Campaign Updates

This year’s Unite to Fight AIDS Speaker Tour was a massive success. Download pictures and read more about it.

This month marks the 5th Anniversary of the Doha Declaration, but 5 years on little progress has been made and many people are still dying from lack of access to affordable medicines. Read the Guardian article here.

Representatives of the Stop AIDS Campaign delivered a Doha birthday card to Tony Blair to mark the Anniversary on the 14th Nov. We let him know why we’re so unimpressed and asked that the UK government take a lead in championing Universal Access at the G8 Summit next year.

On 14th November Oxfam, one of the members of the Stop AIDS Campaign, released a new report: Patents versus Patients. It tracks the progress that has been made in accessing affordable medicines since the Doha Declaration finding that unfortunately too little has changed…
Download a copy of Oxfam’s briefing here.

Take Action

If you haven’t done so already why not send a Doha birthday card to your MP. Let them know why this anniversary is so significant, and invite them to your World AIDS Day events. For a template of the card sent to Blair and more ideas of what to include email: katy.athersuch@spw.org

‘These patents make me sick’
Come to one of the first ever UK screenings of a new film documentary about TRIPS and access to medicines. KCL Stop AIDS Society has organised a showing of the new film ‘These patents make me sick’, on Monday 27th November in the Harris Lecture Theatre, Guys Campus, London. The film starts at 6 pm and will be followed by a Q&A session. Everyone is welcome! Read more about the film here. . For directions on how to get there email Katy.athersuch@spw.org

Important International News

Dr Margaret Chan from China is appointed as the new Director-General of the WHO. Read more about her appointment on the WHO website.

Medsin have been campaigning against the lack of transparency involved in the process of appointing the WHO Director General. Find out more about this campaign.

All eyes on South Africa as the government reviews its strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS. The new 5 year plan is due to be published on World AIDS Day. Recently there have been signs of a positive shift within the South African government towards acknowledging the reality of HIV. Deputy president Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka addressed AIDS Activists on October 27th pledging easier access to ARVs through the public health system especially for the poor. The new strategy will be set out in a five year plan due on December 1st. Watch this space to see if there really has been a change of heart?! Read the Guardian article here.

T-shirts?

The Leeds Stop AIDS Society have designed some fabulous t-shirts for Student Stop AIDS. To find out more about price and design and to order some for yourself or your society email Harry at ugm4heb@leeds.ac.uk

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 14th, 2006 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Campaign News, Newsletter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.