A quarterly international newsletter on sexuality, sexual health, and sexuality education.
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Spring/Summer 2004
XV International AIDS Conference: Access for All
The XV International AIDS Conference: Access for All will be held July 10 - 16, 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand. The bi-annual, four-day session is considered a major international event, and is attended by researchers, policymakers, and activists to discuss innovations in prevention, treatment, and care as well as new insights into issues, policies, and epidemiological trends. According to the conference's official website, this year's theme, Access for All, "reflects the need for all groups, including scientists, community workers and leaders, from all levels, from the field, the public and private sectors, to have access to all resources developed after 20 years of living with HIV/AIDS."1
Access for All is the first conference of its kind to be held in South-East Asia, where the HIV prevalence rate is growing rapidly. In addition to skillsbuilding workshops, activities for youth, and exhibitions by NGOs and commercial exhibitors, Access for All is offering a Study Tour Program to highlight HIV/AIDS issues and successful programming in Thailand. Participants can choose to travel to four different regions "to learn through the real experiences of the community, by visiting Thai Community Organisations," and "to provide an opportunity for Thai Community Organisations to share experiences with, and learn from friends, working in similar fields in other countries."2
U.S. Government Limiting Attendance
The U.S. government has limited attendance at the conference to 50 federal employees (not including those already stationed in Southeast Asia). Department of Health and Human Services Secretary,Tommy Thompson, has said this is merely cost-cutting, explaining that sending such a small contingent will cost $500,000, down from the $3.6 million spent to send 236 people to the 2002 conference in Barcelona, Spain.3
However, many believe that this decision is a reaction to the less-thanwelcoming reception Thompson received in Barcelona. One report cites a confidential e-mail sent by NIH Office of AIDS Research Director Jack Whitescarver which claimed William Steiger, an official at the Department of Health and Human Services who works for Thompson, stated the decision "was a result of the treatment the secretary received in Barcelona and HHS opinion that this meeting is of questionable value."4 This suggestion is supported by a quotes from Rep. Mark Souder (RIndiana) that appeared in USA Today, "If we send the Secretary of Health over, and he can't speak, that isn't a benign protest.That suggests an extremely political conference and close to an anti-American attitude."5
The suggestion that Thompson's decision is based solely on cost is difficult to defend because the Thai Ministry of Health and the International AIDS Society, the two main organizers of the upcoming conference, sent a letter to Secretary Thompson indicating that they would be willing to provide financial assistance to enable more U.S. scientists and researchers to attend.
Scientists at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are reportedly "outraged."6 A coalition of 25 U.S. organizations criticized Thompson for his decision in a letter sent April 29. In an article in USA Today, Judy Auerbach of the American Foundation for AIDS Research, which tops the list of signers, explained,"the U.S. is the biggest supporter of AIDS research in the world. Leading scientists won't be able to present important new findings because they won't be there."7
Attempts to Influence Agenda
In addition to actively cutting U.S. participation, conservative elements in the U.S. government are attempting to influence conference content. On May 5, 2004, eight conservative members of U.S. Congress wrote a letter to Administrator Andrew Natsio, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), expressing disappointment in prior International AIDS Conferences and requesting detailed information about Access for All. They criticized the lack of attention paid to faith-based programs, specifically the Catholic Church, and to abstinence messages in HIV prevention.They requested detailed lists of attendees from faith-based groups financially supported by USAID as well as copies of the accepted abstracts for presentations that specifically address abstinence, monogamy, and partner reduction.8
A similar letter was sent to Mr. Joep Lange, President of the International AIDS Society (one of the primary organizers of the conference).The letter highlighted the status of the U.S. as the leading international donor on HIV/AIDS-related programming and went on to criticize prior international AIDS conferences. It claimed that none of "the major speeches or lectures address faith's role in the AIDS crisis" and complained of a bias against "programs that promote abstinence and faithfulness."The authors also reference the "rude reception" given to Thompson in Barcelona.They conclude by requesting details about faith-based speakers and presentations focusing on abstinence, monogamy and partner reduction.9
SIECUS' director of public policy, Bill Smith, commented, "It is a travesty to lose the participation of U.S. scientists in Access for All.With such amazing resources, U.S. research institutes and labs form a major hub of cutting-edge information on HIV/AIDS. Given the current political climate in the U.S., however, this situation presents on opportunity for those progressive U.S.-based NGOs attending the conference to present the real U.S. consensus on HIV prevention -a consensus that rejects the narrow approach of the Administration and embraces more comprehensive interventions." Smith will be discussing the official U.S. Strategy, specifically its promotion of abstinence-until-marriage programs, in a poster session entitled Abstinence- Only as Prevention: Science, Ideology and Details from the US Experience (July 12, 12 pm, Exhibition Center, Hall 3-Track E).
For those unable to attend, the Conference will be webcast by Kaisernetwork.org, featuring daily live coverage and news summaries. The XV International AIDS Conference is organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS) with the Thai Ministry of Public Health as the local Host.The coorganizers of the conference are UNAIDS, The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW),The International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO),The Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+), and Thai NGO Coalition on AIDS (TNCA).
Please visit the XV International AIDS Conference: Access for All website for more information: http://www.aids2004.org/.
References
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