What do Human Rights do for the global HIV/AIDS epidemic?

Experiences from China and South Africa

Global responses to this epidemic claim a positive relationship between the respect, protection and fulfillment of human rights and successful responses to HIV/AIDS. But do rights sometimes act as an obstacle or are they integral to successful responses to HIV/AIDS? What does this relationship imply for what a "successful" outcome is? And what conditions can be identified as enabling human rights to assist in creating a successful response? Two very different country responses to the epidemic, in China and South Africa, are compared and contrasted in order to explore the claims made for human rights in a time of HIV/AIDS.

The seminar will outline cutting-edge global issues and challenges in human rights approaches to HIV/AIDS in terms of its prevention, care and treatment. These global issues are then taken and placed in the context of specific challenges within China and South Africa. A panel debate will attempt to draw some conclusions as to the relationship between HIV/AIDS and human rights.

Presentations:

10:00: Global responses to HIV/ AIDS and Human Rights: Cutting edge issues.
Dr Mandeep Dhaliwal, Head of Care and Impact Mitigation, International HIV/AIDS Alliance

11:00: China and the response to HIV/ Aids.
Dr. Wan Yanhai, Head and founder of the Chinese AIDS organizations, Aizhi, and a recipient of the Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Human Rights Watch.

12:00 "Beyond denial": Human rights, political will and the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS in post-apartheid South Africa
Dr. Peris Jones, Researcher at the NCHR South Africa Programme.

13:00 Lunch

14:00 Panel discussion
With Amnesty International, Norway, and other Norwegian organisations working on these issues.Lagre

Practical details:

• Lunch is included. Please register your participation to Elisabeth Bjornstol (e.p.bjornstolatnchr.uio.no, replacing "at" with @) as soon as possible.
• Venue: Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel, Holbergsgate 30, N -0166 Oslo
• Time: 9 December 2005, 10:00-15:00
• Organisers: China Programme and South Africa Programme, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights

More about the presenters:

Dr Mandeep Dhaliwal
 

The International HIV/ AIDS Alliance

Dr. Wan Yanhai
 

AIZHI (AIDS) Action Project (in Chinese)

Dr. Peris Jones
Biography