Topic: Rights of HIV-Positive Individuals
Country: Norway
Delegate Name: Meaghan Shiffler
School: West Ottawa High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Norway position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
HIV and AIDS have spread rapidly over the past 25 years. It was first found in just a few countries, but has since spread to almost every country in the world; 65 million people have been infected and 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981. Stigma and discrimination are two of the main barriers to effective prevention. It is vital to encourage public conversations about HIV and AIDS, power, sexuality, social norms and culture, and to counteract taboos and marginalization. The main focus of Norway’s HIV and AIDS policy is to prevent more people becoming infected by the virus. It follows two main lines. Firstly, funding and knowledge are primarily invested in broad multilateral efforts that follow the UN guidelines for achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support. In addition, a limited number of priority themes are promoted where Norway can play a particularly valuable role through its policies, alliances and initiatives, and where Norway can act as a prime mover. These themes include gender based discrimination, sexuality (including homosexuality), prevention, and the need to bring greater openness to these areas. There is an endless list of tasks that are important in addressing HIV and AIDS. Norway should give priority to areas where it can make a real difference and to areas that others chose not to prioritize. In a world where 11,000 new people are being infected every day, Norway wishes to focus its HIV and AIDS policy on the following areas: women, gender and power, including sexual and reproductive health and rights; particularly vulnerable groups (men who have sex with men, injecting drug users (IDUs) etc.); young people; legislation relating to HIV and AIDS; local communities and local democracy in an HIV and AIDS perspective; health personnel and health systems; prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
Norway has committed itself to taking active part in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Norway dedicated to contributing to the efforts to reach the target of universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, as set out in the Political Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS in New York in June 2006. These goals and targets cannot be realized unless the other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are achieved. It is vital that the poverty reduction, education and gender equality goals, and goal of universal access to reproductive health services are met. HIV and AIDS efforts could be a driving force for reaching the other MDGs. The Government will strengthen Norway’s ongoing efforts to improve the health of people living in poor countries, including strengthening our efforts to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Promoting women’s rights to health and education and preventing violence against women will be given priority, also in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Norway believes it is vital to examine the underlying structural causes of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, such as poverty, the suppression of women, sexual traditions, the abuse of alcohol and narcotic substances, as well as other harmful traditional and cultural factors. Norway will make an active contribution to studying these factors and how they interrelate more closely. Norway wishes to pursue a clear and fearless policy in the fight against HIV and AIDS and will particularly strengthen its strategic efforts relating to stigma and discrimination, gender and sexuality, legislation and rights.
Support for the fight against HIV and AIDS in international development cooperation should be based on the principles of effective development cooperation, with emphasis on coordination, national ownership, management and broad support.
