HIV/AIDS and Disability: Final Report of the 4th International Policy Dialogue held in Ottawa, Canada March 11-13, 2009
With the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), disability issues have received growing recognition in international policy debates. The field of HIV/AIDS is no exception. In collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Health Canada hosted an International Policy Dialogue, March 11-13, 2009, in Ottawa, Canada to provide a forum for stakeholders to discuss the unique interaction between HIV/AIDS and disability, and its relevance to global policy development.
A broad range of perspectives were represented, by participants from Africa, North America, and Latin America, from HIV/AIDS and disability networks, and from both government and non-governmental organizations. Participants represented a range of sectors including education/awareness, service provision, policy and programme development, and research, and included both persons with disabilities (PWDs) and persons living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) as representatives of various networks/organizations.
Through panel presentations, plenary discussion and break-out sessions, participants discussed emerging issues on the intersectionality of HIV/AIDS and disability, and charted a way forward in terms of policy and programme development.