Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV&AIDS (APACHA) in making the Global Citizen Summit

Leonard Okello, Salil Shetty,Alloyce Orago of NACC and Brian Kagoro during the official opening of the conference

Global Citizen's Summit to end HIV&AIDS has been launched in Kenya from 27th-29th of May. A number of activists, government and non government representatives, media, human rights groups, PLHA, people's networks, donors and UN agencies from different parts of the world came together to critically discuss on the global AIDS response and to explore alternatives that are organic in nature and are well connected with the communities. The first ever International Summit on Social Mobilization for Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support has clearly come out with its strong need for a major paradigm shift in Global AIDS response which is People Centred Social Mobilization.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the Summit Convener Leonard Okello said," This summit is to connect citizens to identify their agenda and to mobilize themselves to end AIDS. There have been some improvements in global AIDS response however these initiatives have been projectized, thus it is extremely important for us now to think how we can go beyond our projects and connect with wider social mobilizations. He also said, "This summit will be instrumental to put social mobilization on the priority in global AIDS response."

The chair of the session Professor Were, the chair of National AIDS Control Council of Kenya noted that it was actually social mobilization that was the missing link in our efforts.

Mr. Salil Shetty, the Director of UN Millennium Goal highlighted, "This is high time for citizens across the world to be angry and channelize their anger into social movements and social mobilizations so that we can make our states and governments accountable towards people's issues." He added, "This summit will be instrumental to initiate a momentum in mobilizing citizens to achieve UN millennium goals and also addressing HIV&AIDS."

Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV&AIDS (APACHA) has been one of the key actors from the very beginning of the summit. Addressing to the summit, Chair of APACHA, Dr. Joe Thomas said, "As one of the largest Asian network, APACHA is happy to be part of such an important global initiative. He further said, "The experiences of APACHA in social mobilization can offer some alternative to global AIDS response." He also highlighted the need to conduct similar summit in Asia and said, "APACHA will be happy to take the role on it."

Mr. Prabodh Devkota, the Asia Coordinator of APACHA said, "At a time when social mobilization has been observed as one of the missing link in global AIDS response, APACHA can offer one of the best models of social mobilization."

APACHA News Desk
secretariat.asia@apachanet.org