Agreement Reached on AIDS Declaration

Delegates to the UN General Assembly's special session on HIV/AIDS began the final day of their historic gathering with an agreement on a plan to fight the pandemic for years to come. The last-minute compromise came after Western nations reluctantly agreed to drop language specifically naming vulnerable groups, including homosexuals and prostitutes, because it was offensive to some Muslim nations.

Despite the scope of the problem, the stigma it retains made it hard for nations to reach consensus on the document. Instead of mentioning "men who have sex with men," the alternative language refers to those who are at risk due to "sexual practice." Prostitutes will be referred to as those who are vulnerable to infection due to "livelihood," and prisoners will be referred to as those made vulnerable through "institutional location." Western countries also agreed to drop references in the document, which was drawn up by UNAIDS, encouraging nations to support same-sex marriage and decriminalize prostitution. "The outcome is fair and we accept it," said Amr Rashdy of Egypt, who led the push to change the language. But others argued the original language would have better served those most in need of protection.

The 22-page document, which is not legally binding, calls on governments to create national AIDS policies and programs to quickly reduce infection rates and protect those most at risk. Among its targets are:

• The development of national strategies and financing plans to combat HIV/AIDS by 2003.
• A wide range of measures to prevent AIDS, including information and education, should be available by 2005 in all countries.
• The number of infants infected with HIV should be reduced by 20 percent by 2005 and by 50 percent by 2010 by providing treatment to expectant mothers with HIV.
• By 2003, countries should develop national programs to increase access to drugs to treat HIV infections by addressing issues such as pricing, and by 2005 they should make progress in implementing comprehensive health care programs.

The United States has already pledged $200 million to the new global fund to fight AIDS, and congressional leaders agreed yesterday to add more than $1.3 billion to the worldwide campaign against disease. The bipartisan proposal would allocate $750 million to the fund and other multilateral efforts to fight AIDS, $560 million in assistance to individual countries, and $50 million for a pilot treatment program. The measure is expected to receive full committee approval today.

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