Statement by HE Mr Gary Quinlan, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations General Assembly, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, regarding the Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. Delivered on 9 June 2010.
(as delivered)
Mr President
I have the honour this morning to speak on behalf of the members of the Pacific Islands Forum. At the outset, I would like to thank the Secretary-General and UNAIDS for the focused and very helpful report on the progress made in the implementation of our commitments on HIV/AIDS, and for their commitment to the fight against this disease.
Mr President - last December, the report of the Commission on AIDS in the Pacific was launched here in New York. The report was called “Turning the Tide” and was an important milestone for the nations of the Pacific. The Commission drew global attention, really for the first time, to the state of the epidemic in our region. It found sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, were endemic. As we know, the presence of STIs is a strong indicator of HIV risk.
There are several other key risk factors in our region - high labour mobility, gender inequality, young populations with limited knowledge about how HIV is transmitted, cultural influences that restrict people’s willingness to talk about sex, and low condom use. Obviously, we cannot afford to be complacent about HIV.
Mr President, the Secretary-General has called for vigilance about the modes of transmission within each country and flexibility in national approaches. This is certainly needed in the Pacific where the diversity within and between countries and communities requires a variety of approaches.
The Commission on AIDS in the Pacific helped us to learn more about the different epidemic situations in the Pacific and the common risks. We know that HIV transmission occurs in our region mainly through unprotected sex and that women comprise the majority of reported cases. Different epidemics clearly require different solutions. For Papua New Guinea, a comprehensive and scaled-up approach to prevention, treatment and care is required. The Government of Papua New Guinea has achieved notable success in providing anti-retroviral treatment to people living with HIV. Currently, about 61 per cent of people in need and eligible for treatment are receiving it. This represents an impressive scale-up from just 31 per cent in 2007.
Mitigating the impact of the epidemic is one self-evident challenge. But possibly the greater one, as we know, is preventing its spread. One very appropriate approach to prevention was demonstrated by the leaders at the 38th Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga in 2007, who agreed to amend what was then the Pacific Regional Strategy on HIV and AIDS to emphasise the emerging epidemic in other sexually transmitted infections, resulting in a new Strategy which addresses both HIV and STIs.
This shift in focus to STIs was informed by the understanding that responses to HIV, particularly in low-prevalence countries, need to be strongly linked to responses to sexual and reproductive health, and to maternal and child health. STIs can be prevented in the same way that HIV can be prevented, simply and cheaply. And United Nations research shows that every dollar spent on prevention saves another $8 in treatment.
Forming partnerships can help the national HIV response reach more people. Governments can link up with businesses and with non-government and civil society organisations to reach populations at greater risk like sex workers, men who have sex with men and migrant labourers – including seafarers, uniformed services and others.
Research is also important. The Commission on AIDS in the Pacific suggests the patterns of the epidemic in the Pacific differ very much from one country to another. When governments understand these patterns, only then can they target interventions more closely and get better results.
Most of all - leadership is important. For their part, Pacific Island leaders are seriously and genuinely committed to an effective and sustainable response to HIV/AIDS and STIs. The support given by national governments to the Commission on AIDS in the Pacific shows how genuine that commitment is. Business and faith-based leaders, like the Papua New Guinea Business Coalition Against HIV and the Pacific Conference of Churches, are also helping to increase service provision and importantly to reduce stigma and discrimination.
The Secretary-General has urged national governments and international donors to show our commitment by sustaining and increasing our financial contributions to national HIV programs. We can stem the spread of HIV in the Pacific and at the same time improve the reproductive and sexual health of Pacific Island people, through strengthening health services generally, achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and improving access to information and these services.
This must remain a compelling priority for all of us. We must not cut back on efforts to combat HIV, whatever the other pressures. Thank you.