Global Citizens Summit 2009

The aim of the Global citizen’s summit is to create a new momentum on Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support through scaling up social mobilization to end HIV and AIDS.

Issues and agenda for a new and radical approach to end HIV and AIDS.

  1.1. Only 10% of people living with HIV&AIDS actually know their status: this is an unacceptable verdict on the global AIDS response that requires a business unusual approach to step up testing. A special mobilisation of communities to attain universal access testing is urgently required. So far only Cuba has successfully tested the whole nation and yet it had a very low prevalence rate.    Countries with very high rates such as the case for East and Southern Africa surely must do better to intensify mobilisation to attaining  increased know your status for an effective prevention .

1.2 Prevention strategies so far adopted continue to be behind the epidemic. All key influential institutions including traditional leaders and structures, religious leaders, broader social movement groups, women leaders, youths, student activists, trade union leaders, political leaders representing their multi-sectoral constituencies must rethink their action plans and adopt a new radical approach that is a departure from the business as usual approach to stop new infection. Impact mitigation, especially to address women, men, Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and PLHA issues, requires comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach. The burden of women in the context of HIV and AIDS has been increasingly high. OVC issues are massive that calls for targeting the individual child and the family and mobilize multi-sectoral institutions.  Meaningful involvement of PLHA still requires a proactive support and role.  

1.3 With limited or dysfunctional Primary Health Care people and governments in the global south must develop actions that strengthen the Primary Health Care Systems. People should be mobilized for increased health consciousness and democratizing health services to achieve universal access.  

1.4 AIDS financing has continued to be donor driven, project- based and unaccountable to the citizens and countries. A recent study (OSISA/CADRE) of 3000 organisations in southern Africa revealed that despite 600% increase in AIDS funding only 11% reached the frontline CBOs. The geopolitics of aid is undermining the reality of HIV prevalence and actual funding needs of, especially, some hyper-epidemic countries. The summit will discuss radical options of funding and accountability for the aids response and other health issues in this era of global climate change, food, fuel and financial crisis

1.5 Partnership and Alliance building is at the core of social mobilization. It is high time to connect and mobilize the broader social movements and multi-sectoral constituencies to promote inclusive and functional partnerships to end AIDS.

1.6 Investments in aids research by Southern Governments and local institutional have been very dismal, with minimal impact on the HIV&AIDS response. The summit will seek to change this trend and promote programmatic research that works.

1.7 A New and Radical Action Plan will be adopted with the aim of revolutionising the global response across the African, Asian and Latin American continents.