UN session on AIDS ends, vows to set key targets

United Nations, June 4 (UNI) The three-day Special UN General Assembly Session, convened to assess the progress made in the anti-AIDS efforts since the issuing of Declaration of Commitment to a comprehensive battle against the pandemic five years ago, has pledged to set ''ambitious national targets'' this year, including interim ones for 2008.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the outcome of the special session which concluded yesterday.

''The Secretary-General applauds the adoption of the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS by the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly,'' his spokesman said in a statement.

''He is particularly heartened that with this Declaration, governments have committed themselves to actions to promote gender equality, the empowerment of women and the protection of girls; respect for the full rights of people living with HIV/AIDS; protection for all vulnerable groups -- whether young people, sex workers, injecting drug users, or men who have sex with men; provision of the full range of HIV prevention measures, including male and female condoms and sterile injection equipment; and the full engagement in the response of the private sector and civil society, including people living with HIV.'' The three days of discussion, divided into a technical review for the first two days and a high-level segment yesterday, also had to consider recommendations on how to reach targets, including universal access to materials for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and to renew political commitment to the centrality of the 2001 Declaration of Commitment, seen as a dramatic turning-point in the global response to the disease.

Dwelling on the previous declaration, subtitled ''Global Crisis-Global Action'', with targets set mainly for 2003 and 2005, the Assembly said in its new consensus document that members reaffirmed their commitment to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015, ''and, in particular, the goal to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and major diseases''.

The 2006 Declaration calls for the development of improved drugs, diagnostics and prevention technologies, including vaccines and microbicides, and reaffirms that the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) does not prevent countries from protecting the public health by producing generic drugs.

Calling the fight against HIV/AIDS ''the greatest challenge of our generation'', the Secretary-General said that with this Declaration, world leaders have finally placed on record the personal commitment and leadership needed to win the fight against the dreaded disease.

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