Helen Clark and Michel Sidibe The need for reinvigorated community activism for HIV prevention and support has been stressed by representatives of the United Nations this morning. Speaking at a NZ AIDS Foundation-hosted function Helen Clark and Michele Sidibe both stressed the need for community-based activism to defeat complacency and tightening governmental budgets. Ex-NZ Prime Minister Clark is the Administrator of the UN Development Programme and Sidibe is the Executive of UN HIV and AIDS agency UNAIDS. Speaking about the global HIV epidemic but making it clear that his comments were as applicable to New Zealand as other nations, Sidibe said "we must fight complacency, we must not drop our guard" in campaigning against the spread of the debilitating virus. He said that advances in treatment which have made HIV infection more manageable since the early days of the epicdemic when it was a death sentence must not be allowed to let the emphasis move away from primary prevention measures such as promotion of condom use. Sidibe said those with HIV are amongst those who need to become more active in the fight against the spread of HIV. "We must mobilise HIV positive people as agents of change," he said. "Primary prevention is critical." "We can never be complacent," said Clark, adding that HIV prevention promoters need to have an affinity with those at risk of contracting HIV. "We have to interact with people wherever they are at, we must reach out to communities," she said. Sidibe observed that in the currently tight world-wide financial climate at-risk communities must hold their own governments accountable for continuing commitment and progress against HIV. 82% of New Zealand's HIV epidemic is amongst men who have sex with men. You can discuss this New Zealand gay community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 7th March 2012 - 12:04pm