Action groups claim Dublin conference is 'short on action'

People trying to cope with the problem of AIDS were critical yesterday of the conference taking place in Dublin.

Strong on words, short on action was the verdictof one of the largest networks in Europe of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with AIDS.

Mr Julian Hows, a spokesman for the Global Network of People Living With AIDS/HIV, said the conference was excluding those living with HIV and AIDS from the real decision making.

The network represents about 150 organisations across Europe and central Asia, and its members are among delegates to the conference.

Mr Hows said that while NGOs working with people affected by AIDS/HIV had been invited to the conference by the Government, they were in the end being "trotted out" as "window-dressing" to sit on panels and recount their experiences.

"And when it comes to drafting the Dublin Declaration there are no NGO representatives involved. The only NGO presence is the UN. If you think about it, people living with HIV should at least witness the drafting of the declaration."

He said that while it was wonderful to have been invited to the conference, "we are, in effect, in the tent, but we aren't at the table. There are an awful lot of fine words and people who passionately believe in partnership. But once again, they seem to be getting it wrong."

Mr Mauro Guaninieri, of the European AIDS Treatment Group, said the AIDS/HIV situation was "an emergency" in eastern Europe and central Asia. "We would like to see this addressed as an emergency with emergency measures."

He said NGOs had met over the weekend before the conference to raise the issues they would like to see in the final declaration, and had commended many of these to the Irish EU presidency in the past week. They wanted the mobilisation of large-scale funds for research.

Referring to the European Development Fund, he said there was at least €10 billion available and unused. "They could easily divert just €1 billion of this for research."

He said access to methadone treatment for intravenous drug users was a key issue. "Also, we are proposing the EU implement the agreement reached last year by the World Trade Organisation to start producing generic drugs [to treat HIV]. And at the end this morning, as usual, all these proposals were refused."