La lluita contra l’VIH a Europa (Intervenció al hepHIV2014)

lazo-757755 Aquí trobareu la meva intervenció al Congrès del Hep VIH 2014, que s'ha inaugurat avui 5 d'octubre a Barcelona, sobre la política europea en matèria de lluita contra l'VIH. Un agraïment molt especial a en Ferran Pujol i altres lluitadors incansables contra l'VIH! Europe’s commitment to fight HIV 10 years ago, governments from across Europe and Central Asia came together and signed a commitment to act in partnership to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Dublin Declaration. It was an initiative from the then EU Irish Presidency. They signed up to a number of actions to realize their commitment in practice and to monitor progress in implementation. Unfortunately, and contrary to the global trend which shows an overall drop in new HIV infections, in Europe the number of newly reported cases is increasing. In 2012, more than 131.000 new HIV infections were reported in Europe and Central Asia, 29.000 of which were reported in the EU and the European Economic Area. That is the reason why we need to put again the fight against HIV high on the political agenda. Looking to the last few years, there has been a tendency to be complacent towards with HIV/AIDS and co-infections in Europe; ignoring public health evidence, ignoring the human rights of persons living with HIV and those of groups most at risk of infection. Budget cuts are jeopardizing efforts to achieve prevention, early detection and access to quality affordable treatment and care. Laws remain or are adopted that further stigmatize and make more vulnerable population that are at high risk of infection in spite of evidence of their negative public health and human rights impact. Renewing political will at both national and European level to address the screening and treatment gap is crucial. We need to work at different levels simultaneously: Firstly, on prevention. We need to support information campaigns about sexual-risk practices and the promotion of the condom’s use as the most efficient method to avoid HIV infection. Secondly, we need to guarantee universal treatment. In the European Union, the gap between the rich and the poor and between social groups has widened substantially over the last few years. The Economic crisis has contributed to limited access to health care services for the most vulnerable people, disrupting European citizen’s lives. The most deprived people are not sufficiently visible in policies and their concerns are not heard. In Spain, a Royal decree limiting access to the public health care system for migrants is jeopardizing early detection. As you well know, it is often an ordinary doctor’s visit that leads to HIV diagnosis. Limiting access to public health is limiting the capacity to have early diagnosis of new HIV infections. We need to secure universal treatment and access to public health care services, as an essential tool to fight the spread of HIV. Furthermore, instead of a patient centered approach, European countries still follow a paternalistic care provision. People with HIV/AIDS are not integrated sufficiently in the health system and are confronted with discrimination. We need to secure universal access to retrovirals for citizen’s living with HIV in all the EU. We need universal coverage for that. Thirdly, we need to focus on the most vulnerable groups. In Barcelona, 81% of new infections are due to sex relationships between men. In Catalonia, this figure reaches 60%. Women in prostitution, or women victim of trafficking are more at risk. At the EU level, an effort should be made to specifically focus on those particular vulnerable group. Fourthly, we need to reduce stigmatization. People diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender still experience many discriminations, included unintentional discriminations. They suffer from mockery and are not taken seriously due to their sexual orientation. Treating everyone with dignity is essential, as well as adopting a patient-centered approach in policy making. Eliminate stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV through promotion of laws and policies that ensure the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Dear friends, In March this year the European Commission renewed its Action Plan until 2016 as an interim measure. Yet a new strategy reflecting current and future challenges ought to be worked during the term of the incoming European Commission. This is crucial for coordinated and coherent approaches across European Commission services. It should also be coordinated with key actors both national and international, UNAIDS, Global Fund and WHO. Be sure that from the European Parliament we will urge the new Commission, which is meant to start its new mandate in November, to tackle this fundamental aspects of the fight against HIV. Late November, the Italian EU Presidency will host a high level meeting on HIV and co-infections. The result of which would be a Rome Declaration updating Dublin Declaration 10 years after. I consider extremely positive that the Italian Presidency has taken the issue as one of its main priorities. Thus, we will remain vigilant to assure that your concerns are well reflected in the conclusions. The constituent parts of the European Union, member states, Parliament, Council, Commission and agencies need to revive leadership in ensuring universal access to early diagnosis, linkage to care and timely treatment. This entails more efforts to achieve affordable treatment for people living with HIV, Hepatitis C or multi-resistant Tuberculosis, as well as reinforcing HIV prevention and ending all forms of discrimination. This also entails supporting neighboring countries existing from Global Funds program in designing a domestic response. This should result, of course, in funds being targeted and allocated at the right level to programs addressing risk groups within the EU and beyond. This is essential to control the continuing increasing epidemic in Europe. In its previous legislatures, the European Parliament adopted several resolutions related to HIV and co-infections and I can assure you this Parliament would make sure to continue monitoring how EU policies and funding programs address HIV and Hepatits C. I would like to have some final words to praise the extraordinary role played by Civil Society in the fight against HIV. Let me pay homage to the extraordinary task developed by the Check Point in BCN and my dear friend Ferran Pujol. I am well aware that this check point has been a model for the development of other community initiatives across Europe. Greater support to the initiatives and the work of civil society is also crucial, because they are confronted too often to work without enough support. I wish you a successful Conference, please count on me and other colleagues in the European Parliament to support your work. Thank you,

lazo-757755

Aquí trobareu la meva intervenció al Congrès del Hep VIH 2014, que s’ha inaugurat avui 5 d’octubre a Barcelona, sobre la política europea en matèria de lluita contra l’VIH.

Un agraïment molt especial a en Ferran Pujol i altres lluitadors incansables contra l’VIH!

Europe’s commitment to fight HIV

10 years ago, governments from across Europe and Central Asia came together and signed a commitment to act in partnership to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Dublin Declaration. It was an initiative from the then EU Irish Presidency. They signed up to a number of actions to realize their commitment in practice and to monitor progress in implementation.

Unfortunately, and contrary to the global trend which shows an overall drop in new HIV infections, in Europe the number of newly reported cases is increasing. In 2012, more than 131.000 new HIV infections were reported in Europe and Central Asia, 29.000 of which were reported in the EU and the European Economic Area.

That is the reason why we need to put again the fight against HIV high on the political agenda.

Looking to the last few years, there has been a tendency to be complacent towards with HIV/AIDS and co-infections in Europe; ignoring public health evidence, ignoring the human rights of persons living with HIV and those of groups most at risk of infection. Budget cuts are jeopardizing efforts to achieve prevention, early detection and access to quality affordable treatment and care. Laws remain or are adopted that further stigmatize and make more vulnerable population that are at high risk of infection in spite of evidence of their negative public health and human rights impact.

Renewing political will at both national and European level to address the screening and treatment gap is crucial.

We need to work at different levels simultaneously:

Firstly, on prevention. We need to support information campaigns about sexual-risk practices and the promotion of the condom’s use as the most efficient method to avoid HIV infection.

Secondly, we need to guarantee universal treatment. In the European Union, the gap between the rich and the poor and between social groups has widened substantially over the last few years. The Economic crisis has contributed to limited access to health care services for the most vulnerable people, disrupting European citizen’s lives. The most deprived people are not sufficiently visible in policies and their concerns are not heard.

In Spain, a Royal decree limiting access to the public health care system for migrants is jeopardizing early detection. As you well know, it is often an ordinary doctor’s visit that leads to HIV diagnosis. Limiting access to public health is limiting the capacity to have early diagnosis of new HIV infections.

We need to secure universal treatment and access to public health care services, as an essential tool to fight the spread of HIV.

Furthermore, instead of a patient centered approach, European countries still follow a paternalistic care provision. People with HIV/AIDS are not integrated sufficiently in the health system and are confronted with discrimination.

We need to secure universal access to retrovirals for citizen’s living with HIV in all the EU. We need universal coverage for that.

Thirdly, we need to focus on the most vulnerable groups. In Barcelona, 81% of new infections are due to sex relationships between men. In Catalonia, this figure reaches 60%. Women in prostitution, or women victim of trafficking are more at risk. At the EU level, an effort should be made to specifically focus on those particular vulnerable group.

Fourthly, we need to reduce stigmatization. People diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender still experience many discriminations, included unintentional discriminations. They suffer from mockery and are not taken seriously due to their sexual orientation. Treating everyone with dignity is essential, as well as adopting a patient-centered approach in policy making. Eliminate stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV through promotion of laws and policies that ensure the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Dear friends,

In March this year the European Commission renewed its Action Plan until 2016 as an interim measure. Yet a new strategy reflecting current and future challenges ought to be worked during the term of the incoming European Commission. This is crucial for coordinated and coherent approaches across European Commission services. It should also be coordinated with key actors both national and international, UNAIDS, Global Fund and WHO.

Be sure that from the European Parliament we will urge the new Commission, which is meant to start its new mandate in November, to tackle this fundamental aspects of the fight against HIV.

Late November, the Italian EU Presidency will host a high level meeting on HIV and co-infections. The result of which would be a Rome Declaration updating Dublin Declaration 10 years after. I consider extremely positive that the Italian Presidency has taken the issue as one of its main priorities. Thus, we will remain vigilant to assure that your concerns are well reflected in the conclusions.

The constituent parts of the European Union, member states, Parliament, Council, Commission and agencies need to revive leadership in ensuring universal access to early diagnosis, linkage to care and timely treatment. This entails more efforts to achieve affordable treatment for people living with HIV, Hepatitis C or multi-resistant Tuberculosis, as well as reinforcing HIV prevention and ending all forms of discrimination.

This also entails supporting neighboring countries existing from Global Funds program in designing a domestic response.

This should result, of course, in funds being targeted and allocated at the right level to programs addressing risk groups within the EU and beyond. This is essential to control the continuing increasing epidemic in Europe.

In its previous legislatures, the European Parliament adopted several resolutions related to HIV and co-infections and I can assure you this Parliament would make sure to continue monitoring how EU policies and funding programs address HIV and Hepatits C.

I would like to have some final words to praise the extraordinary role played by Civil Society in the fight against HIV. Let me pay homage to the extraordinary task developed by the Check Point in BCN and my dear friend Ferran Pujol. I am well aware that this check point has been a model for the development of other community initiatives across Europe. Greater support to the initiatives and the work of civil society is also crucial, because they are confronted too often to work without enough support.

I wish you a successful Conference, please count on me and other colleagues in the European Parliament to support your work.

Thank you,