 |
Search : | ||
|
|||
News
|
News stories
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan joins the volunteers in unfolding a commemorative quilt at the opening of the UN special session.(p6604). 
International Federation President Dr. Astrid Heiberg with volunteers at the opening ceremony.(p6603).  From left: Patinya Noyphon, the Thai Red Cross Society; David Brooks Arnold, American Red Cross; Josephine Chiturumani, Zimbabwe Red Cross; David Mukasa, Uganda Red Cross Society.(p6602). |
HIV+ people centre stage at first
UN special session on HIV/AIDS
25 June 2001 by Helge Kvam in New York Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers were centre stage today at the opening of the unprecedented UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS as world leaders and government representatives gathered to debate the issues around the single largest threat to public health on the planet, HIV/AIDS which has infected 36 million people. Four volunteers who are HIV positive themselves joined with representatives of the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) and Mr. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General in a ceremonial tribute to those who have died over the last 20 years from HIV/AIDS, holding out a commemorative quilt bearing names of the dead. Three volunteers from the Red Cross Societies of Zimbabwe, Josephine Chiturumani, Thailand, Patinya Noyphon, Uganda, David Mukasa, and a staff member from the American Red Cross, David Brooks Arnold, came specially to New York to participate in the UN Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS. During several events at the conference they will be the main speakers sharing their daily challenges with other participants including the world leaders. At a special dialogue session tomorrow afternoon government officials from all the country delegations are invited to meet volunteers from the Red Cross/Red Crescent and the GNP+ (Global Network of People living with HIV/AIDS), with whom the International Federation has a close cooperation. By speaking out about living with the virus they hope they can help fight stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS. "I have seen a lot of discrimination. Some of the people living with HIV/AIDS we have referred to the hospitals have been told that they should rather go home and die there" said Josephine Chiturumani of the Zimbabwe Red Cross. As a volunteer she provides care for the sick ones and their families and supervises 20 home care volunteers who assist people dying from AIDS and their families. The International Federation calculates that over 200,000 Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers between 15 and 49 years of age are infected with HIV. This is based on the fact that staff and volunteers are subject to the same rates of infection as the communities they serve. "The fact that volunteers are ordinary people makes them a powerful network to promote prevention. To prevent further spread you need to talk about very private issues which is often difficult. But when women speak to women, men tomen and youngsters to youngsters itmakes it easier. Our volunteers are in the communities and that is where the battle against AIDS has to be fought," said Dr. Astrid Heiberg, President of the International Federation. "Throughout the world the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement has some 100 million volunteers. They are an enormous - and often underutilized - resource in the battle against AIDS. They are in the communities, they speak the language and they know the local culture. It is within the communities the battle against AIDS has to be fought. The volunteers living with HIV/AIDS are the real VIP's of this conference", said Didier Cherpitel, Secretary General of the International Federation. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
