HIV, AIDs and Poverty

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Conference
2002 National Lesbian & Gay Conference
Date
2 August 2002
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference notes the International Conference on HIV and AIDS held in South Africa last year.

Conference also notes that certain comments made by President Thabo Mbeki made causative links between AIDS and poverty to African States.

This Conference wishes to make clear:-

1.While we accept poverty is a definite factor in terms of access to health education, drugs and health promotion, it is not the sole factor in the spread of HIV infection and AIDS.

2.Greater assistance can and needs to be given by the UK, Europe and other developed countries to ensure increased access to resources for HIV prevention is given to African states.

3.There needs to be a differentiation between poverty as it actually exists in some African States, the cliché‘d stereotypical images of poverty portrayed by the British press and media and the causation of HIV and AIDS and that there needs to be a seperation out of these three elements in UNISON and its international work.

Conference therefore instructs the UNISON National Lesbian and Gay Committee to respect the above and ensure thatthese issues are addressed in all possible arenas of UNISON structures and in particular its international work.