Universal Access Campaigning
This section of the ua2010.org website is dedicated to campaigning on universal access. Since 2005, universal access has become a rallying cry for civil society campaigners because it is one of the clearest stated time bound commitments on AIDS made governments. As a broad campaigning demand, it is simple, eminently sensible, and is understood by the UN and government agencies as a goal to be achieved by 2010.
Reaching this goal is by no means certain. A proliferation of initiatives, the emergence of the debate of whether “vertical” or “horizontal” responses to global health challenges are preferable, and “AIDS fatigue”—signs of flagging commitment—threatened to sidetrack attaining universal access by 2010. AIDS campaigners cannot and must not allow this solemn commitment to join the scrapheap of unkept promises.
Universal access is a spectrum of responses that includes a wide array of actions providing treatment, care, prevention and support services on AIDS. In this section you can read about what universal access is. Campaigners around the world now face the duel challenge of not only fighting for universal access to become a reality, they also must fight to maintain the focus on why it is important to do so.
Aiming to spur collective action and to invigorate the next stage of campaigning strategies, the World AIDS Campaign convened universal access campaigners to begin an open-ended dialogue about ways forward. Read the preliminary findings “The Road Ahead: Campaigning on Universal Access until 2010”
Subscribe to the Universal Access (UA) Campaigner's Update, the newsletter that highlights AIDS campaigning efforts from around the world, particularly holding leaders accountable on keeping their promises on universal access to prevention, treatment care and support.
To read the latest news on universal access, click here.
Knowledge is power! Please share your information on what you are doing to campaign for universal access – info@worldaidscampaign.org.
About this site
Some would argue that though much progress has been gained, the campaign for universal access is now confronting some of the greatest barriers to progress that it has ever faced. In 25 years of fighting AIDS there have been substantial gains but never have these gains been won without a struggle. No matter that projected death tolls numbering in the millions stretch far into the future, a sense of AIDS fatigue and complacency is on the rise. This despite the fact that AIDS continues to surge forward in Africa which remains hardest hit, but also in Western capitols, Russia and in Asia.
Who we are
This site is supported by the World Aids Campaign but all organisations and individuals who are interested in calling for universal access are encouraged to contribute.
What we want
Our goals are simple:
· “We want the United Nation member states to keep the 103 promises they made in 2001 to ‘to address the problem of HIV/AIDS in all its aspects and to secure a global commitment to combat it in a comprehensive manner.’”
· “We want the national targets called for in the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS to be set and achieved, including interim targets for 2008 to be reached in accordance with the core indicators recommended by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS,”
· “We want the G8 to keep its promise of providing universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.”