Geneva, 17 May 2021
Office of the
Secretary General
Dear Madam Speaker,
Dear Mr. Speaker,
It is my great pleasure to invite your Parliament to the virtual parliamentary meeting
that the IPU is organising at the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on
HIV/AIDS. The meeting will take place on 7 June, 15:00
–
16:30 CEST (Geneva) /
9:00
–
10:30 EDT (New York). It is in collaboration with UNAIDS. Its theme will be
“The
role of parliaments in addressing inequalities to end AIDS by 2030”.
Forty years since the first cases were identified, AIDS remains an urgent global crisis
and most countries are not on track to end AIDS by 2030 as set by the Sustainable
Development Goals. Stigma, discrimination as well as underlying inequalities,
including gender inequalities, continue to fuel the HIV epidemic, marginalize and
criminalize communities, and restrict access to health, education and other essential
services. The COVID-19 pandemic is further threatening the gains already made.
The UN High-Level Meeting will review progress and guide the HIV/AIDS response
beyond 2021. Where parliaments and parliamentarians are effectively engaged, they
can provide critical leadership in realizing a new vision that makes the end of AIDS a
reality. The parliamentary meeting will discuss the new Global AIDS Strategy and how
parliaments can contribute to its achievement and ensure adequate investment in HIV
and health. It will also consider how inequalities are driving the HIV epidemic and what
the impact of law is on the HIV response, including in the context of the colliding HIV
epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic.
I trust that your Parliament will be represented at this important event. We strongly
encourage the participation of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff whose work is
directly related to health, development and human rights. It will be held on the Zoom
platform and the working languages will be English, French and Spanish.
I attach the concept note on this event. Registration and further information can be
found at the following webpage:
https://www.ipu.org/event/role-parliaments-in-
addressing-inequalities-end-aids-2030
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Chungong
Secretary General