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AIDS 2000 CONFERENCE CHAIR ADDRESSES GLOBAL CONCERNS ABOUT DURBAN CONFERENCE

By Karen Bennett, Communications Co-Ordinator International and
Fakazile Myeza, Communications Co-Ordinator Africa

The people of South Africa's holiday city, Durban, are well prepared to welcome about 10,000 delegates of the XIII International AIDS Conference to their city.

The conference, to be held at Durban's International Convention Center from 9 to 14 July this year, has attracted the world's interest in the past few months. Amidst a spirit of participation, collaboration, and transparency, rumours of security concerns and boycott have emerged.

SECURITY IN DURBAN AND AT THE ICC

The Conference Chair, Professor Hoosen M Coovadia is aware of international concerns about security in Durban.

I want to assure everyone that we have paid very careful attention to this. In collaboration with the South African Police Services, the Durban City Police, and our own security companies and those of exhibiting pharmaceutical companies, we have devised a safety and security policy, said Professor Coovadia.

This policy was developed to ensure delegates' safety during their visit to Durban, and as such, it includes safety tips on simple precautions to followsimilar to those that one would take in any other big city in the world. These safety tips, and the entire safety and security policy, can be viewed on the website www.aids2000.com

South Africa has a zero to low tolerance level when it comes to protests and disruption when there is the potential of causing harm to individuals and damage to property. However, in the spirit of our new South Africa, we will allow people to air their grievances. For this reason we have paid special attention to safety and security within the conference venue, said Professor Coovadia.

To this end, the conference center has been divided into seven zones, and demonstration activity allowed in each zone has been clearly outlined in the safety and security policy. This activity ranges from no access in the media center, VIP area, and offices (Zone 1) to peaceful protests and demonstrationssubject to certain conditions in each zonein the remaining six zones.

Professor Coovadia's team has ensured other safe venues for demonstrations. These include speakers' corners, which will be made available throughout the conference venue to allow speakers to air their opinions. All speakers' corners will have a public address system and other appropriate equipment. In addition, a Vukani (wake up) room will also be made available so that representatives from activist groups and communities can meet with relevant groups and authorities to air their views and hand over memorandums, resolutions or action lists.

A security liaison officer will be employed by AIDS 2000 to ensure efficient and effective communication between activist groups and security services. The security liaison officer will also assist the groups in obtaining relevant permission for street and public protests from local authorities.

A BOYCOTT IS NOT THE ANSWER

According to Professor Coovadia, the world expressed its outrage a few months ago at the choice of Toronto to host the next such conference. The reason for this outrage was because it was felt that this conference should be hosted in a developing country where the epidemic was at its worst.

I'm sure everyone understands that all developing countries have serious problems. It is usually these problems which are used to threaten boycotts. To host a conference of this nature, many organisations must invest substantial sums of money. Should this boycott go ahead, it would severely damage the chance of it ever being hosted in a developing country again. In addition, I wish to remind the world that this is not a South African government conference. It is a meeting of people concerned about HIV/AIDS, which will be held on South African soil. Should you choose to boycott this conference, you will not be boycotting the South African government; rather you will be boycotting an international meeting about an international epidemic.

While the role of this conference and its organising body is not to develop this country's legislation, its role is to encourage discussion and debate on issuessuch as the supply of anti-retroviralsbetween all parties concerned so consensus is reached which would benefit people in developing countries. While we, as a conference organising body, cannot influence the South African government's policies, AIDS 2000 is a valuable forum for openly addressing many issues.

A CALL FOR SOLIDARITY

In this new South Africa, we have let go of our painful past and we have embraced a spirit of democracy and open debate. For this reason, the threat of a boycottinstead of open discussionsmacks of our apartheid past.

I challenge you to attend the XIII International AIDS Conference to join this platform of debate in an attempt to find a solution to this and other problems. By doing so, you will show your solidarity to the fight against this global epidemic," said Professor Coovadia.