria for selection and a speaker application process, including criteria and timelines, given below.

Individuals are asked to apply on their own behalf and must complete and return the Application Form. Some people may have indicated their interest to be a speaker when they applied for accreditation or registered online to attend the High Level Meeting. These persons must still complete and return the provided Application Form, as it contains supplementary information to facilitate the review and selection process.

Applications are strongly encouraged from: women; young people; sex workers; people who use drugs; men who have sex with men; trans-gendered persons, ex-prisoners; migrants; refugees and internally displaced persons; and people in conflict and post conflict situations.

People living with HIV who attend the High Level Meeting and are prepared to speak from their experience as an openly HIV+ person, need to be comfortable that their status may become widely known due to the possibility of broad media coverage. In addition, people living with HIV will be required to apply for a visa to enter the US and a waiver because of their HIV status.

Selection

The Civil Society Task Force will review applications on the basis of the established criteria. Please note that short-listed candidates may be interviewed by phone. The Civil Society Task Force will make public on list-serves its recommendations of civil society speakers to the President of the General Assembly (who will then make the decisions in discussion with Member States). It will not be possible to reply individually to every applicant.

Deadline and contact details

Applications must be completed and received no later than 30 March 2008.

Only email applications will be accepted. Please send the application with all required information in English to:

E-mail: hlmspeakers@icaso.org

The Task Force is working within tight timeframes and understands the challenges of such a short process. However, this is required in order to allow time for a fair selection process, the approval by the President of the General Assembly, in discussion with Member States, and then for the final selected speakers to be able to arrange their travel and visa requirements. Your assistance in circulating this information as widely as possible and as rapidly as possible is appreciated to ensure that members of civil society are aware of this opportunity.

To download application, please go to http://www.icaso.org/cstf.html

Or write to hlmspeakers@icaso.org and request a copy to be sent electronically

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INPUD Director Invited by UNAIDS for High-Level Meeting on AIDS

Geneva, 15 February 2008

Dear Mr Goossens,

Invitation to the

2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS Civil Society Task Force

26-27 February 2008, New York

The United Nations General Assembly President’s Office has requested UNAIDS Secretariat to convene a Task Force of civil society representatives to advise in key decisions relating to attendance and participation of civil society organizations in the High Level Meeting on AIDS to be held in New York from 10 to 11 June 2008.


The Task Force will report to the General Assembly President’s Office and seek to provide a key link into the UN for the key civil society constituencies engaged in the AIDS response. Task Force representatives will be asked to work with the UN on developing key aspects of the Review. The role of representatives will be unpaid but expenses and travel will be met by UNAIDS.


UNAIDS, on behalf of the Office of the General Assembly President, is inviting 12 individuals from civil society and the private sector to join the Task Force. Individuals were identified for invitation following a lengthy consultation process involving the Civil Society Support Mechanism and Support group, UNAIDS and the Office of the General Assembly President.


I am pleased to inform you that you are among those who have been selected and would like to invite you to attend the first Task Force meeting in New York on 26-27 February 2008. Subsequent Task Force meetings are likely to take place on March 25-26, 6-7 May and 8 June 2008.


You will be receiving shortly a formal invitation letter to participate in the Task Force from the President of the United Nations General Assembly.


The attached Information Note outlines details about the meeting and your attendance. Upon confirmation of your attendance, any additional meeting documents will be sent to you separately.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Thomson
Acting Chief, Civil Society Partnerships

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INPUD Director Stijn Goossens Nominated For United Nations Civil Society Task Force

INPUD Director Stijn Goossens
Nominated by ICASO

Dear all

On behalf of the Civil Society Support Mechanism, I would like to give you a quick update about the selection process for the UN Civil Society Task Force.

1. The Office of the President of the General Assembly requested the creation of a Civil Society Task Force to be convened to assist in key decisions relating to attendance and participation of civil society organizations in the UNGASS High Level Review Meeting to be held in New York on 10 and 11 of June, 2008. The role of representatives is unpaid but expenses and travel will be covered by UNAIDS.

2. The Support Group of the Civil Society Support Mechanism was requested to facilitate a call for nominations (sent in January 2008). Different HIV and AIDS community networks were requested to submit two to three nominations to be reviewed by members of the Support Group for the following constituency categories:

Networks of people living with HIV

- Networks of key populations:

i. People Who Use Drugs

ii. Sex Workers

iii. Men who have sex with men

- UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board NGO delegate

- Labor organizations

- Women’s organizations

- Youth Networks

- Faith-based organizations

- Civil Society Support Mechanism

3. These networks used their own process to select these nominations. It was left to each network’s discretion to identify and carry out their selection process.

4. The Support Group received 35 nominations. These nominations were assessed against an overall criteria set out in the terms of reference of the Task Force, including gender balance, at least one person from each major geographical region, a minimum of three of people living with HIV, representation of key populations and key issues, and to include people with experience of national review processes and of the 2006 Task Force.

5. The support group nominated 12 individuals (below) to be considered by the OPGA. The final decision rests with the President of the General Assembly.

6. Individuals nominated and recommended to the Task Force are:

Networks of people living with HIV:

Lilian Mworeko, Uganda,

National Forum of PLHA Networks in Uganda.

Elina Azaryan, Armenia,

Real World, Real People.

Rolake Odetoyinbo, Nigeria,

Positive Action Treatment Access.

Networks of key populations

Stijn Goossens, Belgium,

International Network of People Who Use Drugs

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, India,

Dai Welfare Society (Sex Workers)

Robert Carr, Jamaica,

Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (Men having sex with men)

PCB NGO delegates

Vince Crisostomo, Guam/Thailand,

Seven Sisters Network

Labor sector

Syed Asif Altaf Chowdhury, Bangladesh,

International Transport Workers' Federation

Women’s organizations

Zonibel Woods, Canada,

International Women’s Health Coalition

Youth Networks

Claudia Ahumada, Chile,

World AIDS Campaign

Faith-based organizations

Linda Hartke, USA/Switzerland,

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

Civil Society Support Mechanism

Kieran Daly, UK/Canada,

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations

7. Once the Office of the President of the General Assembly confirms the selection of individual members, more details will be provided.

8. It is planned that the first meeting of the Civil Society Task Force will take place 19 and 20 of February, which presents major logistical challenges (particularly visa and travel). Other options are being considered e.g. joint in-person and teleconference for first meeting.

9. Other nominations received outside the established process will be considered for other roles within the High Level Meeting, such as participants/speakers on the Civil Society Hearing and/or the panel discussions.

We thank the networks and organizations that nominated individuals for the Civil Society Task Force and the Support Group who reviewed a great pool of candidates and made its recommendations to the OPGA based on the agreed criteria.

Mary Ann Torres

Senior Policy Advisor

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)

65 Wellesley St. E., Suite 403

Toronto, ON

Canada M4Y 1G7

Tel: +1 416 921 0018 ext. x 16

Fax: +1 416 921 9979

Work cell: +1 416 419 6338

Email: maryannt@icaso.org

Website: www.icaso.org

Mobilizing and supporting diverse community organizations to build an effective response to HIV and AIDS.

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