US and Russia Among Eight Nations Opposing UN HIV/AIDS Political Declaration Amid Trade and Rights Disputes

The United States and Russia joined six other countries in voting against the United Nations Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS during the High-Level Meeting (HLM) held on Tuesday afternoon. The declaration was adopted with 149 votes in favor, while Israel, Burkina Faso, Burundi, North Korea, Niger, and Senegal also opposed it. Additionally, 14 countries abstained, including nine from the Middle East.

US Ambassador Tammy Bruce articulated the American delegation’s objections, stating that the declaration diverged from the established 95-95-95 targets by incorporating "divisive topics" and reaffirming documents lacking consensus or relevance to combating AIDS. The 95-95-95 targets, adopted by the UN in 2021, aim for 95% of people with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to receive antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of those treated to achieve viral suppression.

Bruce further expressed "deep concern" over the inclusion of trade-related issues within the declaration, specifically clauses encouraging technology transfer to enable countries to produce their own HIV treatments. She emphasized the longstanding US position that intellectual property protections must be respected and that technology transfer should occur only on "voluntary and mutually agreed terms," rejecting references lacking such caveats.

A significant point of contention arose from a last-minute oral amendment proposed by Malawi on behalf of the Africa Group. This amendment removed the phrase "mutually agreed terms" concerning technology transfer. The change drew disapproval from Switzerland and Canada, which formally dissociated themselves from the affected paragraphs.

Madalitso Baloyi of Malawi defended the amendment, stating, "The African group believes that keeping ‘on mutually agreed terms’ in the text in connection to technology transfer undermines the key objective to access medicines, vaccines, and medical products, and to boost research and development." This stance aligns with the Africa Group’s position in ongoing negotiations for a Pandemic Agreement, advocating for compulsory technology sharing by pharmaceutical companies during health emergencies.

Israel cited the inclusion of trade issues as a reason for its opposition and criticized a reference to the 2016 Durban Declaration on HIV, accusing it of harboring "anti-Semitic" elements without providing substantiation.

Russia articulated its dissent by highlighting "at least 20 unacceptable provisions linked to intervention in domestic affairs of member states in combating the spread of HIV infections," and accused the declaration of imposing "scientifically dubious notions." The Russian delegation also objected to language promoting harm reduction programs and criticized the declaration’s stance on gender-related issues, a viewpoint shared by Belarus, Burundi, and Senegal.

The declaration explicitly acknowledges "the lack of significant progress in expanding harm reduction programmes" and condemns "discrimination against people who use drugs, particularly those who inject drugs, through the application of restrictive laws." This is particularly relevant given Russia’s high HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs, where the government favors criminalization over harm reduction strategies.

On the other hand, Cyprus, representing the European Union, successfully introduced amendments to the declaration to include terms such as "sexual and reproductive health services," "gender-based violence," and "key populations." The latter term refers to groups at heightened risk of HIV infection, including sex workers, gay men, young women, prisoners, and people who inject drugs.

Cyprus emphasized the urgency of addressing stigma and discrimination faced by key populations, stating, "Global evidence demonstrates that these groups face HIV prevalence rates up to 25 times higher than the general population, yet they continue to encounter barriers in accessing prevention, testing, diagnostic and treatment services."

The European Union called on all member states to "uphold an evidence-based, inclusive, and rights-based HIV response and restore key populations to ensure no one is left behind in the fight against AIDS."