Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS

 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN THE AD HOC COMMISSION of VERKHOVNA RADA of UKRAINE on HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS and DRUG ABUSE ISSUES
AND
THE TRANSATLANTIC PARTNERS AGAINST AIDS (TPAA)
ON COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

Recognizing that Ukraine faces a strategic challenge from the HIV virus that causes AIDS;

Acknowledging that the HIV/AIDS epidemic carries significant socio-economic consequences and directly affects security and stability in all states of the world, including the Ukraine;

Recognizing an essential interdependence between drug abuse, HIV, and tuberculosis in Ukraine based on experience and data;

Valuing the health and well-being of Ukrainian society, as well as the broader global community;

Acknowledging that deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine have important social obligations to their society;

Recognizing that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS should actively participate in the design and implementation of national HIV/AIDS programmes of Ukraine and global initiatives of HIV prevention, education, and treatment;

Recognizing that deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine can fight HIV/AIDS by strengthening relevant legislation, expanding national budgetary expenditures for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and improving the legislative base to fight discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and support the protection of their rights;

Confirming that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and TPAA recognize the importance of international collaboration and the regular exchange of best practices related to HIV prevention and treatment;

The Ad Hoc Commission of Verkhovna Rada of Ukaine on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Drug Abuse Issues, established by Verkhovna Rada of Ukaine, and the TPAA agree to collaborate and accept the following responsibilities:

The Ad Hoc Commission pledges to

• Strengthen relevant legislation to ensure its consistency with international best practices and commitments signed by the governments of Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in September 2001;
• Undertake a comprehensive review of the country's HIV/AIDS policies and initiate relevant changes to ensure consistency with international obligations and compliance at the level of implementation;
• Work to increase access to treatment, care and support for people living with AIDS in Ukraine in order to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS, contribute to the reduction of poverty, and help the Ukrainian society meet the Millennium Development Goals;
• Review government appropriations for HIV/AIDS;
• Work to ensure that HIV/AIDS remain a priority item on the agendas of international bodies and institutions, including the G-8 and the Security Council of the United Nations;
• Participate in awareness-raising activities, including study tours and joint meetings with members of the U.S. Congress, the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS, and the Russian Parliamentary Working Group Against AIDS;
• Work to expand public-private partnerships in the fight against AIDS through regular collaboration between parliamentarians and representatives of civil society, including people living with AIDS;
• Support the establishment of a Transatlantic Coalition of Legislators Against HIV/AIDS - organized by Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA) - that aims to strengthen international strategy of the fight against the epidemic, increase the input of legislators from various states in this fight, as well as to protect human rights.

Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA) pledges to

• Provide informational, organizational, analytical and expert support on HIV/AIDS related issues to the Commission, in particular, through the activities of TPAA working group;
• Provide policymakers with a policy options produced at the result of rigorous, fact-based research and Ukraine-specific cost-benefit analysis as well as on the basis of international standards and best practices that articulate cost-effective, evidence-based methods and reflect national needs and values;
• Provide the Commission and policymakers with publications that could assist in formation of policy and programs that are proven to be most effective in fighting the spread of HIV among high-risk groups and the general population, and caring for those who are already infected;
• Generate the necessary information, materials and other resources for senior policy makers;
• Promote inter-agency cooperation within the Commission by ensuring the participation of civil society representatives, including PLWHA, other relevant national and international organizations working in Ukraine;
• Work towards wider participation by civil society, local actors and other professional institutions in the process of policy formulation and identification of priority issues related to HIV/AIDS by engaging them in policy research and review of policy options through organizing seminars, roundtable discussions, public hearings with the participation of legislators, experts, government officials, NGO leaders, people living with HIV/AIDS, mass media representatives and others concerned;
• Provide ongoing technical assistance and support for the Commission's smooth functioning.

Signed in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in the City of Kyiv, on this day, August 3, 2004:

R. Bohatyriova,
People's Deputy of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,
Chair of the Ad Hoc Commission of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Drug Abuse Issues

J. E. Tedstrom,
President and CEO of the Transatlantic Partners Against HIV/AIDS