20 April 2016 - The co-facilitators leading negotiations for the 2016 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, the UN Permanent Representatives of Switzerland and Zambia, released the zero draft Political Declaration yesterday which will be negotiated and finalized by governments in the lead up to the 8-10th June High-Level Meeting in New York.
Following the joint event at UN Headquarters organized by UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership two weeks ago which brought together civil society leaders for discussions on TB and HIV joint language for the Political Declaration, the zero draft contains ambitious commitments to put the world on track to end the AIDS and TB epidemics by 2030.
The language includes a call to achieve the targets in the Global Plan to End TB 2016 - 2020, a commitment to reduce TB-related deaths among people living with HIV by 75% by 2020, the development of new service delivery models to ensure delivery of more integrated services for HIV and TB, and recognition that TB remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV (see below for full zero draft TB language)
The co-facilitators, the UN Permanent Representatives of Switzerland and Zambia, will lead informal consultations on the zero draft beginning on 25th April, which will be adopted by governments as a political declaration at the High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS on 8th June. The co-facilitators will also hold an informal meeting with civil society and other relevant stakeholders on 26th April, which will be webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/live/.
Feedback and comments on the zero draft can be made by email to the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations at HLM2016@icaso.org, by no later than Friday, 22 April.
The Stop TB Partnership, working with partners, will be supporting the HIV community over the coming weeks to push for strong commitments and targets on HIV/AIDS. Strong government commitments will be integral to making an impact against TB in the countries confronting high rates of HIV/TB co-infection, where HIV leads to higher rates of TB and vice-versa.
The UN High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS will take place in New York from 8 to 10 June. It will bring together high-level representatives of governments, people living with HIV, civil society, the private sector and other partners to focus the world’s attention on the importance of a Fast-Track approach to the AIDS response over the next five years. The Political Declaration adopted at the meeting will guide and monitor the AIDS response towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Line 23. Note with concern that TB remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV
Line 39. welcome the broadening of the Medicines Patent Pool mandate, hosted by UNITAID, to address Hepatitis C and TB, reflecting the importance of integrating the AIDS response into the broader global health agenda.
Line 58(e). Work towards achieving universal health coverage, including the development of new service delivery models to ensure delivery of more integrated services for HIV, TB, viral hepatitis...
Line 58(f). Commit to reduce TB-related deaths among people living with HIV by 75% by 2020, as outlined in the WHO End TB Strategy.
