UN: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has announced a national campaign to combat stigma and discrimination against people with HIV and Aids in Ireland.
Addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York yesterday, Mr Ahern said the campaign would coincide with World Aids Day on December 1st.
"If we are to succeed in reversing this epidemic, we must also tackle the stigma and discrimination associated with it," he said.
"Political leaders have to work to make our societies more open, caring, inclusive and non-judgmental."
Ann Nolan, chief executive of the Dublin Aids Alliance, welcomed the anti-discrimination campaign as an important move to protect people with HIV and to slow the spread of the virus.
"It is very welcome," she said. "While equality legislation is there, people don't use it because they are so terrified that people will find out that they are HIV-positive."
Ms Nolan said the stigma and fear that still surround HIV make it more difficult for people with the virus to tell sexual partners about their status.
Delegates applauded Mr Ahern when he pledged to increase Ireland's spending on HIV and other communicable diseases to €100 million a year and said that Ireland had already spent €250 million on fighting HIV and Aids since 2001.
Mr Ahern said the UN must continue to lead global efforts to defeat the pandemic, in order to avoid duplication and strengthen co-ordination.
"The fight against Aids is a test case for UN reform in action. HIV infection does not respect borders," he added.
"The European Union and its neighbouring countries are facing the fastest-growing HIV-infection rates.
"We have invested in expanding HIV services to respond to rising infection levels in Ireland."
Noting that there were five million new infections throughout the world in 2005, the Taoiseach said that prevention must be the core of a global strategy to fight Aids.
"We must spend more, build capacity and mobilise political will to reach those most at risk and most vulnerable," he said.
He expressed concern about the growth of the epidemic among women.
Female infections are on the rise in Asia, eastern Europe and Latin America, and 15 to 19 year- old-girls in sub-Saharan Africa are four to six times more likely to be infected than their male counterparts.
"A combination of HIV/Aids and gender inequality is proving lethal for women and girls.
"We are committed to addressing the particular vulnerabilities of women, especially in poor countries," the Taoiseach said.
