News

HLM Information Note #1 to GCWA members:

Be Part of the Process: the 2011 United Nations General Assembly
High Level Meeting on AIDS (HLM)

This information note seeks to provide our membership with key information about the upcoming HLM. Stay tuned for a second information note, to be released the week of May 16th, which will focus on key messages for women and girls.

When and where will the HLM take place?

The 2011 HLM will take place in New York from 8 -10 June 2011. It will focus on undertaking 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, as well as to promote the continued engagement of leaders in a comprehensive global response to AIDS.
What will the format of the HLM be?

The HLM will consist of an opening and closing plenary and five thematic panel discussions. The panels will focus on selected areas that require special attention to advance the response to AIDS, and will help examine the progress made, promote the sharing of best practices, identify challenges and gaps and sustainable ways to overcome them. The themes for panel discussions will be::

• Panel 1: Shared responsibility – a new global compact for HIV/AIDS (morning of Wednesday, 8th June)
• Panel 2: Prevention – What can be done to get to zero new infections? (afternoon of Wednesday, 8th June)
• Panel 3: Innovation and new technologies (morning of Thursday, 9th June)
• Panel 4: Women, girls and HIV (afternoon of Thursday, 9th June)
• Panel 5: Integrating the HIV/AIDS response with broader health and development agendas (morning of Thursday, 10th June)

 What will the outcome be?

The outcome of the High Level Meeting will be a new "concise and action-oriented declaration, that reaffirms and builds on the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to guide and monitor the HIV/AIDS response beyond 2010..." (paragraph 19, Resolution 65/180).

How can I engage?

Before the HLM

• The outcome declaration will be negotiated by Member States before the HLM. While negotiations are conducted amongst Member States, as a civil society member you can contact your government and advocate for key issues to be included in the declaration. In doing so, you can draw off the findings of the GCWA/ATHENA led virtual consultation on women’s priorities for the HLM. With over 700 responses, regional and global findings can be accessed here
• Work with other women’s rights and HIV advocates to ensure that these key issues are reflected in the HLM outcome document. If you’re not already connected, don’t worry! Just email us at gcwascapplications@gmail.com with HLM Women and AIDS in the title and we will get back to you.
• Contact your government to be included in the official national delegation. Who to reach out to for this varies in each country, as it may be the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Health, or others. If you are not sure, it is best to seek advice from a local AIDS organization. If you have already been invited to be part of the official delegation, please let us know by emailing gcwascapplications@gmail.com

 During the HLM

• Please note that registrations to participate in the HLM have closed. If you participated in the civil society hearings held in April, you are not automatically registered for the HLM, but must have received a specific letter informing you that your registration has been approved.
• If you have registered and received an invitation letter, we hope to see you in New York! The GCWA, in partnership with GESTOS, will be co hosting a women’s strategy meeting on June 7th as part of our HLM efforts. If you would like to find out more or participate, please write to gcwascapplications@gmail.com Unfortunately, the GCWA is unable to provide funding for participants.

While the GCWA strives to share information with its membership, we are not involved in the official organization of the HLM. For more information from UNAIDS, click here