Breaking the Barriers - Partnership to Fight HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia - February 2004

In February 2004, DAA was the Irish civil society representative at the Ministerial Conference, Breaking the Barriers - Partnership to Fight HIV/AIDS in Europe and Central Asia.  DAA was appointed and funded by Development Co-operation Ireland, Department of Foreign Affairs, to co-ordinate Irish NGO involvement in the consultation process for drafting the Dublin Declaration, while also co-ordinating NGO involvement in Ireland and throughout Europe in the conference and associated events.  DAA delivered a paper outlining Ireland's partnership approach to strategy and services development at the Partnership Workshop.  Click here to view this paper.

Irish AIDS Day 2004 - 15th June

DAA, in partnership with Concern, launched Positive Youth, a peer education video and information pack, which engaged young people in Ireland and Zambia in the national and global HIV/AIDS Debate.  Young people from throughout Ireland, North and South, and young people in Zambia talk openly and frankly about HIV and associated issues.  An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern endorsed the initiative at an assembly at Government Buildings on 14th June where he met some of the young people involved in the initiative (click here to view picture).  This programme has been greeted with considerable interest from the Department of Education & Science, who has invited schools to adopt the programme for students within the appropriate age range.  Furthermore, both Concern and DAA have distributed the video and information pack to a wide range of youth groups, schools and colleges nationwide.  The initiative was sponsored by Development Co-operation Ireland, and is available from both DAA and Concern.

World AIDS Day 2004 - 1st December

DAA teamed up with Dochas on World AIDS Day 2004, and involved the Tanaiste and Minister for Health & Children, Mary Harney, Nora Owen, and Grainne Seoige from Sky News, among others, in an event to raise awareness of twenty million women worldwide living with HIV/AIDS.  In order to heighten awareness, the campaign was extended to the streets where 15,000 promotional postcards, condoms, red ribbons and sexual health information was distributed.  Furthermore, DAA was requested by Development Co-operation Ireland to submit an article focusing on the factors rendering women more vulnerable to HIV in Ireland for a nationwide publication distributed by Independent Newspapers on 1st December 2004.  Click here to view this article.