The Asia Catalyst booth. L-R: Li Dan, Shen Tingting, Will Lian. (Courtesy Zhao Gang)
A few highlights from the International AIDS Conference, from us and our Chinese partners — with some of their photos.
[RESOURCE] Human Rights Mission Kit
Asia Catalyst (New York), Korekata AIDS Law Center (Beijing), and Thai AIDS Treatment Action
Group (Bangkok) are cooperating on writing the manual Know It, Prove It,
Change It: A Rights Curriculum for Grassroots Groups. The Human Rights
Mission Kit, which you can download here, is a
collection of easy-to-follow steps, worksheets and templates groups can use at
home to start their own human rights research.
[REPORT] China’s In the House: News from the International AIDS Conference
By Meg Davis
At 5 pm, the crowd began to assemble
on the square in front of the Messe Wien convention center. Some handed out
signs reading “Broken promises kill” or “we are watching” over photos of giant
eyeballs. Others wrestled in the wind with a black-and-white banner reading “No
retreat, fund AIDS.”
[NEWS] China’s First Forum on AIDS and Human Rights
On July 5th, China convened the first meeting of the Red Ribbon Forum,
a gathering of government officials, NGOs and experts to discuss AIDS and human
rights concerns. Mark Heywood, the chair of the UNAIDS Theme Group on HIV/AIDS
and Human Rights, delivered a speech calling for more space for civil society. During
an intense – and in China, unprecedented – discussion period, civil society
representatives raised frank concerns about a range of human rights issues,
including ongoing restrictions on civil society, and demands for compensation
for the blood scandal that transmitted HIV to thousands of villagers. The full
text of Heywood’s speech follows.
[RESOURCE] 5 Tips for Grassroots AIDS Advocacy
By Loretta Wong
When it comes to grassroots AIDS advocacy at the local level, I used to be a fierce lion and fearless tiger in the old days. But I rarely got what I wanted from others, and government stakeholders tried their best to avoid me.
Now that I am getting old(er), I realize that elements of advocacy such as inter-personal relationship, trust and communication are important, too. These may be Chinese, but I do not think these elements exist solely in Chinese culture. I am pragmatic – I really want to see change and improvement as soon as possible. Here are five things I try to keep in mind about grassroots AIDS advocacy.
