Rev Alan Bain, Vice Chair of CHAA. Blog on the XV11 International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

10th August.

It was good to see CHAA mentioned in articles in the Church Times and Church of England Newspaper from my report on the Faith Based Pre-conference. But as the main XV11 World AIDS Conference has drawn to a close just what are the outcomes?

There were too many points to list them all, but below is my summary sent to the Church press in the UK for publication next week. 

Keep up the pressure, AIDS conference told.

There is no "single silver bullet" which will solve the AIDS pandemic in
the forseeable future, the Internation AIDS conference in Mexico was told
last week.

Dr Julio Montaner, AIDS 2010 International Chair, said "We have finally
accepted that an effective vaccine is not going to be around in the next
few decades. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and we can't sit
down and wait for a vaccine. The HIV movement has now reached a level of
maturity by which we can make a dent in the epidemic".

With more than 24,000 participants from over 190 countries, AIDS 2008 was
the second largest in the history of the International AIDS Conference, and
the first to be held in Latin America. The conference theme, "Universal
Action Now", emphasized the need for continued progress on HIV and AIDS.

Dr. Pedro Cahn, International Co-Chair of AIDS 2008 cautioned, "If the
urgency of AIDS and the sheer magnitude of human loss we are now
experiencing is not enough to compel us to provide even the most basic
level of health care to those living in low-income countries, then we, as a
global community, are morally bankrupt."

UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki - moon, agreed, "an even greater effort is
now required. Most countries still have a long way to go to reach universal
access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 and to  reach the
Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of AIDS by
2015. This will have repercussions on our efforts to cut poverty, improve
nutrition, reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, curb the
spread of malaria and TB and strengthen health systems."

Violence against women and the link with HIV was a theme of the conference,
as it was with the Faith based conference that preceded it. Zonibel Woods
of the Ford Foundation called for a "roadmap for action on women, girls and
HIV&AIDS." Many women do not seek treatment for HIV because of the fear of
violence from partners, she said. For real progress, the legal and policy
environment to address violence against women must be strengthened and
enforced.

Laws that criminalize HIV are often  irrational and ineffective in
preventing its spread, according to Edwin Cameron, Justice of the Supreme
Court of Appeal of South Africa. Prosecutions often single out already
vulnerable groups such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and, in
European countries, black males. Women are especially victimized by these
laws, which expose them to assault, ostracism and further stigma. He urged
delegates to return home committed to persuade lawmakers and prosecuting
authorities of the folly and distraction of criminalization.

A "New Covenant to make health care a basic human right" was advocated by
Gregg Gonsalves of the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa .
Gonsalves called on critics who attacked AIDS funding and programming to
join with the AIDS community in moving towards "health for all as a
fundamental human right, not a privilege for a few."

Delegates opened the conference with a colourful march through the streets
of Mexico City led by brightly clothed drummers and Aztec dancers. The
opening sesion also began with dance, but the effect on the region,
according to Dr Luis Soto Ramirez (AIDS 2008 local co-chair) has been far
deeper. "The conference has had an enormous impact in Mexico and
throughout Latin America. It's marvelous that the mayor of Mexico City has
promised to devote funds to build a 3,000 patient hospital for HIV positive
people."

"We have given out a message of hope for all people living with HIV and
AIDS but between now and the next International AIDS Conference in Vienna
in 2010, we have to keep the HIV movement motivated."

4th August

The conference has finished now but Mexico City is awash with the 25000 delegates to the main conference. My time is taken up with writing for the 4 main Church newspapers in the UK giving them details of the pre-conference. Ive asked for CHAA to be credited so there should be some good coverage. Ive included a copy below sent to the Baptist Times which will also give you an idea of what happened throughout the conference.

Yesterday was colouful to say the least. I found myself marching with a banner through the streets of Mexico City on the AIDS march to mark the beginning of the conference. The press pack focussed on the more bizarre looking marchers which was a shame because we were all there as ordinary people signalling our care for those with HIV, and the need to find justice for them - like universal access to ARV`s. But the march was good humoured and ended in a huge thunderstorm. The Mexicans dont really do rain, they just sit in doorways and stare. Not the English - I stoically fought my way back through torrential rain arrivng soaking wet at the internet cafe where I write my copy to find it had closed. Oh well!

Church holds key to AIDS pandemic conference told

The church is the answer to the AIDS pandemic, Kay Warren from Saddleback Church in California told delegates at the Ecumenical Pre-conference on AIDS. Addressing over 500 church and community AIDS activists from 77 countries at "Faith In Action" conference ahead of the main International AIDS conference in Mexico City this week she said, "Our hope is in Jesus Christ and what we bring is unlike any other organisation can bring to the table".

Dr Rick Warren author of "The Purpose Driven Life", who spoke on Sunday at the First Baptist Church of Satelite in Mexico City agreed and said, "The church has more volunteers, a wider network, simpler administration, the longest record of continual caring in history and the highest motivation. We can achieve what no one else can."

Mathew Frost Chief Executive of Tearfund also agreed that religious leaders hold the key to reducing stigma and discrimination towards those with HIV and AIDS as he told delegates, "we need courageous humility that brings us to listen and repent and a resolve that drives us to break the silence on stigma and discrimination towards those with HIV."

But the AIDS ambassador for the Netherlands told delegates that faith based organizations (FBO`s) working with HIV and AIDS need a stronger voice with their governments in decision and policy making, HE Paul Bekker said, "we need to challenge prejudice on both sides that hampers co-operation." Citing the common values of truth, freedom, justice and peace he invited FBO´s to form a "think tank" on AIDS hosted by the Dutch government adding, "the clinical approach to AIDS is not enough, we also need to tackle the ethics."

Gender based violence (GBV) against women was tackled at the conference with Dr Pauline Muchina, Senior Partnerships advisor of UNAIDS, also praising the contribution of FBO`s, whilst roundly attacking church teaching that contributes towards violence against women. She said "Some teaching becomes a driver for GBV with the promotion of male dominance. Violence towards women and HIV go hand in hand". Quoting a new report from UNAIDS she pointed out that 800,000 women are "trafficked" every year. "We need to say no to GBV and take concrete action to prevent it", she said.

Over 25 years of AIDS means we now have adults who have grown up with the disease the conference was told, and we need a new focus on children with HIV. In a moving video, children from an AIDS orphanage told stories of silent adults afraid to tell them about their condition; the withdrawal of affection because of fear of contracting HIV, and the isolation and fear they had lived with. Speaker Ms Martha Newsome, senior director for HIV and AIDS for World Vision said, "we quickly resorted to the institutional care of children orphaned by AIDS, but orphanages are not the best way. Africa needs community based care."

But Rev Christo Grayling of ANERELA, ( African religious leaders living with AIDS), and HIV positive since 1987, questioned whether the church still had sufficient drive to tackle the pandemic. He said "We have cooled down our interest, workers are burnt out, the public is relaxed because there is treatment for HIV."

Justice was a theme taken up by the conference which also called for the 67 countries at present imposing travel restrictions to relax their rules for HIV positive people. Mtro Emilio Longoria President of the commission of Human rights in Mexico said, "discrimination against infected people denies their human rights and it can often be worse than the disease itself."

Delegates from the Faith Based Pre-conference go on to join over 25,000 `participants from across the globe, including many world-renown leaders and experts in their field at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City this week.

Two days of the conference gone and the themes that are emerging are not original but do seem to be presented with a new passion. Hearing the leader of ANERELA+ (Church Leaders who are HIV positive) speak of his early battles in the 80´s with his denomination demanding to know how he became infected before revealing it to his church shows how deep the stigmatisation ran at the early developments of the disease. Little has changed though, as we read a week old E mails on a BBC website; " HIV in Iraq is seen as a disgrace; In Uganda its a social sin; In Austria you would be stigmatised, and In Kenya its not a good idea to reveal your status".

The conference has been characterised by some extremely moving events, like a video of AIDS orphaned children (partly hidden from view because of fear of stigma ) talking of their experiences of growing up HIV positive. "At first my family wouldnt kiss or hug me any more in case they caught it", was one girls experience, while others spoke of the conspiracy of silence as adults feared to tell them the worst. One girl discovered her status when she rummaged in the rubbish bin for her old medication prescription just to find out what was wrong with her.

Its the personal stories that are counting here. No manner of sterile statistics - and there are plenty around - can show the pain of what´s been happening. As Bishop Ramashapa from South Africa said " HIV and AIDS have declared war on humanity and the church is also HIV positive".

Today, as we faced into the emotive subject of gender based violence and trafficking it was particularly poignant as we listened to a bright, attractive, Namibian girl relate through tears how at a vulnerable 16 years of age she was smuggled illegally into South Africa by a trucker then raped by him after pleading for her aggressor to use a condom which burst eventually infecting her. Then she was blackmailed as an illegal immigrant and raped by others eventually infecting them. It´s a story that could be retold in many parts of the world and only the strong remained dry eyed.

But there is redemption here too, as Bishop Mark Hanson from the US Lutheran church, abandons his speech and kneels to wash the tiny Namibian´s feet, saying, " I do this as an act of repentance for the silent church and immobile leaders who had so shunned people with HIV and AIDS. We should be the first to engage in public acts or repentance or our words can never be trusted."

Sweeping in with a hefty dose of American optimism the Warrens from Saddleback church in California explained how they had worked to sensitise their own community on the Pandemic. It was striking that in spite of their mega-church leadership, these were ordinary, concerned people, "amateurs", by their own admission, determined to make a difference. Their epic, 4 minute blockbuster video on AIDS ended with the stark question, "Millions of people are dying with AIDS is that OK with you ". Pastor´s wife, Kay Warren admitted, " Yes it was OK with me up till 6 years ago when I first saw what was happening - but now its not, and I am working to change it."

There´s been encouragement too from UNAIDS Dr Muchina who commented that "Faith Based Organisations were there at the dawn of AIDS and they are still there now, in Sub Saharan Africa providing 40% of the health care".

Emotions are high here, but relief comes as we dance in worship tonight, clasping the hands of so many people from countless nations from the America´s to Asia and from Europe to Africa, all engaged in the struggle against the pandemic. In our unity, we become a potent symbol of the joy of believers as the body of Christ engages and overcomes in what is, the intense darkness of the AIDS pandemic.

30th July

Today just proves how over ambitious estimates of travel can be. 28, sleepless and gruelling hours after leaving home I ended up in Mexico City, travelling Dr. Who like, 6 hours backwards in time. Its not easy to lose time and to suddenly leave sea level and live in a city 7000ft higher. It leaves me, suprisingly, like a goldfish out of its bowl, gasping for air - and sleep.

I head down unknown streets just a few minutes from my hotel to check in at the conference venue , and find its not there. The mystery unravels as the towering, glass-clad, Hotel Gran Melia Mexico Reforma appears a block further on, unmissable really, if it had been marked correctly on the map . Inside its all smiles as I am greeted by busy volunteers stuffing envelopes , not quite ready; but then who ever is.

I take the opportunity to bag a space for the CHAA posters bang outside the conference room. As I am the first there, its no contest, and CHAA now stands witness at the conference of its work with UK churches and agencies in the frightening AIDS pandemic sweeping much of the developing world. Colourfully clad delegates sweep down into the grand mezzanine, clutching conference envelopes, obviously arriving from many part of the world.

I cant wait to get started - but must find a meal first. Is it breakfast, lunch or Tiffin? I've no idea, I've only just left the Tardis.

29th July

I leave for Mexico at 3am in the morning from home, heading for Gatwick. It will be nearly 24 hours of travelling to reach the destination. Armed with countless E mails inviting me to functions - all of which seem important, and lots of opportunities to write about my experiences in the church Press, I catch a ride to the bus station. The beginning of a journey is always fraught, but really the journey into the AIDS pandemic is not mine. I simply go to learn and listen and find out how British churches can be more effective in fighting the scourge of AIDS. Some expectations will be met, some only half met, but at least, as always with a faith journey, I am moving towards a goal, however distant.