IFSW General Meeting. Geneva, Switzerland, 10-12 July 2002
The AIDS Conference in Barcelona this week (7-12 July) has reminded the world of the current and future impact of the pandemic. The devastating consequences to civil society of the increasing prevalence of this incurable disease have been reinforced at the conference by former US President Bill Clinton.
IFSW at its World General Meeting pays tribute to all our colleagues throughout the world who are at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS. We especially wish to celebrate the lives of and respect the work undertaken by the Social Workers who have themselves died of the disease.
The General Meeting strongly urges the governments of the developed countries, in particular the USA, to fund AIDS prevention and treatment in proportion to their GNP. People are dying everyday as a result of HIV/AIDS infection and we call on all governments, world and regional bodies to:
- Guarantee that all victims have immediate medical treatment and appropriate social care available to them at an affordable cost
- Give support to carers including children and older people, social workers and all their professional colleagues
- Ensure the human rights of those who live with HIV/AIDS are respected and that they do not suffer discrimination and are treated equally
- Develop national policies which are effective in combating the pandemic
- Rigorously promote a multi-sectorial response throughout society
- Recognise the unique role of social work in such interventions requires improved resources for education and training.
Geneva, 12 July 2002