Presentation at the 53rd Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations on Mar. 12, 2009 about HIV/AIDS programs in Canada.

1. 53rd Commission on the Status of Women
The National Council of Women Canada,
Richard Ivey School of Business and Western Law
New York City, March 2-13, 2009
Efforts by Canadian Organizations to
help reduce the Social Impact of
HIV/AIDS

2. “Like the effects of … the new system of global financial
markets, the AIDS crisis is evidence of a world in which
nothing important is regional, local, limited; … and every
problem is, or destined to become, worldwide.”
Susan Sontag
AIDS and its Metaphors - 1983

3. The UNites…
• Omar HA-REDEYE
• Tarun AGARWAL
• JD Candidate, 2010
• MBA Candidate, 2009
• Rashmi BHAT • Pooja SHARMA
• JD & MBA • MBA Candidate, 2009
Candidate, 2009
• Imad HARB
• MBA Candidate, 2009
3

4. AGENDA
• Need
• Canadian Efforts
• Takeaways
• Questions
4

5. AGENDA
• Need Statistics on HIV/AIDS
Global
• Canadian Efforts
• Takeaways
• Questions
5

6. What is needed?
Protection from and elimination of socio-economic factors that
increase HIV risks particularly among women, by increased
global partnerships in research, innovation and reach in order
to:
1. Prevent spread of infections
2. Increase the amount of Care given to women infected by HIV
3. Provide Leadership to Women to address social
discrimination
6

7. Prevention
Care
Leadership
7

8. … with the goal of blowing away those clouds
completely…
Prevention
Care
Leadership
8

9. AGENDA
• Need
• Canadian Efforts
Canadian Efforts
• UNAIDS and Federal Initiatives
• CDNAIDS
• Grassroots
• Takeaways
• Questions
9

10. Address
social
factors
Increase Step-up
awareness prevention
End of
Epidemic
in sight
Act early
Step-up
and stay
Care
the course
Provide
leadership
10
Adopted from LeadingTogether: Canada Takes Action on HIV/AIDS (2005-2010)

11. Federal Initiatives and UNAIDS
1. Three agencies under the UNAIDS umbrella work in Canada
• UNESCO
• UNICEF
• UNHCR
2. UNESCO is the information distributor and networking body
3. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS with Federal
Government of Canada
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12. Federal Initiatives and UNAIDS
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS with Federal Government
of Canada comprises many agencies:
1. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
2. Health Canada (HC)
3. Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
4. Correctional Services Canada (CSC)
5. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
6. Canadian Access to Medicines Regimes (CAMR)
7. Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI)
8. International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM)
13

13. Canada’s role
Canada has committed to providing
funds, research, manufacturing, and innovative
leadership in order to:
1. Establish tailored strategies that consider ‘cultural
approach’ to mobilize communities
2. Reduce the production cost of generic drugs to increase
and facilitate care for victims of HIV/AIDS
3. Research and develop vaccines and microbicides
4. Provide sharing of best practices and knowledge across all
communities
14

14. Reduce production cost of generic drugs to increase
and facilitate care for victims of HIV/AIDS
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) –
before 2003 could be interpreted to deny export of generic drugs
to developing countries. TRIPS Key Provisions as of 2005:
1. Exclusive patent rights
2. Minimum 20 year term (from date of patent filing)
3. Limited exceptions to exclusive patent rights
4. “Other use” (compulsory licensing)
5. Parallel importing permissible
6. Objectives and Principles
15
TRIPS Articles: 28, 33, 30, 31, 6, 7, 8

15. … continued…
1. August 2003 WTO decision and 2005 commitment:
a. Manufacturing Capacity – WTO member countries
b. Licenses - developing countries
2. CAMR co-operation of Industry Canada, Health Canada, Canadian
International Development Agency, Canadian Intellectual Property
Office, International Trade Canada and Foreign Affairs Canada to
balance
a. Canada's trade and intellectual property obligations
b. Humanitarian objectives of WTO decision and TRIPS
16

16. Research and develop vaccines and microbicides
1. Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) laboratories are being set up
in Canada to start clinical trials of the HIV vaccine being
developed in Canada such as by UWO in partnership with a
private company
2. Microbicides are topical products to prevent HIV
transmission during intercourse and mother-to-child HIV
transmission
3. Thus far no HIV vaccines or microbicides have been brought
to market
17

17. Effectiveness of Prevention Products
Limited by gender inequalities in sexual decision-making roles, gender
violence, stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to healthcare
Microbicides
Total $30 M to IPM research from Canada
Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative
2%
Discovery and Social Research
Total: $139M
6%
Clinical Trials Capacity Building and
Networks
44%
12%
64% Policy and Regulatory
Issues, Community and Social
Dimensions
20% Planning, Coordination and
16%
Evaluation
Pilot Scale Manufacturing for
Clinical Trials - Canada
18
http:///www.IPM-microbicides.org
http://www.CHVI-ICVV.gc.ca/

18. AGENDA
• Need
• Canadian Efforts
Canadian Efforts
• UNAIDS and Federal Initiatives
• CDNAIDS
• Grassroots
• Takeaways
• Questions
19

19. Canadian AIDS Society
• National coalition of over 125 community-based AIDS
organizations
• Dedicated to strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS across
all sectors of society
• Facilitates development of programs
• Provides a national framework
• Monitors and analyzes federal programs
• Works on priority issues such as international partnerships,
income security
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http://www.CDNAIDS.ca

20. CDNAIDS
Some of the unique organizations being discussed
today are:
1. Interagency Coalition on AIDS
2. Africans in Partnership against AIDS
3. Positive Women’s Network
4. HALCO
5. Mainline Needle Exchange
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21. Interagency Coalition on AIDS
• 147 Canadian international development non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), AIDS service
organizations and individuals
• Workshops, seminars to build capacities and skills
• Research on policy and programming issues
• Newsletter, fact-sheet, resources.
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http://www.

22. Ways of Sharing Information
Communication
• Individuals, members, government departments and UN
organizations
Forum for organizations and individuals
• Addressing international dimensions of the AIDS pandemic
2005 Gender Workshop AGM
• Integrating Gender-Based Analysis into Strategy
“Addressing HIV/AIDS from a gender perspective” 23
http://www.icad-cisd.com/content/agm05_wkshp.cfm?lang=e’

23. Africans in Partnership Against AIDS
Project M! Muslim Girls Project:
Goal: to self-empower, protect and cultivate awareness and
compassion in young African Muslim women in light of this
local, global and at times very personal epidemic
Where: Greater Toronto Area
What: Educate on issues of HIV/AIDS
How: Through workshops, 2-tier approach
Tier 1: Infiltrate and dismantle structural barriers in the community
Tier 2: Disseminating knowledge
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http://www.APAA.ca

24. Positive Women’s Network
Support programs & services
• Aboriginal-specific activities
• Weekend wellness retreats
• Drop-in centre
• Outreach visits
• Phone counseling …
Education and prevention programs
• Springboard conferences
• Women’s Initiatives for Support and Education (WISE )
• Health fairs & special events …
25
http://www.PWN.BC.ca

25. HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO)
• Charitable not-for-profit community-based legal
clinic
• 4 lawyers donors + 3 staff + law students
• Provides free advice, representation, public legal
education, law reform
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http://www.halco.org/home.html

26. HALCO Principles
• HIV/AIDS clients have unique legal problems
• Create and foster a climate of
understanding, mutual respect
• Empowerment in respect to:
• Medical treatment
• Socio-economic decisions
• Due process
• Consent
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http://www.halco.org/principles.html

27. HALCO Legal Advice
• Powers of Attorney,
Living Wills & Planning • Disability, Life &
For Incapacity Sickness Insurance
• Immigration & • Landlord and Tenant
HIV/AIDS
• Employment &
• Prisons & HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS
• Human Rights &
HIV/AIDS
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http://www.halco.org/whatwedo.html

28. Mainline Needle Exchange
• Offers clean needles and equipment
• Peer support
• Accessing Detox
• Treatment
• Methadone
• Legal
• Social services
• Employment and housing issues
• Daily over the counter nutrition and coffee
29
http://www.mainlineneedleexchange.ca/

29. IV Drugs and Women
• Family and Partner Abuse
• Over half experienced physical and mental abuse
• 1/5 experienced sexual abuse
• Partner Abuse
• ~40% economic abuse
• Almost all experienced emotional abuse
Safer and Unsafe Injection Drug Use and Sex Practices Among Injection Drug Users in Halifax, Nova Scotia
http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/view/296/296
Thom Grandy (1995). New Occupational Hazards of Career Addicts. Mainline Intravenous Needs Assessment
(MINA). Jackson, L., Bailey, D., Currie, A., Fraser, J. & Johnson, K. (2002). Safer and unsafe injection drug
use and sex practices among injection drug users in Halifax, Nova Scotia: An exploratory look at community
and interpersonal influences. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 93(3), 219-222.
30
Jackson, L., Parker, J., Dykeman, M., Gahagan, J., & Karabanow, J. Injection drug users and the power of
relationships. Drugs: Education, Prevention &Policy. Accepted June 2008.

30. AGENDA
• Need
• Canadian Efforts
Canadian Efforts
• UNAIDS and Federal Initiatives
• CDNAIDS
• Grassroots
• Takeaways
• Questions
31

31. Step By Step Africa
Step By Step Africa was founded in 2006 with the following mission:
“Help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa by providing funding
for HIV testing and treatment to local partners”
32
http://www.StepByStepAfrica.com

32. Focus on Women
Step By Step Africa helps HIV+ women care for their
families by:
• Providing baby formula removing the need to breastfeed
as an option
• Given out over 100 free malaria bed nets, many to
women and children
• Provided food aid during regional flooding
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33. Stephen Lewis Foundation
• Provides care to women who are infected and
struggling to survive
• Assists orphans and other AIDS affected children
• Sustains associations for people living with
HIV/AIDS
• Supports grandmothers who are caring for
orphaned children
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www.StephenLewisFoundation.org

34. Story to date
• Founded in 2003
• Since foundation, more than 250 grassroots projects in
15 sub-Saharan African countries have been supported
• Distributed more than $28 million since inception
• Launched Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign in
March 2006 – over 200 granny groups in Canada are
working to raise awareness and funds for grannies in
Africa. Over $4 million has been raised.
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35. AGENDA
• Need
• Canadian Efforts
• Takeaways
Steps
• Questions
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36. Care Prevention Leadership
UNAIDS
Federal/
UNESCO
CAMR
Vaccines
Microbicides
CDNAIDS
PWN
HALCO
APAA
MNE
IACA
Grass-
roots
SBSA
SLF
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37. AGENDA
• Need
• Canadian Efforts
• Next Steps
• Questions
Questions
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38. Thank you
Help us build blockades against HIV!
HTTP://BLOG.HIV-BLOGAIDS.ORG
Tarun Agarwal Rashmi Bhat Imad Harb Omar Ha-Redeye Pooja Sharma
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