13 July 2012, a few days after the launch of the Global Commission’s Report ‘HIV and the Law: Risks, Rights and Health’, the Ministry of Health convened a town hall meeting, together with UNDP, UNAIDS and other partners, of leading Moldovan and international experts to discuss how the law and its implementation promotes an effective AIDS response.
GENEVA, 22 June 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) applauds the legislative reforms by the Republic of Moldova to lift its restrictions on entry, stay or residence based on HIV status. With these reforms, the Republic of Moldova joins a growing list of countries that are aligning national HIV legislation with international public health and human rights standards.
The National Dialogue on HIV and the Law in El Salvador was held on 12-13 June 2012 with the participation of 120 people from civil society, government representatives and observers. The objective of the dialogue was to elaborate strategies to tackle discrimination against people living with HIV and identify existing obstacles and best practices. In 2012 El Salvador had 27 700 reported cases of HIV with 1 600 new cases of HIV infection every year. HIV-related discrimination remains a serious issue in the country with stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV at all levels from work, school, and health, to economic and social levels.
The Regional Dialogue on HIV and the Law that was organized in Sao Paulo in 2011 generated genuine interest among participants to the extent that the HIV, Health and Development Cluster received requests from 8 countries to replicate the experience at country level.
Between 2011 and the end of 2013, the regional cluster assisted Belize, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Guatemala to carry out national dialogues, applying the same methodology as the Sao Paulo regional dialogue.
Across the region, people living with HIV and populations at higher risk of exposure to HIV including men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and people who inject drugs, routinely face human rights violations. These violations include police harassment, sexual assault and violence, as well as discrimination, job dismissal, unequal access to education, housing and reduced access to HIV treatment