Fri 31 Jul 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Marama Pala A New Zealander has been elected Chair of the International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO). Taranaki's Marama Pala was the first Māori woman to publicly disclose her HIV status, and is the Executive Director of INA, the Māori, Indigenous and South Pacific HIV and AIDS Foundation. The group strives to provide an indigenous knowledge base and Māori world view services for Māori, indigenous and Pasifika people living with HIV. It offers advice and referral services and whānau support, and aims to reduce stigma and discrimination. Pala has also become increasingly busy on the world stage. She is the Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Working Group on HIV and AIDS, is part of the Communities Delegation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and is the Vice-Chair of the International Community Women living with HIV Global Committee. She was named as one of the "15 HIV Advocates to Watch in 2015" by HIV/AIDS resource site The Body. ICASO's Executive Director Mary Ann Torres says Pala is "an exceptional force of nature", who the Board is lucky to have. "I am always impressed by her tireless commitment and incredible policy acumen and look forward to continuing to work alongside her to strengthen the community response to HIV." Pala has been an advocate for people living with HIV and indigenous rights in New Zealand and is passionate about pushing for the meaningful involvement of indigenous people in the AIDS response. "When I joined the ICASO board, I knew that I had a unique opportunity to champion the concerns of indigenous peoples on the global stage," she says. "I am passionate about this work. It is my kaupapa, my cause." ICASO was created in 1991 and works to facilitate the inclusion and leadership of communities in the effort to bring about an end to the AIDS pandemic.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 31st July 2015 - 10:04am