Fighting against AIDS brings presidents and paupers together
- Source: Global Times
- [22:41 July 19 2010]
- Comments
By James Chau
From the Vienna Convention to the its famous Boys' Choir to the Christmas in Vienna television specials that are broadcast to millions each year, the Austrian capital is no stranger to the world.
But, this month, even this global city will see a spike in global focus when it plays host to the International AIDS Conference that began on Sunday. Already, it is proving to be a unique gathering for Vienna and for the 25,000 people who will discuss, decide and take action on the issues that could reshape the disease that has transformed our world.
To excitement around the world, UNAIDS has unveiled what it calls Treatment 2.0, a radically simplified platform that could cut the number of AIDS-related deaths while also redressing the numbers of new HIV infections. But it's not all about statistics.
A few hours ago I was at a reception for Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, where I met an activist from her country named Kim.
He happens to be a well-known theatre actor. And he also happens to be HIV-posi-tive. But because of his health status, he has been severely limited in the countries he has been able to visit in the past including both the US and China.
Now that travel bans against HIV positive people have been lifted in both countries, Kim looks forward to visiting Beijing.
He has the knowledge that he will be allowed in, but also the reassurance that he can do so with dignity and equality. I say this often and I say this again: People living with HIV are not asking for special treatment, but to be treated like everyone else.
Back at the conference, former US President Bill Clinton gave the first plenary speech. Meanwhile, also in town is South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, who says that his 10 years of imprisonment with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island only emboldened his fight for human rights. Seeing Clinton and Motlanthe sitting beside community activists demonstrates the power of when political leadership and personal conviction comes together.
Also empowering is Vienna's annual Life Ball, an AIDS fundraising event. Of course this year was bigger than ever, given that the world's largest public health conference was taking place for the first time in the same city.
While the Life Ball is Europe's most high profile fundraiser of its kind, some say they don't necessarily identify with its spirit of hope. Madeleine is one of them. Living with HIV and living in the countryside just outside Austria, she told me of the difficulty she has in sourcing encouragement, let alone tangible support.
Only six people in her entire world know that she is HIV positive, largely because she doesn't want to worry her elderly father.
The conference continues on Wednesday when I'll sit between the Global Fund's Michel Kazatchkine and Philippe Douste-Blazy from UNITAID and a former French Foreign Minister.
