Many parliamentarians are not sufficiently aware of the gravity of the HIV/AIDS pandemic or of government commitments taken at the United Nations in an attempt to counter it. Parliaments also need to be more open to grassroots HIV/AIDS organizations in order to better inform their debates on the subject. These are some of the conclusions that emerged from a meeting at which the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) joined forces with UNAIDS and UNDP to bring together parliamentarians present in New York at the United Nations High-Level Review Meeting on HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Eva Björling of the Swedish Riksdag and Mr. José Pinotti of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies led the discussions.

The meeting decided to establish a core group of parliamentarians that would advise the IPU on how to take a more aggressive stand in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The members of the group all have practical experience in dealing with the question of HIV/AIDS in the political arena.

Senator Margaret Mensah-Willliams, Vice-President of the IPU Executive Committee and Vice Chairperson of the National Council of Namibia, chaired the Parliamentary Caucus. Ms. Kathelen Cravero, Assistant Administrator of UNDP, acted as moderator. Mr. Marcel van Soest, Executive Director the World AIDS Campaign, spoke on behalf of civil society.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 146 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

In Geneva: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Phone: +41 22 919 41 16 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org In New York: Mr. James Jennings Phone: +1 212 557 58 80, e-mail: jj@mail.ipu.org and Mr. Alessandro Motter, e-mail: am@mail.ipu.org.