Regional Committee for Europe Fifty-second session Copenhagen, 16-19 September 2002 CRAFT RESOLUTION EUR/RC52/Conf.Doc./6 Rev.1 17 September 2002 23506 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH SCALING UP THE RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS IN THE EUROPEAN REGION OF WHO The Regional Committee. Recalling the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/ AIDS adopted by the special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in June 2001; Recalling World Health Assembly resolutions WHA54.10 and WHA55. 12. which called for scaling up of the response to HIV/ AIDS; Noting with satisfaction the report on tuberculosis. HIV/ A[DS and malaria as contained in document EUR/RC52/9, as well as the efforts made by the Regional Director and the Regional Office to scale up activities in response to STI/HIV / AIDS in the European Region; Taking account of the recommendations of the meeting of European regional directors of the co sponsoring organizations of the Joint United Nations Programme on HTV/AIDS (UNAIDS), held in Moscow on 25 and 26 April 2002; Recognizing that the HJV / AIDS epidemic is a major public health crisis of unprecedented proportions in the European Region. which threatens development, social cohesion and political stability and places a significant and unacceptable burden on many countries; WORLD HEAL TH ORGANIZATION • REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE Scherfigsvej 8. DK-2100 Copenhagen 0. Denmarl<. Telephone: +45 3917 17 17 Telefax: +45 3917 18 18 Telex: 12000 who dk Electronic mail: postmaster@who.dk World Wide Web address: http://www.euro.who.int EUR/RC52/Conf.Doc./6 Rev.1 page2 Recognizing that the overall strategy for the European Region is to contain the epidemic and to reduce vulnerability to HIV infection by focusing action on expanding targeted interventions for vulnerable groups. particularly injecting drug users, on enhanced prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STO. and on developing comprehensive interventions to promote and protect the health of young people, while simultaneously developing the capacity to respond to a more generalized epidemic; l. URGES Member States:(a) to ensure that HIV/ AIDS is one of the highest priorities on the health and developmentagenda. and to develop multisectoral strategies and mechanisms for involving ail sectors of society in the response to HIV/ AIDS; (b) to rapidly and significantly scale up the implementation of prevention and contraiprogrammes in ail countries through development of comprehensive, multisectoral national strategic plans and programmes and allocation of adequate resources for the response to HIV/ AIDS. including the development of plans and projects for accessing the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in countries in need; (c) to promote ethical legislative and normative activities that conform to the highest standardsof civil and human rights and protect the privacy and dignity of individuals; (d) to develop comprehensive programmes for adolescents' and young people's health,promoting the use of condoms and the knowledge and ski lis required to develop healthy and safe lifestyles; (e) to promote, enable and strengthen widespread introduction and expansion of evidence-basedtargeted interventions for vulnerable/high-risk groups, such as prevention. treatment and harm reduction programmes (e.g. expanded needle and syringe programmes. bleach and condom distribution. voluntary HIV counselling and testing. substitution drug therapy. STI diagnosis and treatment) in ail affected communities. including prisons, in line with national policies; (f) to develop a supportivc social and legal environment for groups at risk. especially sexworkers. and for people living with HIV/ AIDS and to fight social and legal exclusion. including travel restrictions; (g) to make every effort to ensure effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission ofHIV/AfDS; EUR/RC52/Conf.Doc./6 Rev.1 page 3 (h) to make every effort to continue preventing the transmission of HIV/ AIDS through blood transfusion, organ and tissue transplantations, by further ensuring the saf ety of blood, blood products. tissues and organs supplies, to promote and to strengthen the quality, adequacy and safety of transfusion practice; (i) to strengthen implementation of the prevention and contrai of STis, with increased access and affordability of appropriate and humanized prevention and care services, reaching out in particular to marginalized groups and ensuring their access to such services; (j) to strengthen and extend HIV population-based systems including sentine! and behavioural surveillance of HIV/AIDS and STI; (k) to provide universal and affordable access to prevention. treatment and care services for aJI people at risk including antiretroviral (ARY) treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. emphasizing_the need to ensure its safe and effective use; (1) to call on the Global Fund for AIDS. Tuberculosis and Malaria to take account. when allocating resources for HIV/ AIDS contrai. of low-income countries in the European Region; 2. REQUESTS the Regional Directar: (a) taking due account of the raie of UNAIDS. to regard the prevention and treatment of STI/HIV / AIDS as one of the highest priorities on the health agenda of the Regional Office and to ensure that the Regional Office has the necessary resources to provide appropriate expertise and assistance to Member States: (b) to continue cooperating actively with the UNAIDS Secretariat. co-sponsors and other interested parties. in order to provide appropriate technical support to Member States for improved prevention of HIV transrrüssion and a public health approach to safe and effective use of drugs for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes; (c) to continue collaborating with Member States on promoting the inclusion of integrated approaches to STI/HJV / AIDS prevention and treatment in their health systems; (d) to assist Member States in drawing up and implementing national projects on blood safety. with the aim of attracting donor resources; (e) as part of strengthening country work within the framework of the Country Focus lnitiative, to provide technical support to Member States in need. so that they can develop plans for accessing the Global Fund for AIDS. Tuberculosis and Malaria; EUR/RC52/Conf.Doc./6 Rev.1 page 4 (f) to report annually to the Regional Committee on the progress made in responding to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in the European Region.
Regional Committee for Europe Fifty-second session Copenhagen, 16-19 September 2002 DRAFT RESOLUTION EUR/RC52/Conf. Doc ./6 24 June 2002 22515 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH SCALING UP THE RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS IN THE EUROPEAN REGION OF WHO The Regional Comrnittee, Recalling the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/ AIDS adopted by the special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in June 2001; Recalling World Health Assembly resolutions WHA54.10 and WHA55.12. which called for scaling up of the response to HIV/ AIDS: Noting with satisfaction the report on tuberculosis, HIV/ AIDS and malaria as contained in document EUR/RC52/9, as well as the efforts made by the Regional Director and the Regional Office to scale up activities in response to STI/HIV / AIDS in the European Region: Taking account of the recommendations of the meeting of European regional directors of the co sponsoring organizations of the Joint United Nations Programme on HfY / AIDS (UN A IDS). held in Moscow on 25 and 26 April 2002; Recognizing that the HJV / AIDS epidemic is a major public health cri sis of unprecedented proportions in the European Region, which threatens development, social cohesion and political stability and places a significant and unacceptable burden on many countries; WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION • REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE Scherfigsvej 8, OK-2100 Copenhagen 0, Oenmark Telephone: +45 3917 1717 Telelax: +45 39 17 18 18 Telex: 12000 who dk Electronic mail: postmaster@who.dk World Wide Web address: http://www.euro.who.in1 EU R/RC52/Conf. Doc ./6 page 2 Recognizing that the overall strategy for the European Region is to contain the epidemic and to reduce vulnerability to HIV infection by focusing action on expanding targeted interventions for vulnerable groups, particularly injecting drug users. on enhanced prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STI), and on developing comprehensive interventions to promote and protect the health of young people, while sirnultaneously developing the capacity to respond to a more generalized epidemic; l. URGES Member States:(a) to ensure that HIV /AIDS is one of the highest priorities on the health and developmentagenda, and to develop multisectoral strategies and mechanisms for involving ail sectors of society in the response to HIV/AIDS; (b) to rapidly and significantly scale up the implementation of prevention and contraiprogrammes in ail countries through development of comprehensive, multiscctoral national strategic plans and programmes and allocation of adequate resources for the response to HIV/AIDS, including the development of plans and projects for accessing the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in countries in need; (c) to develop comprehensive programmes for adolescents' and young people's health.promoting the knowledge and sk.ills required to develop healthy and safe lifestyles; (d) to promote, enable and support widespread introduction and expansion of evidence-basedtargeted interventions for vulnerable/high-risk groups. such as harm reduction programmes (expanded needle and syringe programmes, bleach and condom distribution, voluntary counselling and testing, substitution drug therapy, STI diagnosis and treatment, etc.) in ail affected communities, including prisons; (e) to develop a supportive social and legal environment for groups at risk, especially sexworkers, and for people living with HIV/AIDS; (f) to make every effort to ensure effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission ofHIV/AIDS; (g) to make every effort to continue preventing the transmission of HlV / AIDS through bloodtransfusion, organ and tissue transplantations. by further ensuring the safety of blood, blood products, tissues and organs supplies, to promote and to strengthen the quality, adequacy and safety of transfusion practice; EUR/RC52/Conf.Doc./6 page 3 (h) to strengthen implementation of the prevention and control of STis, with increased access and affordability of appropriate and humanized prevention and care services, reaching out in particular to marginalized groups and ensuring their access to such services; (i) to strengthen HJV /STI surveillance systems, including sentine! and behavioural surveillance of HJV / AIDS and STI; (j) to provide universal and affordable access to prevention, treatment and care services for ail people at risk and for people living with HIV/AJDS; 2. REQUESTS the Regional Director: ( a) to regard the prevention and control of STI/lllV / AIDS as one of the highest priorities on the health agenda of the Regional Office and to ensure that the Regional Office has the necessary resources to provide appropriate expertise and assistance to Member States; (b) to continue collaborating with Member States on promoting the inclusion of integrated approaches to STI/HIV/AIDS prevention and control in their health systems; (c) to continue cooperating actively with the UNAIDS Secretariat, co-sponsors and other interested parties, in order to provide appropriate technical support to Member States for improved prevention of HIV transmission; (d) as part of strengthening country work within the framework of the Country Focus Initiative, to provide technical support to Member States in need, so that they can develop plans for accessing the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; (e) to report annually to the Regional Committee on the progress made in responding to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in the European Region.