The United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS

Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS

In June 2001, Heads of State and Government Representatives of 189 nations gathered at the first-ever Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on HIV/AIDS. At this United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS), the gathered nations unanimously adopted the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, acknowledging that the AIDS epidemic constitutes a "global emergency and one of the most formidable challenges to human life and dignity." The Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS covers 10 priorities, from prevention to treatment to funding, and these reflect a global consensus on a comprehensive framework to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. For a complete copy of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, please vist: http://data.unaids.org/publications/irc-pub03/aidsdeclaration_en.pdf

Recognizing the need for multi-sectoral action on a range of fronts, the Declaration of Commitment addresses global, regional and country-level responses to prevent new HIV infections, expand healthcare access and mitigate the epidemic's impact. Although it was governments that initially endorsed the Declaration of Commitment, the document's vision extends far beyond the governmental sector - to private industry and labour groups, faith-based organizations, non-governmental organizations and other parts of civil-society, including organizations of people living with HIV.

• Government of Canada's report on the 2001 UNGASS on HIV/AIDS

Reporting on the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS

Under the terms of the Declaration of Commitment, success in the response to AIDS is measured by the achievement of concrete, time-sensitive targets. The Declaration calls for careful monitoring of progress in implementing agreed upon commitments. In 2002, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Secretariat collaborated with UNAIDS co-sponsors and other partners to develop a series of core indicators to measure progress in implementing the Declaration of Commitment. These core indicators were further refined in 2005. For more information on the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), please go to their website at www.unaids.org.

Since the creation of the Declaration in 2001, the Government of Canada has submitted reports to the Secretary General of the United Nations detailing Canada's progress in meeting the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. These documents are used by UNAIDS to report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Government of Canada reports on the implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS are available below:

• 2002 Government of Canada Report to the Secretary General of the United Nations on the Implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
• 2003 Government of Canada Report to the Secretary General of the United Nations on the Implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
• 2006 Government of Canada Report to the Secretary General of the United Nations on the Implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS