So how does civil society respond in such a toxic and repressive environment? One approach adopted in Hungary has been to reach out to the community, share human stories and 'real' facts about drug users that counteract the negative messaging from the government. It is also important to not forget why civil society is under attack: "We are threatening their (ruling class) privileges. We are in the spotlight because we are doing something good," said Sarosi. In Russia, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network has taken a legal path, by challenging the need to register as a foreign agent first in the Russian Ministry of Justice, and latterly in the European Court of Human Rights, which still has some jurisdiction in Russia.
Given the current global political climate towards nationalism, tribalism, and steady erosion of civil society, it has been rather difficult for many participants/delegates at the recently concluded 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to accept the decision of the International AIDS Society to hold the next conference in 2020 in San Francisco. "What message would we be sending by inviting key population delegates to a country with a President who has praised Philippines President Duterte, banned travel to citizens from Venezuela, and praised the Russian President Putin?" wondered Cohen.
What message indeed! It is easy to see that holding the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020) in the United States of America would fly in the face of all the core principles for which the international AIDS conference stands.
Dr Ian Hodgson, CNS
(Dr Ian Hodgson is a senior member of CNS Correspondents Team, and has worked on HIV-related issues over the years. He is also the Co-Chair of HIV Nursing 2018.)
- Shared under Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
