Table of contents:

• News
• Upcoming Events
• Reports
• Members Section
• News from the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee
• Contact information

Launch of AIDS Action Europe Information Clearinghouse on HIV/AIDS
On the eve of the Bremen conference the renewed website of AIDS Action Europe was launched. After an extensive period of preparations and testing, the new website - including the long expected European Clearinghouse on HIV/AIDSwas ready for take off!

The new AIDS Action Europe website has been designed around the wishes of our members. At this moment, we have more than 170 members in 46 different countries. We have created a special members section in which each member is displayed in a so-called member’s profile. Here, our members can be searched by alphabet or by country on a clickable map. The members profile provides a clear overview of useful organisation specific information, such as contact details and activities. Members have been given a personal account that can be used to update their profiles. We call upon all our members to fill in their profiles as soon as possible!

Another wish of our members was the development of a tool that would facilitate the exchange of lessons learned and best practices. A European Clearinghouse on HIV/AIDS appeared to be the best tool to answer to this wish. The clearinghouse has been added as a functionality on our new website.

Some examples of what you can find in the Clearinghouse:

• Legislative & Judicial systems in Relation to HIV & AIDS (National AIDS Trust – UK)
  Results of a European survey. Pre seminar report.
• Mein Leben mit HIV (Uwe Goerke, Germany)
  Personal website of Uwe Goerke, HIV-positive since 1993, including openhearted online diary, photo gallery, radio and webcam.
• Oh, God I'm coming! (Youth of JAZAS, Serbia)
  TV Clip produced by Youth of JAZAS on the occasion of December 1, WAD - 1997.
• Stop AIDS before it stops us (Elena Franchuk Antiaids Foundation, Ukraine)
  Campaign launched in December, 2003. Since then, 9 TV spots have been produced and broadcasted under umbrella slogan "Stop AIDS before it stops us". Several spots and ideas won international recognition and awards. All products have Russian, English and Ukrainian voice-overs or/and subtitles.

Click here to view all the latest added items!

Your best practices can also become widely available through the clearinghouse. Members can use their personal account to submit information, non-members can easily create their own account at www.aidsactioneurope.org. Let’s join hands and share our best practices!

Martine van der Meulen – AIDS Action Europe

Bremen Conference & Declaration
The conference ‘Responsibility and Partnership – Together Against HIV/AIDS’ took place in Bremen on March 12-13. It was organised by the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union. AIDS Action Europe was actively involved in the preparations, the drafting of the Bremen Declaration as well during the conference. Together with EATG, and as co-chairs of the EU HIV/AIDS Civil Society Forum, we managed to secure strong representation from civil society. Not only as participants, but as key speakers and co-chairs of workshops.  Ton Coenen, co-chair of the Civil Society Forum and Steering Committee member of AIDS Action Europe, delivered a plenary speech in which he called upon the participants to show leadership on different levels.

Several positive results came out of the Bremen meeting. We advocated successfully to include in the Bremen Declaration on Responsibility and Partnership – Together Against HIV/AIDS our main concerns. German Chancellor Merkel made a personal commitment in her keynote speech to bring the topic of HIV/AIDS to the agenda of the European Heads of State and Government. In the Bremen Declaration the Ministers of Health from the EU and neighbouring countries, together with the European Commission and other stakeholders, have committed, among others, to:

• provide political leadership
• respect, act and where necessary legislate to promote and guarantee human rights
• promote universal access to evidence-based prevention, including comprehensive harm reduction
• co-operate to ensure access to affordable medication

In April there will be an informal Council of the Ministers of Health from Europe where the German Presidency will address the Bremen outcomes. Conclusions from the Bremen declaration will be drafted and the work needed will be agreed upon. The result should be a recommendation regarding decisions in relation to HIV/AIDS to be discussed at the European Council of Heads of State and Government on May 31. This is the first time that the topic of HIV/AIDS will be that predominantly on their agenda. It is a great opportunity for civil society to ensure that our views and voices are being heard. We will therefore present our views and concerns to the German Presidency and EU Commissioner Kyprianou. 

The German Presidency also committed funding to monitor the implementation of the Dublin Declaration (2004) that contains specific targets, including universal access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010. Most European countries will probably not meet these targets. WHO Europe will coordinate this evaluation and the Civil Society Forum and AIDS Action Europe are actively involved in this process. The report is expected end of June.

Furthermore, the German Presidency initiated negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry on price reductions. The agreement was that the industry supports the Bremen Declaration. It has underlined its willingness to negotiate on prices country by country. The German Presidency will continue negotiations together with the European Commission. EATG and AIDS Action Europe will follow-up and keep track of the process.

Portugal has the next EU presidency the second half of 2007. They will organise a meeting on migration and HIV/AIDS. It seems like a new trend that each EU Presidency organises a meeting on HIV/AIDS. We will lobby to ensure that the voices of civil society will continue to be heard.

Martine de Schutter, AIDS Action Europe

The International Night of Solidarity
Since 2004, Germans have observed “Night of Solidarity” events just prior to the G8 summit. The purpose of these events is to bring organisations and citizens together to raise awareness and solidarity on AIDS. Last year events took place in over 80 cities across Germany. This year, with the G8 summit taking place in Germany, Night of Solidarity events will be taking place not only in cities all across Germany, but internationally. Campaigners in G8 countries and around the world will participate in events to demonstrate  solidarity with German civil society prior to the G8.  These events will mark the last of a series of efforts starting with the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day on 20 May and continuing through the Global AIDS Week of Action ending 26 May, and culminating on 2 June , the International Night of Solidarity. The Night of Solidarity is intended to keep the spotlight on AIDS during the G8 summit and remind G8 leaders to keep the promises they have made.  To read more about the International Night of Solidarity, please visit www.g8aidscampaign.org
 
Molly Lepeska, World AIDS Campaign
(Picture: AIDS-Hilfe Koln CSD, Germany)

Upcoming Events

The right to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support for migrants and ethnic minorities in Europe: The Community perspective
7 – 8 June 2007, Lisbon, Portugal
This international two day conference will be held at the National Institute for Tropical Diseases. 150 participants, including community networks, health authorities, EC policy makers and politicians are expected to participate. Registration for this event is possible until 30 May. The full program and registration form are available at www.eatg.org.

European Conference on HAART Adherence
21 – 22 June 2007, Lisbon, Portugal
The European Conference on HAART Adherence is being convened to present and discuss approaches to adherence to HIV medication from both a clinical and behavioral standpoint, through plenary presentations, case studies, and expert panels. For more information and for registration for this event, please visit www.iapac.org.

European Gay men’s health seminar
28 – 29 June 2007, Paris, France
HIV Infection remains a major public health problem for Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) across Europe. However, the advancement of prevention and care programmes among gay communities varies a lot among European countries. This workshop, which is the fourth in a series of best practice seminars organised within the European Partners in Action on AIDS project (EPAA), should enable community based organizations active in gay health and HIV/AIDS to learn from each other and to identify the good practices we want to share at a European level. The focus is on Central and Eastern Europe aiming at a diverse and wide representation of these countries. For more information please contact Sandra Essid at AIDES (sessid@aides.org or +33 1 41 83 46 34).

AIDS Impact 2007
1-4 July 2007, Marseille, France
The 8th international conference AIDS Impact will be in Marseille. This conference is the most important international event specifically devoted to human and social sciences in the field of the HIV epidemic. The meeting focuses on the creation of a network between biological, psychological, and social aspects of HIV by offering a platform where researchers, practitioners, and users can engage in dialogue and debate. The AIDS Impact conference has taken place once every two years since the first time in Amsterdam in 1991. More information about this event will be available on the website http://www.aidsimpact.com/2007/

IAS 2007
22-25 July 2007, Sydney, Australia As the fourth conference in this series, IAS 2007 will feature reports of the latest developments in the areas of basic, clinical and prevention science. The conference will continue its strong emphasis on treatment and pathogenesis, while building upon the biomedical prevention agenda introduced in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2005. As a defining feature of the conference, IAS 2007 will examine how scientific advances can, in very practical ways, inform the global response to HIV/AIDS. As the world’s leading independent association of HIV professionals, the IAS is committed to working in partnership with ASHM to develop a programme that explores how best to bridge the gap between science and practice. The truly international nature of the conference (with more than 125 countries represented in 2005) is an ideal opportunity for networking and collaboration. Visit the website http://www.ias2007.org/ for information about the program, registration and submission of abstracts.

Social Inclusion and Health - Crossing the Borders
27-28 September 2007, Sofia, Bulgaria
Many persons in the EU do not have access to basic health and social services. This poses a threat to their own health and well-being and to public health in general. The Correlation Network wants to contribute to a better understanding of the European dimension of marginalisation, health and social inclusion and to contribute to the improvement of services to these marginalised groups. This conference - addressed to professionals from different backgrounds (including service providers, researchers, policy makers, self help groups, drug users and sex workers) - targets marginalised groups and the limited access to health and social services. Information about the program, registrations and scholarships is accessible through http://www.correlation-net.org/sofia_conference/index.html.

23rd Conference of IUSTI – Europe on Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS
11-14 October 2007
The International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) is the oldest international organisation in the field (founded in 1923) whose object is the achievement of international cooperation in the control of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection. This 23rd European Conference will be held jointly with the Annual meeting of the Croatian Dermatovenereological and Croatian STD Societies of the Croatian Medical Association. More information can be found at the conference website http://www.iustieurope2007.org/default.asp.

Reports
Pre-seminar report “Legislative and Judicial Systems in Relation to HIV and AIDS
From 19-21 the European Partners in Action on AIDS best practice seminar on ‘Legislative and judicial systems in relation to HIV and AIDS’ took place in London, UK. In preparation of this event, The National AIDS Trust, conducted a survey among HIV and related organisations across the WHO European region. The responses are available in the pre-seminar report.

Report Civil Society Forum March 2007
The Civil Society Forum (CSF) is an informal working Group of the European Commission to facilitate the participation of NGOs in policy development and implementation and information exchange. It includes about 30 organisations from all over Europe representing different fields of activity. The Forum acts as an informal advisory body to the EU HIV/AIDS Think Tank. This fourth meeting of the CSF focused on the implementation of the Bremen Declaration, human rights, and the monitoring process of the Dublin Declaration, among others. The German Minister of Health U. Schmidt visited the CSF to discuss the follow-up of the Bremen Declaration. Read all about it in the meeting report.

Report Needs Assessment
End 2006 and early 2007 AIDS Action carried out a needs assessment among its member organizations in Central/ Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The goal was to help AIDS Action Europe develop a regional strategy on advocacy that would respond to the regional problems and developments as well as the needs of local, national and regional nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community groups for more effective involvement of affected communities in national and regional policies. This needs assessment underlines a  necessary active role for AIDS Action Europe for its Eastern European members. The author, Simona Merkinaite (Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network, simona@ceehrn.org) did a great job and described three possible levels to target AIDS Action Europe work at. It was discussed that the priority should be given to networking and building region-wide partnerships. This is where AIDS Action Europe’s added value lies best and where not many other initiatives can take up this role. In addition to this AIDS Action Europe will also support capacity building of NGOs and community groups through specific capacity building workshops. The participation in regional and global initiatives is also an option that will be met when necessary. Read the needs assessment report here.

Members Section
The following section is devoted to the members of AIDS Action Europe. This is a space where members are able to present information about their organisation and work they are doing. We hope that this will facilitate our learning about each other and our work, also closer cooperation and understanding!

Our member: Youth of JAZAS
The Yugoslav Youth Association Against AIDS – Youth of JAZAS is  a nongovernmental, not-for-profit, humanitarian organization. It was founded by 25 students of the Belgrade University in 1994 with its main aim to fight against HIV/AIDS through prevention and to provide support to the People Living with HIV/AIDS – PLHIV, in the words of our activists. Youth of JAZAS is an organization of young people existing of 11 branch offices and nearly 3000 volunteers.

Let us take you through few of our priorities and make it easier to see what we do in everyday activities. We try:

• To decrease the level of HIV/AIDS and addiction diseases as well as related risky behaviour among young people through implementation of Peer Education and Counselling in Serbia.
• To raise the levels of consciousness about HIV/AIDS and addiction diseases among young people through social marketing campaigns.
• To enable greater participation of PLHIV in representing and defending their rights. We have done that by founding the self help group for PLHIV which today works as an independent organization: the Q-Club

At this moment Youth of JAZAS is working on the following programs:

1. Peer education by means of Youth of Jazas workshops, in which 70 000 young people in primary and secondary schools took part last year.
2. International Summer School STOP AIDS “Joseph Scheich”. For 11 years it has been gathering students from various countries on the mountain Kopaonik. During 15 days of activities these young people join their knowledge, enthusiasm and experience and work on improving the program of peer education.
3. AIDS INFO and SOS line
4. Social marketing program
5. ICT in AIDS prevention
6. Program of psycho social and legal assistance to PLHIV
7. Thanks to diligence and devotion of the legal team that has operated within Youth of JAZAS for four years now, the first case of discrimination on the basis of HIV/AIDS has appeared before the court and it is still in procedure.
8. Fundraising program

ACT UP Group
Within Youth of JAZAS we have an ACT UP group consisting of the most progressive volunteers who – with their brave activities - point the attention of the public to the AIDS problem and the position of the people living with HIV in Serbia.

Youth Coalition of Serbia
Youth of JAZAS is also focused in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – SRHR of young people and youth advocacy in the area of unemployment and participation of young people in government. This is why Youth of JAZAS was one of the initiators of Youth Coalition of Serbia that gathers 172 youth organizations and groups active in the territory of Serbia.

More information is available at www.jazas.org.yu or feel free to phone: +381 11 330 2000

News from the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee
Steering Committee Meeting Bonn, 22-24 February 2007
On 22-24 April the AIDS Action Europe Steering Committee met in Bonn at the offices of our Steering Committee member Ulrich Heide from Deutsche AIDS Stiftung. We spent a full day discussing our key strategies and focus for the coming years. We will continue to work on policy-development, capacity-building and advocacy. In the coming months we will develop a clearer and more transparent strategy on how to involve AIDS Action Europe member organisations more directly and pro-actively. In order to learn more about members’ needs, we carried out a needs assessment in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We intend to repeat this activity with our members in Western and Southern Europe. At the meeting Yusef Azad from the National AIDS Trust (United Kingdom) was elected in replacement of Hannah Bate (maternal leave) and Arnaud W. Simon from AIDES (France) in replacement of Emmanuel Trenado. The next Steering Committee meeting will take place October 9-10. Please contact us to raise any issues you would like to see on the agenda at westernoffice@aidsactioneurope.org.

Contact information
Secretariat