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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><STRONG><FONT
color=#0000ff>Message from the President and the General Secretary of<BR>the
World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)<BR>on the Occasion of the
World AIDS Day</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><STRONG><FONT
color=#ff0000>1 December 2010</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: large">Communication rights are crucial to the World AIDS
Campaign</SPAN></STRONG></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">On World AIDS Day 2010 we express gratitude
to the members and partners of the World Association for Christian Communication
(WACC) for their efforts to advance communication rights that help prevent the
stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Significant progress in achieving universal
access to HIV treatment, care, prevention and support in some countries is
reported in Towards universal access published in September 2010 by the World
Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Many agree that even greater progress is
possible if universal access to care and prevention are understood as a
fundamental human right. According to the World AIDS Campaign, “linking
universal access to human rights helps bring the HIV diagnosis and treatment
issues into existing fora and before world leaders who are already committed to
pursuing a human rights agenda.” A rights-based approach “gives more credence to
the international agreements related to human rights and their precedence in
international law.”</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">In its own work, WACC has found that
communication rights are essential to promoting universal access to HIV and AIDS
treatment, care, prevention and support. Communication rights empower people
living with and affected by the virus to express their needs, to make their
voices heard, and to take charge of their own lives.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">As an example we highlight WACC partner
Fondation Solidarité Familiale in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which
embarked on a campaign to publicize national law 08/011, enacted on 14 July 2008
and which upholds the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS with the aim of
combating all forms of stigma and discrimination.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Another partner, Groupe Chrétien contre le
Sida in Togo, is placing the spotlight on a little known national law enacted to
protect people living with HIV and AIDS against stigma and
discrimination.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">A third partner, the Christian Council of
Ghana, is contributing to efforts to increase knowledge in communities in the
Greater Accra Region about the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. New
knowledge on the right to a life free of discrimination aided Regina, a project
beneficiary, to successfully challenge a landlord’s threat to evict her from a
rental home because of her seropositive status. Information on the legal
supports in place made it possible for Regina to stay until the end of her
tenancy agreement.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Creating awareness about such laws is a first
step towards providing people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS with the
knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about their lives. Such decisions
bear directly on their possibilities to access treatment, care, prevention and
support.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Let us together find more intentional
approaches to advance communication rights that challenge stigmatisation and
discrimination and save lives. The World AIDS Campaign needs communication
rights.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium"></SPAN> </P>
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<TD>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">Dennis Smith DD (hon)<BR>WACC
President</SPAN></P></TD>
<TD>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">The Rev Karin Achtelstetter<BR>WACC
General Secretary</SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>
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<DIV>Bazlu<BR>_________________________<BR>AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR<BR>Chief
Executive Officer<BR>Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication
(BNNRC)<BR>[NGO in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social
Council]<BR>& <BR>Head, Community Radio Academy <BR> <BR>House: 13/1,
Road: 2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207 <BR>Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205
Bangladesh<BR> <BR>Phone: 88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501<BR>Cell: 01711881647
Fax: 88-02-9138501-105<BR>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:ceo@bnnrc.net">ceo@bnnrc.net</A> <A
href="http://www.bnnrc.net">www.bnnrc.net</A><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>