On December 1, 2024, CSO Representative, Dr. Sok Pun, Chair of Steering Committee of Health Action Coordinating Committee, delivered CSO speech at opening remarks of the World AIDS Day 2024 organized by National AIDS Authority (NAA) at Chaktomouk theater under theme “Rights as a Path to Ending AIDS.”
The event highly presided over by H.E Ieng Moly, Chair of the National AIDS Authority (NAA) highly acting on behalf of Samdech Maha Bovor Thepdei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Her Excellency Dr. Pech Chanmony Hun Manet.
There were around 500 people representative from Government, Ministries, Department, Youth, CSOs, Uniformed services, and people living and affected with HIV and AIDS.
This World AIDS Day is celebrated to show participation and support for those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as to highlight the efforts of the multi-sectoral participation of relevant institutions in preventing and eliminating the spread of HIV to achieve the goals set for 2030.
Civil society organizations that have been implementing programs to response to HIV and AIDS, would like to once again continue to commit and participate more actively so that Cambodia can achieve all three 95% goals by 2025, especially goal 1, by continuing to do more on finding new case , so that they can quickly receive HIV blood tests and receive treatment if they are infected with HIV.
World AIDS Day 2024, under the theme Rights are the way to end AIDS!, highlighted the need for the rights of people, especially those living with HIV and high-risk groups, to receive full services, without discrimination, and with friendly services.
In the past, our community including people living with HIV and those at high risk of HIV infection has faced many rights-related issues such as stigma and discrimination from family members, community members, and health care providers, disclosure of personal information that violates the privacy rights of people living with HIV, psychological harm, as well as barriers related to laws and policies, forced dressing in a way that differentiates between men and women, forced haircuts, harassment, forced to change their identities against their will, and scorn from friends and relatives.
Moreover, discrimination and self-discrimination within the community are also barriers to accessing education services, HIV testing, and HIV and AIDS treatment.
For Cambodia to achieve its goals and to respond to the theme of Rights as a Path to Ending AIDS, CSO would like to contribute with the following:
1. Increase awareness of the providers and clients Rights at all health care facilities
2. Increase community awareness of SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identify and Expression, and Sex Characteristics)
3. Continue to facilitate the provision of equity cards and health equity fund cards to people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups
4. Request the Royal Government to implement the Social Contracting mechanism to support civil society organizations to provide resources and continue their mission to respond to the HIV infections with effectively and sustainably, especially for prevention and strengthening the networks of high-risk groups
5. Continue to expand the use of commune/sangkat fund to implement AIDS programs in communities, with the participation of civil society organizations
6. Encourage community representatives, including people living with HIV and high-risk groups, to be members of commune/sangkat councils
7. Encourage the community to come forward and contact the relevant authorities to request support and provide equity fund cards
8. Request and encourage those who are suspected of having HIV to immediately seek counseling and blood testing services available in the community and at hospitals across the country, and to promptly receive treatment and consistent treatment for the health of themselves, their families, and their communities.
