PRESS RELEASE
Brussels/Berlin, 29 July 2016
The European AIDS Treatment Agenda - the first international catalogue of patients' demands and principles in research - originated in 1991. EATA was signed by the major European AIDS Service Organisations. EATA was the basis for the foundation of EATG in 1992. EATG celebrates the 25th anniversary of European treatment activism by publishing historic documents.
These 25 years have seen substantial changes in HIV activism and advocacy. One of the key outcomes from the early days of this work is the establishment and operation of the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), one of the largest networks of people living with and affected by HIV in Europe.
"We take pride in having been instrumental in making change happen for people living with HIV/AIDS", say Stephan Dressler and Matthias Wienold (co-authors of EATA). The early tradition of disseminating information to the communities affected by HIV/AIDS and related co-morbidities continues with the EATG’s comprehensive news service that anyone can subscribe to on the website.
"We praise the founding spirit of those years", adds Koen Block, Executive Director. "After 25 years we continue to benefit from the strong commitment of the activists involved, especially in the ongoing work related to co-infected populations, ageing and needs of key populations. We commemorate the friends we lost from that generation of pioneers."
Several major global HIV/AIDS conferences will be held in Europe in the next two years. The EATG is getting ready for making sure that the voice of the communities living with and affected by HIV are adequately represented, especially as there is mounting evidence that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is currently rampant in some regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia1.
With over 160 individual members from the WHO Europe region, EATG continues being a strong voice in community led HIV/AIDS response globally, improving the daily lives of people living with and affected by HIV.
