EU HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and Tuberculosis Civil Society Forum - November 2020

Summary of the CSF Meeting on 18 Nov 2020

The CSF Members elected a new Coordination Team. The new and old Coordination Team members are AIDS Action Europe, Correlation Network, Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, European AIDS Treatment Group and TB European Coalition. Detailed results can be foundhere.

The update from the Commission included a summary of the European Union Health package plans with the reinforcement of ECDC’s mandate and news from the Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases to be foundhere. Moreover, CHAFEA updated on the three joint actions Integrate (www.integrateJA.eu), Hep-care (www.ucid.ie/medicine/hepcare) and E-Detect TB: (https://e-detecttb.eu/).

The updates from the agencies started with recent activities and developments of ECDC in HIV, STI and hepatitis and updates on the COVID-19 impact here.

WHO Europe followed with information on their support to countries, new and incoming WHO guidelines as well as the ECDC/WHO webinar coming up on 30 Nov 2020.

For UNAIDS the development of the new UNAIDS strategy is at focus, in particular as the global targets for 2020 are out of reach. COVID-19 is impeding the progress on top of it. New targets are now 95-95-95 for 2025.There is a HLM planned on AIDS for June 2021. CSF and the EC and EU Member States could engage with the strategy development: a draft strategy will be shared with the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) members in preparation for the December PCB.

EMCDDA informs about its Hepatitis Elimination Barometer, its HepC initiative, the joint ECDC/EMCDDA guidance, on COVID-19 and drugs and on its latest publications here.

The CSF on Drugs was invited to update on its contribution to the next EU Drug Strategy and perspectives on collaboration of the two Civil Society Fora.

Concerning news from Slovakia on mandatory HIV disclosure for non-EU residents among other issues were presented.

Reports from working groups included a short update on the EU4Health activities and on the Dublin Declaration reporting. As for the working group on UNAIDS and GFATM, there is nothing new. Currently it is waited for next steps in the UNAIDS strategy development and feedback from the GFATM.