WACC participates in Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance consultation

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> News Release, 5 April, 2011

**WACC participates in Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance consultation**

By Lavinia Mohr Deputy General Secretary and Director of Programmes,

> WACC

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) was among
some 50 Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) members and partners from
Africa, Asia, Europe and North America gathered in Chiang Mai,
Thailand 20-22 March 2011 to share and evaluate experiences, assess
current developments in the global HIV response, and assess the role
of churches in strengthening that response.

WACC, represented by its Director of Programmes, Lavinia Mohr,
presented one of four invited case studies at the consultation.
Training church community leaders to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma and
discrimination is a primary objective of WACC's ongoing HIV/AIDS
Communication and Stigma Programme that works with partners throughout
Africa and elsewhere in faith based anti-stigma initiatives. The case
study highlighted a three-year stigma reduction project partnership
with the Christian Council of Ghana supported by UK Aid (Department
for International Development.) More information about that project
can be found here----

<http://www.waccglobal.org/images/stories/news/wacc/wacc-ccg%20stigma%20reduction%20campaign%202.pdf

Steve Kraus, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and
the Pacific, told participants that UNAIDS is committed to working
with faith based organizations (FBOs) in carrying forward its new
strategy "Zero new infections, zero discrimination, and zero
AIDS-related deaths," endorsed in 2010 by all member states. The
2010 plan calls for revolutionizing prevention, and catalyzing the
next phase of treatment, care, and support for people with HIV and
AIDS. It newly prioritizes advancing human rights and gender equality
as part of the response to HIV and AIDS.

Kraus emphasized the following particular strengths of faith based
organizations:

They often have extensive networks in rural and urban communities.

They are especially well placed to provide care and support as well
as prevention and treatment.

They can advocate for greater access to health care, and for
protection and support for children.

They have a unique and influential platform to speak out on
compassion and human rights for people with HIV and AIDS.

He also said they have the potential for doing great good, and for
causing great damage, especially for key affected populations such as
people who inject drugs, sex workers and men who have sex with men.

UNAIDS sees significant opportunities for FBOs in breaking the silence
around sexuality and addressing denial, vulnerability and sensitive
root causes of HIV infections. Kraus called on FBOs to challenge
stigma and discrimination and promote human rights for people with HIV
and AIDS as well as do more to enable community leadership through
making effective use of the pulpit. He says that a rights-based and
evidence-based response is key, and he called on FBOs to document and
share their extensive experience.

One of the many EAA members at the consultation was the International
Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV
and AIDS (INERELA+). This interfaith network grew from the African
network, and currently has about 10,000 members around the world.
Executive Director Rev. Johannes Petrus Mokgethi-Heath told the
participants that stigma and discrimination is a major inhibiting
factor in the faith based response to HIV and AIDS, pointing to a
recent survey of religious leaders in one Asian country. They were
asked to name the primary source of HIV transmission in their country.
Most answered correctly that it was intravenous drug use. However,
when asked what they were going to do about it, 90% said they were
going to condemn adultery and homosexuality.

Rev. Mokgethi-Heath stressed that UNAIDS' new aim for zero
AIDS-related deaths and zero new infections cannot be achieved without
zero stigma. Stigma undermines prevention, and prevents people from
taking up treatment. He called on churches to join in eliminating
stigma, maintaining that the still common "abstain, be faithful, use
condoms" (ABC) approach is based on incorrect perceptions about the
reality of people's lives. The faith community needs a different
model of prevention, one that is life affirming and inclusive, one
that addresses the real issues. He said that the faith community needs
to do better at this, pointing to the unfortunately increasing rage
and hatred against homosexuality in Africa, largely coming from within
faith communities pushing for legislation that increases vulnerability
by driving people underground. He urged faith communities to work for
decreasing vulnerability rather than increasing it.

INERELA+ uses the SAVE prevention strategy, an approach formulated by
the leaders of its founding African network as a reaction to the
shortcomings of the ABC method. It includes Safer practices, Available
medications, Voluntary HIV counselling and testing, and Empowerment
through education. This approach has been adopted so far by the
governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and
Rwanda. INERELA+ will soon be publishing a SAVE tool kit with the
support of WACC and Christian Aid.

Participants discussed the March 2010 Summit of High Level Religious
Leaders on the Response to HIV organized by the EAA. The presence of
HIV positive religious leaders at this summit through the
participation of INERELA+ was thought to be one of several key factors
that led to the personal commitment of each leader to make further
efforts in HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, particularly
in overcoming stigma and discrimination. Each leader committed to,
among other things,"working tirelessly to end all stigmatizing
attitudes and actions until people living with HIV are fully included
in our religious communities and societies." The commitment has
since been signed by hundreds of Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim
religious leaders. The full commitment and list of those who have
signed it can be found here: http://www.hivcommitment.net/?page_id=39

> New signatures are encouraged.

WACC is a founding member of Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance.

For more information about the WACC programme on HIV and AIDS,
Communication and Stigma go to:

http://www.waccglobal.org/en/programmes/hiv-and-aids-communication-and-stigma.html

Also participate in WACC's annual photo competition whose theme is
Zero tolerance for HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination. More
information is available at:

> http://www.flickr.com/groups/wacc2011/