With support from the Ford Foundation, IDLO hosted a Latin American regional meeting on best practices in the provision of HIV-related legal services.
The meeting included representatives from partner organizations from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru along with experts from the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, UNAIDS, UNDP and human rights organizations in the region. Participants shared best practices and discussed best ways to strengthen HIV-related legal services and strategic litigation in the region.
"Strengthening legal services is key to the response to HIV. We recognize that combating discrimination is crucial to overcoming the epidemic" said Edgar Carrasco, UNAIDS country representative from Venezuela.
“This meeting proves that we are really building the capacity of the Region. It was also the opportunity to exchange experiences and learn from the experts. The use of combined legal strategies to strengthen access to justice is fundamental to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination and to create a culture of rights" added Ana Luisa Liguori, Programme Officer at the Ford Foundation.
The meeting was also a milestone in IDLO’s HIV Initiative in Latin America, also supported by the Ford Foundation, as it marked the end of the pilot phase initiated in 2010. The goal of the HIV Initiative is to improve access to justice for people living with and affected by HIV, and key populations, and to address discrimination and violations of their rights.
As a result of the pilot phase, the Ford Foundation has extended IDLO’s HIV Initiative in Latin America for a further 12 months, until February 2013.