From the 27th all through to the 29th of May this year (2009) I was privileged to be among five Zambians that attended the first ever Global Citizens Summit held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The theme of this summit was “Mobilize the Nations, Treat the Nations and STOP HIV infection”. After two days of intense discussions, on the very last day the citizens of this world presented their discussions and most importantly their recommendations on the best way forward to end AIDS.

In my opinion, the bulk of these recommendations appeared strikingly radical. It is not my opinion to present through this piece a report on the summit but rather to share with you the ‘striking’ recommendations that emanated from there. Participants were divided into three different tracks/discussion groups, namely: (Track A) Frontline Realities for Universal Access, (Track B) Approaches for rights based social mobilization and (Track C) Social Mobilization for effective financing.

Recommendations Track A: Frontline Realities for Universal Access On PREVENTION

- We need to move from ABC

– Abstinence, Be Faithful to one sexual partner, Use a Condom every time you have sex to SAVE

– Safer Sexual Practices, Access to Treatment, Voluntary Counseling and Testing and Empowerment

- The Human Rights of vulnerable citizens: Men who have Sex with Men, Injecting Drug Users, transgender, commercial sex workers need to be recognized and implemented by governments and citizens the world over.

On TREATMENT

- Nutrition should be a part of treatment

- There should be a lifetime commitment to ART recipients.

On CARE and SUPPORT

- Men should be more helpful as opposed to being a hindrance.

Track B: Approaches for rights based social mobilization

- Media has to be brought on board as a key partner in social mobilization

- HIV should be made a long term development issue

- Traditional and contemporary communication as a powerful means towards perceptions and attitudes

- We should tap into the potential of influential traditional systems

- We should use the vibrancy and energy of social groups such as the youth to drive the message of fighting HIV Track C: Social Mobilization for effective financing

- There is need to professionalize AIDS financing, by so doing depoliticizing and removing conditions

- Provides social protection monies to households

- Explore innovative mobile banking for quick cash transfers

- Put in place National Social Health Insurance Systems

- Institute an AIDS levy

- Establish National AIDS endowment funds

- Work with local decentralized government authorities to include HIV in their budgets

- CSOs should produce and publish audited accounts like Private Companies do

- CSOs should jointly procure drugs with governments to avoid wastage and expiry caused by over supply.

As has already been stated it has not been my opinion to present through this piece a report on the summit but rather to share with you what in my opinion were the ‘striking’ recommendations that emanated from there. More so, I should hasten to add that the recommendations outlined above are, as were captured by myself and do not necessarily reflect a verbatim picture of what the actual outcome of the summit was. I take this opportunity to thank organizers of the summit and more so the organizations that made my participation in the summit a reality: Action AID International through the Centre for Economic Governance and AIDS in Africa (CEGAA).