La IX Conferenza mondiale sull'Aids si terrà a Berlino nel 1993. Ci sono numerose indicazioni che gli organizzatori, dopo le edizioni "liberali" italiana (1991) ma soprattutto olandese (1992 ad Amsterdam dal 19 al 24 luglio), vogliono restringere al massimo, praticamente del tutto la pertecipazione delle ONG (organizzazioni non governative) dalla Conferenza stessa.

Trascrivo di seguito una possibile lettera di protesta da inviare agli organizzatori: più ne arrivano, meglio è

International Aids Society

Professor Dr. K.O. Habermehl

Free University Berlin

Institute of Virology

Hindenburgdamm 27

D-W-1000 Berlin

Germany

Dear Professor Habermehl,

we (nome dell'organizzazione) have been informed that the organizers of IX International Conference on Aids, to be held in Berlin in 1993, are reluctant to involve non-governmenthal, Aids service, and community-based organizations and PWA groups in the planning and implementation process for the conference mentioned above. This is in harsch contrast to the developments in the previous international Aids conferences, expecially to the degree of involvment of people and communties affected which has been achieved in the preparatory work for the VIII International Conference on Aids, to take place in Amsterdam in July 1992.

We understand that letters of the Deutsche Aids-Hilfe, offering co-operation in this matter to the chairperson of the IX International Conference on Aids have even gone unanswered.

We consider it highly important that affected people and communities are involved in preparing this conference. We demand that they are represented in all preparatory committees and in the ongoing process of selecting content, lectures, abstracts, models of scholarship, posters, etc. Affected people and their organizations should be given a public forum in order to be able to contribute with their personal experiences of living with Hiv/Aids at the conference itself. The partecipation in the conference of as many affected people and their organizations as possible should be facilitated by means of favorable financial conditions. This is applicable, especially for rapresentation from financially disadvantaged countries. Therefore, we urge you to change your attitude and to involve ASOs, NGOs and CBOs in the planning process for the IX International Conference on Aids and to make sure that their imput is duely recognized and implemented by the conference organizers.

We also support the project of the Deutsche Aids-Hilfe to set up a cultural festival in conjunction with the IX International Conference on Aids and we hope that they will also receive your support for this project.

In anticipation of your replay, we remain