Health & Development Networks (HDN)

International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)

Advocacy Guide
Meaningful Involvement of Civil Society in the UNGASS Review Meeting
Prepared by the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and Health & Development Networks (HDN) March 25, 2006 Introduction Five years ago, under the heading of Global Crisis- Global Action, the United Nations General Assembly held an unprecedented special session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) the first time the General Assembly ever addressed a specific health issue. The resulting UNGASS Declaration of Commitment (DoC) on HIV/AIDS adopted by all UN Member States provided a comprehensive framework to halt and to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2010, and included specific and measurable milestones for 2003, 2005 and 2010. Five years after its adoption, governments are being called to report on progress they have made toward implementing these promises. One of their commitments is to: ..devote sufficient time and at least one full day of the annual session of the General Assembly to review and debate a report of the Secretary-General on progress achieved in realizing the commitments set out in the Declaration. Between May 31st and June 2nd, 2006, every member country of the United Nations will be sending a delegation to New York to participate in this review meeting. The purpose of this guide is to assist you to advocate to be part of your national delegation, to support and to influence them. It also describes other ways in which you can participate in the UNGASS Review process. This guide is available electronically in 4 languages (English, French, Spanish and Russian). 1

Please photocopy it and pass it on to other people in your organization and to other friends and colleagues. Please note: The UNGASS Review meeting is being organized rapidly so new information is becoming available almost on a daily basis. This guide is based on the latest information available at the time of writing. For information and regular UNGASS updates, go to: www.ungasshiv.org www.icaso.org or subscribe to the break-the-silence eForum, by sending a message to: join-break-the-silence@eforums.healthdev.org

Coordinated Civil Society Preparation how to get involved?

A number of civil society organizations have partnered together to intensify work on monitoring and evaluating national progress and planning advocacy around the UNGASS Review Meeting. In early 2005 more than 30 civil society organizations got together and asked UNAIDS to work in partnership towards ensuring that the UNGASS Review successfully involves civil society. From these organizations a Steering Committee was selected to work on preparations for national and global reports to the 2006 UNGASS Review and on the design of the meeting and its sessions. In January 2006, the idea behind the Steering Committee evolved into a broader Civil Society Coalition on HIV/AIDS UNGASS. Anyone can be part of the Coalition, which is open to all civil society organizations (CSOs) that are committed to and fully support the full implementation of the DoC. Organizations should also be committed to the principle of nondiscrimination, especially to the greater involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS and all groups most vulnerable to the epidemic. To get involved, CSOs that meet these criteria are encouraged to self-nominate to join one or more of the Coalitions three working groups (WGs). (See Box 1) The working groups are focused on:

BOX 1 WG1: International level activities: Overall objective is to encourage, facilitate and support To be part of one (or more) working groups active civil society participation in the or for more information please write to: UNGASS Review Meeting in New York, May st nd 31 June 2 , 2006. WG1: International WG2: National-level activities: Overall vansoestm@worldaidscampaign.org objective is to ensure that national level zonnyw@yahoo.co.uk priorities, events and outputs (including civil society monitoring projects) are fed into the WG2: National UNGASS process. ungass@icaso.org WG3: Communications and information dissemination: Main objective is to ensure WG3: Communication broad dissemination of new/relevant ungasshiv@gmail.com UNGASS-related information resources as they become available, in particular about opportunities for CSO participation in UNGASS, including through listserves and the www.ungasshiv.org website.

The Coalition has actively participated in the preparations for the Review Meeting and has held meetings with the UNAIDS cosponsors, the President of the General Assembly and some of the government missions based in New York, to advocate for a clear and inclusive process, including for selecting those who will participate in the UNGASS +5 Review.

Civil Society Task Force

In February 2006, the United Nations General Assembly Presidents Office also requested the UNAIDS Secretariat to convene a Task Force of civil society representatives to help in key decisions relating to attendance and participation of civil society organizations in the UNGASS Review Meeting to be held in New York from 31 May to 2 June 2006. (See Box 2) The Task Force will be co-chaired by UNAIDS and a civil society member, and will operate through regular conference calls and three task force meetings to be held in New York prior to the UNGASS Review.1 Members will be asked to input into shaping the design for the Civil Society Hearings, which are scheduled to take place on 31st May. This session will provide an opportunity for exchange of views between civil society and UN Members States. The Task Force will also input on format of meeting sessions, topics, messages and key speakers, as well as provide suggestions for themes for the roundtables.

BOX 2
Objectives of the Task Force: Provide advice on: o civil society participation in the roundtables, panel discussions and aspects of the high level event on 2 June o recommendations to the chairs of the round tables taking into account previous experiences with UNGASS-related meetings Logistical issues and needs for civil society attending the meeting Work with broader civil society groupings to help identify key civil society speakers for the sessions, including the plenary session Communicate key issues to broader civil society to keep them informed of relevant developments

Berry Hull, Lucy Cherise, Marcel Van Soest, Zonny Woods (Co-chair), Mary Balikungeri, Rachel Ong, Raminta Stuikyte, Alan Leather, Georgia Arnold, Mabel Bianco, Prateek Suman, Linda Hartke
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How Can NGOs/CBOs Participate in the UNGASS+5 Review?

Accredited NGOs will be allowed to attend the Review Meeting itself (also called UNGASS+5), and selected groups/individuals will be allowed to participate in the side events (e.g., round tables, panel discussion, civil society hearings etc). Accredited NGOs are: NGOs that already have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC status) and that have requested to be accredited to the Review Meeting; NGO representatives that are delegates to the Programme Coordination Board of UNAIDS (PCB); and Other NGOs that have applied for accreditation through UNAIDS and the Office of the President of the General Assembly and will be accorded special authorization to attend the review meeting. [PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PROCESS HAS CLOSED] If you are not linked to one of the accredited NGOs, it is important that you still actively participate in the UNGASS Review Meeting. Below, you will find various options and suggestions on why, how and when you can do this. Many of these suggestions are useful for accredited NGOs as well.

Advocate to Be Part of Your Countrys National Delegation

Hopefully, each UN Member State will send a senior delegation to the review meeting. In some cases, these delegations will participate in the side events (panel discussion, civil society hearings, etc). Their speeches will influence the overall balance and conclusions of the meeting. The discussions within each of the national delegations leading up to and during the Review Meeting will influence your countrys position on specific HIV/AIDS-related priorities. It is vital that the unique perspectives and experience of civil society are included in these preparations and deliberations. You should be advocating with your government to ensure that its delegation includes representation from NGOs in your country, particularly organizations of people living with HIV/AIDS (PWHA). Here are some tips on how you might approach this: Contact your UNAIDS Country Coordinator (for a list please click here or write to ungass@icaso.org) to obtain information and to identify who you need to contact in your country delegation. Contact people you know in your National AIDS Control Programme, or the Department/Ministry of Health, or other relevant departments, to advocate for NGO representation. Contact other NGOs in your country in order to develop a common strategy for this advocacy effort. Get NGOs together to discuss which individuals could best represent the NGO sector on the national delegation.

Write a letter to the appropriate officials in your country (perhaps the President or Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, or the Minister of Foreign Affairs) listing the arguments for including NGO/PWHA representation on your countrys delegation. (See Box 3 for suggested main points for your letter). You can also write to ungass@icaso.org for a sample letter. Go public with your demand that your countrys delegation include the NGO sector. Take some time to explain to journalists and other media contacts why this is important.

BOX 3
Letter advocating for inclusion of NGO Representation in the official delegation Here are some of the main points that you could include in the letter you send to your government asking for inclusion of NGO representation in its official delegation to the Review Meeting: The UNGASS DoC (2001) calls for civil society involvement in the national periodic reviews of the progress achieved in realizing these commitments, to identify problems and obstacles to achieving progress, and to ensure wide dissemination of the results of these reviews. The UN Resolution dealing with Preparations for the 2006 follow-up meeting on Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS: o recognizes the essential role played in the response to AIDS by civil society, including, inter alia, national and international non-governmental organizations and organizations and networks representing people living with HIV/AIDS, women, men, young persons, girls and boys, orphans, community and faith-based organizations, families and the private sector, o invites Member States and Observers to include civil society representatives in their national delegations to the meeting. (This was also highlighted by the President of the General Assembly, in a letter dated 13 January 2006, to all Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the United Nations, included as annex 1) As more is understood about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, greater emphasis is being placed on the value of community-based experience and expertise. Governments and NGOs must work closely together to launch the strongest and most effective response possible. Working together around this Review Meeting is an important part of this collaboration.

Influence Your Governments Participation

Whether or not NGO representatives are included in your countrys delegation, you can still influence the positions that your government takes on specific HIV/AIDS-related issues. Here are some suggestions how to go about this: All governments were asked by the UN to prepare a report, (originally by 31st December 2005), on the progress they have made towards fulfilling their commitments. These reports are the basis for an overall report that will be drafted and presented by the UN Secretary-General at this meeting. Ask your government for a copy of their national report, and analyze how your governments report reflects the reality of your country. Look at some of the feedback other NGOs are giving in response to the national report. Document how NGOs participated in the reporting process and to what extent their feedback was incorporated into the governments report. Find out if NGOs in your country prepared shadow reports on the implementation of the UNGASS DoC. (See box 4 for examples). Meet with other NGOs in your country to work out a common position and strategy for influencing your national delegation on key AIDS priorities. (See Global AIDS Week of Action, below)

BOX 4
These are some of the NGO-led monitoring initiatives that took place in 2005: 1. The International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), supported local partners, in El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Morocco, Nepal, Indonesia, Rumania, Serbia and Montenegro, Canada and Ireland. (maryannt@icaso.org) 2. LACCASO and Gestos Soropositividade, Comunicao e Gnero worked in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. (laccaso-sr@accsi.org.ve and alessandra.nilo@gestospe.org.br) 3. The Open Society Institute Public Health Watch initiative is working in Nicaragua, Senegal, Ukraine, the United States, Vietnam and Zambia. (rguglielmo@sorosny.org)

Ask for an opportunity 4. Panos worked in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Latvia, Malawi, for NGOs in your Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (Ronald@panos.org.zm) country to meet the 5. The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) is working in Ecuador, members of your Brazil (in conjunction with LACCASO and Gestos, see above), national delegation. The Netherlands and Spain. (vansoestm@worldaidscampaign.org) meeting should include a representative of your 6. Fundar, Center for Analysis and Research, is working in Department/Ministry of Mexico. (gabriel@fundar.org.mx) Foreign Affairs. The UNAIDS country office could play a role in organizing/facilitating this meeting if it proves to be difficult to organize.

Before the meeting with your national delegation you should identify what you and others think are the priority AIDS issues and actions in your country. When you meet the delegation, ask them what issues they are planning to report on and highlight at the meeting. If the official delegation does not mention some of the priority issues that are on your list, ask them to raise these issues. Make other constructive suggestions concerning what positions your government should adopt and promote. You may want to prepare a written description of the priority issues and positions (see next bullet). Prepare a brief national NGO position paper outlining the critical issues and making recommendations concerning the positions your government should promote at the meeting. Submit the position paper to the people in charge of your countrys HIV/AIDS programme, to your countrys ambassador to the UN (for a list and contact information, write to ungass@icaso.org), to the National AIDS Control Program, to the UNGASS Coalition Working Group 2 (ungass@icaso.org), to other NGOs and to the Break-theSilence eForum, (see box 5) set up for NGOs to discuss the issues related to HIV/AIDS and civil society.

BOX 5
Break-the-Silence
Break-the-Silence is a dedicated NGO and civil society e-mail discussion forum to support transparent and open NGO participation in the meeting. Issues raised through contributions to this forum will be consolidated by the Coalition and made available to accredited NGOs, government delegations, UN organizations and the media. To join Break-the-Silence, send an e-mail message to: join-break-the-silence @eforums.healthdev.org You can find previous copies of all messages sent to Breakthe-Silence), as well as links and background information and documents on UNGASS, at: http://www.healthdev.org

Contact Accredited NGOs with Your Issues

Whether a representative of your NGO can attend the meeting in New York or not, and whether you have opportunities to influence the positions taken by your government, you should contact accredited NGOs to make sure your countrys and communitys issues are heard. The accredited NGOs that take part in the UNGASS meetings in person are the eyes and ears of HIV/AIDS NGOs around the world. You should use them to channel information and perspectives into the Review Meeting, and you should call on them to update the NGO community about progress and developments. You should contact the accredited NGOs directly (once this information is public, the list will be posted in BTS and other listserves) or through WG2 of the Coalition.

AIDS Week of Action in Your Country

The week of 20-26 May 2006 is a vital opportunity to express our responses to government performance against their commitments and declarations on HIV/AIDS, especially those made five years ago as part of the UNGASS DoC. Many of the events and opportunities described in this guideline will take place during the AIDS Week of Action in many countries. Choices of civil society actions will depend on a number of national factors, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic situation, perceptions about

current national responses, the strength/capacity of civil society organizations and networks, and their relationship with the government in each country. The AIDS Week of Action aims to harness the strategic advocacy moment between the forthcoming Africa Heads of State Meeting (Abuja+5 summit), the World Health Assembly, and ahead of the UNGASS+5 Review and 2006 G8 Summit. A coherent set of civil societyled actions will generate more national pressure and political influence, and hopefully help to mobilize a wider coalition of people behind HIV/AIDS priorities. The week is an unqualified opportunity to focus attention on civil society opinions and advocacy before national delegations head to the UNGASS+5 Review Meeting. Information about the AIDS Week of Action, including details of national plans and opportunities for collaboration and exchange of experience between countries will be posted on the www.ungasshiv.org website and the Break-the-Silence eForum soon.

Develop a Media Strategy

There will likely be a lot of media coverage of the Review Meeting and the preparations for it. This is an excellent opportunity to get your specific AIDS priorities and messages heard. You should start to contact local journalists now, to find out who will be covering the meeting. Keep them informed of NGO activities in your country or community. Arrange for key people in NGOs to be interviewed in the week or two before the meeting. This will help to ensure that NGO perspectives are available when the attention of the media is focused on the session. If you have a national NGO network, you should consider developing a collective NGO media strategy to help share the responsibility for contacting specific media organizations or individual journalists. If your organization already has a fairly high profile in your country, think about preparing news releases highlighting the NGO perspective in your country. Make sure to include contact details of people who are willing to be interviewed.

Staying Informed of Developments

UNGASS+5 preparations are now unfolding very quickly. You can stay on top of developments by subscribing to the Break-the-Silence email discussion forum (see box 5). You can also use this eForum to post information on the issues you might be facing in your country and the events you that are planning related to the Review Meeting.

Contact Information There may be several hundred NGOs accredited to the Review Meeting. It is not possible to list them all here. You may be able to find a list of these NGOs on one of the following websites, once the list is made available: A website has been launched by the Civil Society Coalition on HIV/AIDS UNGASS as a portal for civil societys engagement with the 2006 review:

www.ungasshiv.org
ICASO has devoted a section of its website to the UNGASS processes:

www.icaso.org
To join over 4000 other people on the Break-the-Silence eForum, go to:

www.healthdev.org/eforums/break-the-silence
or send an email to:

join-break-the-silence@eforums.healthdev.org
Copies of this Guide You can obtain copies of this guide in four languages [EN] [FR] [ES] [RU] on the website of the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) at: http://www.icaso.org/ and on the website of Health & Development Networks (HDN) at: http://www.hdnet.org Please make photocopies of the guide and pass them on to people in your organization and in other NGOs.

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ANNEX 1: Letter of the President of the General Assembly

13 January 2006 Excellency, I am writing to you further to the decision taken by the General Assembly to convene a High-Level Meeting and undertake a Comprehensive Review of the progress achieved in realizing the targets set out in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS from May 31 to June 2, 2006 (Resolution A/RES/60/224). The resolution requires me to draw up, not later than 15 February 2006, a list of civil society representatives to be invited to participate in the meeting, for submission to Member States for consideration on a noobjection basis. As defined in paragraph 8 of the resolution, civil society representatives may include in particular associations of people living with HIV/AIDS, nongovernmental organizations, including organizations of women and young people, girls and boys and men, faith-based organizations, and the private sector, especially pharmaceutical companies and representatives of labour. I therefore invite your Government to facilitate the nomination by civil society of representatives for inclusion on this list. Organizations with a record of making a difference in the response to HIV/AIDS in your country should be encouraged to indicate their interest in participating in the meeting through the completion and submission of the attached application form by 3 February 2006.

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The resolution also invites Member States and Observers to include civil society representatives in their national delegations to the meeting (not highlighted in original) A different process will apply to civil society organizations that are accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). These organizations should confirm their interest in participating in the meeting by March 30, 2006 with the Non-Governmental Organizations Section of the United Nations Secretariat at desangosection@un.org (fax: 1 212 963 9248), providing information on the number of representatives wishing to attend the meeting. Such registration will facilitate their consideration for participation in the round tables of the meeting. This letter and the attached form replace a letter from UNAIDS dated 4 January 2006 and its attachment, which were issued in error. Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Jan Eliasson

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