SENIOR UN OFFICIALS APPLAUD RWANDAN EFFORTS TO STOP THE SPREAD OF HIV, TB

Senior United Nations officials today praised Rwanda for successfully integrating the treatment of patients suffering from HIV and tuberculosis after witnessing first-hand the delivery of health services in the African nation.

"It is gratifying to be at this clinic, which has intensified TB case finding in people living with HIV through TB screening and transferring confirmed cases to a TB clinic," said the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Stop TB Jorge Sampaio, referring to a visit to the Socio-Medical Centre in Biryogo.

"In addition patients who enrol at the health centre with tuberculosis are also tested for HIV and those found to be HIV-positive are given integrated care and support," noted Dr. Sampaio, adding that the programme "reflects Rwanda's impressive progress nationwide on coordinating TB and HIV services."

The head of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) spotlighted the progress Rwanda has made in easing the impact of TB and HIV co-infection through better collaboration and the use of innovative diagnostic technology.

"I am pleased to see that Rwanda is leading Africa and the world in taking an integrated approach to dealing with the interlinked epidemics of TB and HIV," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

"Rwanda's bold leadership is achieving impressive results that show the rest of Africa what can be achieved," said Mr. Sidibé.

On a later visit to Rwanda's National Reference Laboratory in Kigali, Dr. Sampaio and Mr. Sidibé congratulated staff and recognized their critical role in reducing deaths from TB among people living with HIV, while underscoring the need for much greater investment in strengthening laboratory services not least for a faster, simpler and more accurate TB test.

TB diagnosis requires visualization under a microscope of the bacteria, obtained via sputum samples, which cause the disease. But few bacteria are present in the coughed-up phlegm of many HIV sufferers, leading to a missed diagnosis in many cases.

The sensitivity of a TB diagnosis can be improved by incubating the samples to multiply the TB bacteria which can take weeks or months to grow using conventional methods. In an effort to increase speed and accuracy of TB diagnosis, fast liquid culture (MGIT) is slated to be rolled out soon in Rwanda. The National Reference Laboratory is also studying more efficient microscopes and staining techniques to shorten the time-lag in TB diagnosis.

Earlier this week, Mr. Sidibé addressed the 59th session of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Kigali, where he stressed the urgent need stop new HIV infections and called for a sea-change approach to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. "Prevention must become our watchword, the banner we raise in this critical stage of the response."
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Aegis calls on Govt to adopt Parliament's recommendations on 'impunity gap' for genocide suspects in UK

In a report released today, the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Human Rights says inconsistencies in the way the UK applies international law have created an “impunity gap” for perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It commends the Government's recent decision to amend to legislation to partially address the problem, but calls for it to close remaining loopholes in the law and to re-establish a specialist war crimes unit to investigate people in the UK who are suspected of such offences.

Under the law as it stands, no-one in the UK can be prosecuted for war crimes in internal armed conflicts, genocide or crimes against humanity committed before 2001. Even if people here are suspected of committing such offences since 2001, they can only be prosecuted if legally resident here, not merely if they are present in the country (for eg., visiting on a student or business visa).

The Aegis Trust worked with MPs and Lord Carlile QC, Lord Falconer QC and Baroness D’Souza to prepare amendments to the Coroners and Criminal Justice Bill which would have closed these loopholes. Tabled in the House of Lords, they triggered the Government’s decision last month to extend jurisdiction of UK courts to prosecute international crimes as far back as 1991.

As the Committee points out, however, this only takes jurisdiction back to the date on which Crimes Against Humanity became recognised as crimes in international law. It argues for jurisdiction on genocide and war crimes in internal armed conflicts to be extended back to the dates on which they were recognised in international law (e.g. 1948 for genocide).

The Committee also supports Aegis’ call for replacement of the ‘residence’ test with a simple ‘presence’ test, so that anyone present on UK soil could be subject to jurisdiction on international crimes, not only those who are legally resident. This is the test used by other common law countries such as Canada, the US, New Zealand, South Africa.

“The Aegis Trust is delighted that the Joint Committee on Human Rights has adopted all of our recommendations for strengthening UK law in this area,” says Aegis’ Head of Campaigns Nick Donovan, whose evidence is quoted in the Committee’s report. “We too commend the Government for the bold progress made last month, and call on it to finish the job by closing remaining legal loopholes which benefit suspected war criminals in the UK.”

In June Aegis published a report that brought together, for the first time, details of people entering the UK who are suspected of international crimes. The report examines 18 cases, including those of suspected genocidaires from Rwanda, alleged torturers from Zimbabwe, Iraq, Liberia and the Congo, and alleged war criminals from Afghanistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka. They include such people as a Lieutenant Colonel from KHAD, the Soviet-era Afghan government’s secret police; an alleged Tamil Tiger assassination hit squad driver, and a member of Sierra Leone’s ‘Mosquito’ rebel group, notorious for murder, rape, looting, burning, sexual slavery and forced amputations.

The Joint Committee’s report comes at a time when the workload of the UK Border Agency’s war crimes team is increasing. Several weeks ago, the Government revealed that in the first six months of 2009, recommendations of immigration status refusal following investigation were up four-fold on the preceding four years. Since 2004, there have been 421 cases where immigration action was recommended and 30 cases where the matter was referred was made to the police. How many of these people are currently at large in the UK is unclear.

UN AGENCIES HELP SET UP SUPPORT CENTRE FOR RWANDAN SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE

Survivors of child, domestic and gender-based violence in Rwanda will now be able to access the support and services they need at a new "one-stop" centre that will open in the capital, Kigali, thanks to a partnership between national authorities and several United Nations agencies.

The centre will be called Isange – which means feel welcome and free in Kinyarwanda – and will offer medical, legal and psycho-social services to survivors of violence in comfortable and confidential surroundings, according to a news release issued by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

In a recent study by UNIFEM and the National University of Rwanda on sexual and gender-based violence, survivors reported that the way police, hospitals and courts are set up does not provide an appropriate atmosphere to report on violence.

Some services to address such violence do exist but they are "often scattered and inhibit, rather than facilitate, timely and efficient responses."

The Isange Centre, which will be located in Kigali's Kacyriu Police Hospital, will offer a range of services, including protection from further violence, crime investigation, medical testing and referrals to courts of law as well as treatment for physical and psychological trauma.

The initiative is made possible through a partnership agreement signed last week between the Rwanda National Police Health Services and the UN in Rwanda, with support from UNIFEM, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"The United Nations is committed to working with Rwanda's Government and civil society to prevent violence, particularly as it affects children and women," said Aurelien Agbénonci, the UN's Resident Coordinator.

"We have recently provided assistance to national authorities to put in place a multi-sector response and prevention strategy, and this centre goes one step further to make this strategy a reality by providing comprehensive, timely, affordable and effective services."

Similar "one-stop centres" for survivors of violence have also been implemented in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and Sweden, according to UNIFEM.
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LONDON appointed by Aegis to secure sponsorship for Rwandan genocide survivors campaign

LONDON has been appointed by the Aegis Trust – an independent, international organisation that is dedicated to eliminating genocide – to secure a sponsor for the charity’s “Candles for Rwanda” campaign.

The online Candles for Rwanda global campaign marks the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and is being primarily driven by a series of viral films which show prominent celebrities, politicians and diplomats lighting candles in memory of those who lost their lives. The films, which aim to encourage donations, feature individuals including Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Sandra Bullock and David Cameron. The films can all be viewed at www.candlesforrwanda.org/donate and on YouTube.

LONDON is working with Aegis Trust to secure corporate sponsorship for the initiative and to develop the online campaign in order to maximise public awareness and increase the number of donations made.

Commenting on their appointment, Michael Moszynski, CEO of LONDON said:

“Aegis Trust has achieved an amazing coup in securing the support of some of the most prominent people on the planet for this very important initiative. However without corporate sponsors to secure funding of £250,000 to promote global awareness of the initiative, people will not know about the campaign or how to donate.

This is a global issue and a global campaign so as a new type of global agency we are giving our time at no cost to do what we can do to help spread the word. I would like to personally appeal for an individual, media owner or company to come forward to help make this happen. ”

Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust, said:

“The backing of prominent world figures for Candles for Rwanda has created an opportunity to change the lives of people still suffering from one of the international scandals of the past two decades. They are not sitting with a begging bowl. But we owe it to them to lend a hand in rebuilding their lives and their country. There couldn’t be a better partner than LONDON behind this; I know with support from sponsors something special can happen.”