AIDS ACTION NOW! Toronto, Canada & ACT UP, New york, U.S.A. jointly issue:

Le Manifeste De Montreal

Declaration of the Universal Rights and Needs of People Living with HIV Disease

PREAMBLE HIV disease (infection with HIV with or without symptoms) is a world wide epidemic affecting every country. People are infected, sick and struggling to stay alive. Their voices must be heard and their special needs met. This declaration sets forth the responsibilies of all peoples, governments international bodies, multinational corporations, and health care providers to ensure the rights of all people living with HIV disease.

DEMANDS 1) All governments and all international and national health organizations must treat HIV desease postitively and aggressively as a chronic, managable condition. Ensuring access and availablity of treatment must be part of the social and moral obligations of governments to their citizens. 2) Government must recognize that HIV disease is not highly infectious. Casual contact presents no threat of infection, and irrational fears of transmission must be fought. 3) An international code of rights must be acknowledge and preserve the humanity of people with HIV disease. This code must include: a) anti-discrimination legislation protecting jobs, housing and access to services of people with HIV disease; b) active involvement of the affected communities of people with HIV disease in decision-making that may affect them; c) guaranteed access to approved and experimental drugs and treatments, and quality medical care; d) the right to anonymous and absolutely confidential HIV antibody testing. Pre-and post-test counselling must be available; e) the right to medically appropriate housing; f) no restrictions on the international movement and/or immigration of people with HIV disease; g) full legal recognition of lesbian and gay relationships; h) no manditory testing under any circumstances; i) no quarantine under any circumstances; j) protection of the reproductive rights of women with HIV disease, including the right to freely choose the birth and spacing of their children and have the information and means to do so; k) special attention to the unique problems and needs of intravenous drug users, including provision of substance-abuse treatment on demand; l) special attention to the unique problems and needs of prisoners with HIV disease and guarnatees that they receive the same standard of care and treatment as the general population; m) the right to communication and all services concerning HIV disease in the language (written, signed or spoken) of his/her choice, through an interpreter if necessary; n) the provision of reasonable accomidation in services and facilities for disabled people; o) catastrophic/immunity rights -- the guaranteed right of people faced with life-threatening illness to choose treatments they deem beneficial for themselves. 4) A multi-national, international data bank to make available all medical information related to HIV disease must be created. This includes all data concerning drug and treatments, especially basic bio-medical research and the initiation of any progress of clinical trials. 5) Placebo trials must be recognized as inherently unethical when they are the only means of access to particular treatments. 6) Criteria for the approval of drugs and treatments should be standardized on an international basis so as to facilitate worldwide access to new drug treatments. 7) International education programs outlining comprehensive sex information supportive of all sexual orientations in culturally sensitive ways and describing safer sex and needle practices and other means of preventing HIV transmission must be made available. 8) The unequal social position of women affecting their access to information about HIV transmission must be recognized and also their right to programs redressing this inequality, including respects for women's right to control their own bodies. 9) Industrialized nations must establish an international development fund to assist poor and developing countries to meet their health responsibilities including the provision of condoms, facilities for clean blood supply and adequate supplies of steril needles. 10) It must be recognized that in most parts of the world, poverty is a critical co-factor in HIV disease. Therefore, conversion of military spending worldwide to medical health and basic social services is essential.

© 2005 LINQ Communications