After the scandal surrounding community participation at the Swiss-Austrian-German AIDS Congress in St. Gallen in 2009, things should go better again at the next event in Hanover. German AIDS service organisation Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe has therefore issued a statement for discussion.
The last Swiss-Austrian-German AIDS Congress (SÖDAK) in 2009 caused a scandal even before it had begun. Many representatives of self-help organisations stayed away from the congress.
The so-called Community Board, which included representatives of self-help organisations, was furious and discontinued its involvement. "Despite all the commitment and intensive work in the context of the reorganisation of the congress, which was supported with a great deal of goodwill, it was not possible to give sufficient consideration to the central concerns of the community," commented the board members on their withdrawal. A short time later, Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe and AIDS-Hilfe NRW also officially withdrew.
The next German-Austrian AIDS Congress will take place from 15 - 19 June 2011 in Hanover. In order to improve the participation of people with HIV this time, community participation is already being discussed. Together with the German AIDS Society (DAIG) - one of the organisers of the congress - Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe has submitted a draft declaration for discussion. Reactions to this paper, which will be received by the end of May, will be incorporated into a revised version, which will then be officially published.
Above all, the declaration insists on a stronger dialogue between HIV-positive people, science and practitioners who implement medical and social science findings. The congress should therefore not be a lecture from above, but an exchange of experiences between all participants. The congress programme will be correspondingly interdisciplinary and practice-oriented. In addition, seats for community members on the committees responsible for the event are being called for.
The call for discussion at ondamaris
Resolutions of principle on community participation from 2008
