AIDS in JAPAN -Basic Information and Coomunity Activities in Japan

The United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the situation in Japan

1. The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS

In the year 2000, the United Nations Millennium Assembly adopted "the Millennium Declaration" which was to become the driving force for the international community in addressing poverty and poverty-related issues. The Millennium Declaration called for action towards "the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)", which defined and quantified the targets to be achieved in eight areas. In terms of HIV/AIDS, the target to be achieved was to "halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by the year 2015".

In June 2001, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS was convened in New York, in order to review and address the issues of HIV/AIDS in all its dimensions, and to accelerate the fight against the pandemic in the context of the Millennium Development Goals. The Special Session concluded with the adoption of "the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS"(DoC).

The Declaration, also entitled "Global Crisis - Global Action", provides a comprehensive agenda for combating HIV/AIDS at national, regional and global levels. It sets out the targets to be achieved in areas such as prevention, treatment, respect for human rights and resource mobilization, and has been serving as the HIV/AIDS-related policy guideline for governments, international organizations and other stakeholders.

2. The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS: Progress review and evaluation

The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS spells out quantitative targets to be reached by the year 2003, 2005 and 2010. 2005 was the year when a largest number of targets were due.

Marking the 5th Anniversary of UNGASS on HIV/AIDS, the General Assembly to review the Declaration (UNGASS Review Meeting) will be held in New York for three days, from 31 May to 1 June 2006. The aims of the meeting will be to evaluate the progress in implementing the Declaration, and to consider recommendations on how the targets set in the Declaration may be reached.

The Declaration, being extremely comprehensive and having quantitative targets, will serve as a yardstick to assess each Member States and their achievements in all aspects of the fight against HIV/AIDS. From this reason, international organizations and civil societies regard the UNGASS Review Meeting to be of considerable importance. As such, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) had chosen the theme of the World AIDS Day 2005 to be "Stop AIDS: Keep the promise".

Likewise, the World AIDS Campaign, is also active in mobilizing civil society in each country, with "Stop AIDS: Keep the promise" as its slogan. The World AIDS Campaign is a resource network that connects the civil societies around the world, in order to promote monitoring, evaluation and advocacy of HIV/AIDS responses.

In preparation for UNGASS on HIV/AIDS 2006, UNAIDS will be documenting a global progress report on the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. Therefore, all the Member States that have ratified the Declaration of Commitment are required to submit their country report to UNAIDS, by the end of 2005.

The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the situation in Japan

The Declaration makes reference not only to the need for national initiatives but also to the importance of international assistance for those countries whose resources are limited. However, Japan is facing some difficulties in implementing the Declaration, especially in the following action areas;

Leadership

The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS clearly states that "leadership by Governments in combating HIV/AIDS is essential", and that it is necessary to "ensure the development and implementation of multisectoral national strategies and financing plans" by 2003. While many of the Member States already have a coordinating body in place, such as the National AIDS Commission, , the Japanese Government has not yet established an equivalent system that cuts across the government ministries and agencies for a more effective response to HIV/AIDS. Consequently, coordination is difficult even between closely related sectors such as HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Prevention

The Declaration has set the target to "reduce HIV prevalence among young men and women aged 15 to 24 by 25 per cent globally by 2010", however, the Japanese Government has not yet formulated a concrete action plan towards this target. The Declaration calls to "establish national prevention targets" by 2003, for the "identifiable groups which currently have high or increasing rates of HIV infection" and those who are "at the highest risk of new infection". But no national prevention targets have been set for vulnerable groups such as gay and men who have sex with men, migrants and sex workers.

Another target mentioned in the Declaration is to develop a national strategy that "facilitates access to HIV/AIDS prevention programmes for migrants and mobile workers". This national strategy has yet to be formulated. The Declaration also states that by 2005, at least 90% of the youths should "have access to the information, education, including peer education and youth-specific HIV education, and services necessary to develop the life skills required to reduce their vulnerability". But in Japan, no action plan has been formulated to implement this.

Human rights

The Declaration clearly states that it is necessary to "implement measures to increase capacities of women and adolescent girls to protect themselves from the risk of HIV infection health care and health services, including for sexual and reproductive health, and through prevention education that promotes gender equality within a culturally and gender-sensitive framework". However, the Japanese Government has neither formulated action plans, nor taken official actions towards the achievement of this target.

Reducing vulnerability

In spite of the clear statement in the Declaration that it is necessary to develop and/or strengthen strategies, policies and programmes by 2003, and to "expand good quality, youth-friendly information and sexual health education and counseling services", the Japanese Government has not yet formulating a necessary strategy. Likewise, national strategies and programmes to promote the health of vulnerable groups have not been developed.

Resources

The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS "urges the developed countries that have not done so to strive to meet the targets of 0.7% of their gross national product (GNP) for overall official development assistance and the targets of earmarking 0.15% to 2.0% of GNP as official development assistance for least developed countries". But the Japanese Government has not been able to produce either a road map or a plan of action towards achieving these targets.

Follow-up

It is stated in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS that national periodic reviews of progress achieved in realizing these commitments should be conducted with the participation of civil society, including people living with HIV/AIDS, vulnerable groups and caregivers, and that wide dissemination of the results of these reviews should be ensured. But the Japanese Government has not been successful in setting up the necessary monitoring and evaluation system.

4. Conclusion

In 2005, the Japanese Government embarked on the revision of the National Guideline for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care, which had been formulated in 1999 based on the Law concerning the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Patients with Infectious Diseases. However, the Declaration was barely referred to during this revision process. Although the initial National Guideline for HIV/AIDS had been considered "innovative" at the time, few articles in the Guideline could be implemented.

Remembering this, and the fact that the targets and actions stipulated in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS had not been sufficiently reflected, it will be difficult for the revised Guideline to fully demonstrate its effectiveness as a National Guideline. What is truly needed now, is to put the articles stated in the Guideline into action, and to include the targets of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in order to galvanize the fight against HIV/AIDS in Japan. For this, full participation of civil society will of course be essential.

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