Africa: Aids advocates urged to lobby governments

CRITICAL ACTION NEEDED BY AFRICAN ADVOCATES TO LOBBY THEIR GOVERNMENTS!

This week, representatives of member-states of the United Nations in New
York, began negotiations on the draft declaration by governments to be
considered at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Review
Meeting on HIV/AIDS at the end of this month. African peoples are at
risk of losing and/or not achieving recognition of critical goals that
have been already agreed to both in the Special Summit of the African
Union on AIDS, TB and Malaria that held last week in Abuja, Nigeria.

Due to lack of proper briefing by their home governments, African
diplomats at the UN are not using the African Common Position Paper to
the UNGASS (adopted by African Heads of States and Governments at the AU
Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria May 2-4 2006), as a basis for their
positions during the negotiations. The African Common Position Paper
contains many important targets and commitments for halting HIV and
AIDS, that African heads of states signed onto at the Abuja Summit last
week. There is a real need for African NGOs to start contacting their
governments to ask them to send clear instructions to their missions in
New York that the African Common Position should be the basis for their
position during the negotiations.

The African Union declaration provides great leverage with other
missions so it is important that the African governments base their
negotiations on this as a group.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Write a letter to your health minister and foreign minister ON OR
BEFORE MONDAY 15 MAY, asking them to instruct their country permanent
mission in New York to utilise the attached African Common Position
Paper to the UNGASS (adopted by African Heads of States and Governments
at the AU Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria May 2-4 2006), as a basis for
their positions during the negotiations.

2. Write or email the Prof Alpha Konare, Chairperson of the African
Union Commission (see address below) alerting him to the urgent need to
share widely the African Common Position Paper to the UNGASS to all
Permanent Representatives to the AU, as well as the AU Permanent
Observer Mission to the UN. The letter should request all AU
member-states to instruct their UN permanent missions in New York to use
the African Common Position Paper as basis for their positions during
the negotiations. Please address your letter to:

Prof Alpha Konare
Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Fax: +251 11 53 36 16

A sample letter that you can address to your minister or the AU
Commission chairperson is provided below.

Please contact us at the email addresses below if you want a copy of the
version of the African Position Paper adopted by the African heads of
states at the Abuja meeting.

The negotiations on the UNGASS draft declaration will be concluded
within the next few days. Please act now to ensure that the important
commitments of the Abuja Summit are not missed out in the UNGASS
declaration.

See sample letter below.

Thank you.

Omololu Falobi
Email: [email][email protected]

Sisonke Msimang
Email: [email][email protected]

On behalf of the African Civil Society Coalition on HIV and AIDS

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Sample of draft letter to your health minister, foreign minister or the
Chairperson of the AU Commision

Dear Hon. Minister or Chairperson of the AU Commission:

On May 4, at the Special Summit of the African Union on AIDS, TB and
Malaria held in Abuja, Nigeria, African heads of states adopted the
African Common Position Paper to the UNGASS.

The African Common Position Paper contains many important targets and
commitments for halting HIV and AIDS on the commitment and is a
remarkable demonstration of a high sense of responsibility by African
leaders towards combating the epidemic.

We understand that representatives of member-states of the United
Nations in New York have begun negotiations on the draft declaration by
governments to be considered at the United Nations General Assembly
High-Level Review Meeting on HIV/AIDS at the end of this month. Many
representatives of AU member-states at the UN are not using the African
Common Position Paper as a basis for their positions during the
negotiations. This lapse severely undermines the outcome of the Abuja
Summit and the credibility of African heads of states, as well as the AU
itself.

We urge you to the urgently instruct your UN permanent missions in New
York to use the African Common Position Paper as basis for their
positions during the negotiations.

Thank you very much for your prompt action.

Yours,

[name of your NGO or network]