Kampala declaration: Making access for all reality
2nd General Meeting of the African Campaign on Disability & HIV and AIDS 'Making Access for All a Reality' From 11-13 of March the 2nd General Meeting of the African Campaign on Disability & HIV and AIDS took place in Kampala.The Africa Campaign is a unifying umbrella under which DPO's, HIV&AIDS NGOs, researchers and activists, work collectively to achieve: - A coordinated response, involving persons with disabilities in African countries, to achieve inclusive national HIV&AIDS policies and programmes - Equal access for persons with disabilities in Africa to information and services on HIV & AIDS.
During the conference the ‘Kampala Declaration on Disability and HIV & AIDS’ was drafted. The declaration calls upon governments, HIV&AIDS specialists, HIV&AIDS service providers, UN agencies, funding agencies, research institutes and DPO’s to include people with disabilities in their response to HIV&AIDS. The declaration refers to the obligations of these stakeholders under the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and the Millennium Development Goals.
Among the 170 participants, coming from 20 African and 10 Western countries, there were only a few representatives of international NGO’s. Handicap International (co-organizer of this campaign), Cordaid and VSO attended the meeting. Furthermore UNAIDS and the Global Fund were present. This limited participation of international organisations reflects the lack of awareness and/or interest of international organisations when it comes to mainstreaming disability in HIV&AIDS programs.
The Kampala Declaration is an important step towards increased awareness and appropriate action for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the HIV&AIDS response at all levels.
For more information about the Africa Campaign have a look at www.africacampaign.info. The Kampala Declaration can be downloaded at http://www.dcdd.nl/default.asp?action=article&id=3652