HIV/AIDS and human rights in Russia: landmark conference in St. Petersburg.

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE to address the issues of HIV/AIDS and human rights in the Russian Federation took place in St. Petersburg, from 19 to 21 October 2005. Co-sponsored by Bard College, Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and its Gagarin Center for Human Rights, and Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU), the conference brought together for intensive dialogue and discussion, over 300 participants and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), consisting of experts, scholars, activists and practitioners from all over the world.

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Held at the Tavrichesky Palace--a national landmark considered to be the birthplace of Russian democracy since it is where the first Russian Duma was convened--the conference was one of many activities in 2005 to honour the United Nations sixtieth anniversary. The meeting's goal was to explore opportunities and challenges posed by the double imperatives of halting the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as defending the rights of those whose lives it touches. Participants also discussed some of the most urgent questions that must be tackled by social and human sciences, such as: "What exactly should we know in order to fight the disease effectively, and how do we prevent violations of fundamental human rights?"

The Conference marked the first time that people living with HIV/AIDS in the Russian Federation and groups representing their interests were able to gain a serious hearing of their concerns from a gathering of this magnitude. The fact that it was co-sponsored by one of Russia's leading universities provided a unique opportunity to begin to examine the current knowledge-base and to advance a research agenda that would address social issues crucial to understanding the state of the epidemic and the most effective means of addressing it.

The conference consisted of keynote speeches, debate, dialogues, and workshops, as well as six panel discussions entitled: Frameworks, Knowledge, and Critiques; Law and Policy I--Vulnerable Groups; Law and Policy II--Testing and Treatment Rights and Ethical Issues (Options and Obstacles); Prospects for a Research Agenda: Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights; Public Awareness: Education and Media; and Perspectives for the Future. What is the Role of Human Rights at Key Points for Intervention?

Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Director of the Department of HIV/AIDS of the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered the opening address, and Liudmila Alexeeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group and one of Russia's most revered human rights campaigners, made the closing speech. Dr. Michael Kazatchkine, France's Ambassador on AIDS and Transmissible Diseases and Vice Chairman of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, gave an important plenary address on "The Role of Human Rights in the Fight to Prevent, Control and Treat HIV/AIDS".

The debate/dialogue format of the conference allowed participants to discuss some controversial issues from contrasting perspectives without prejudice. Internationally renowned journalist Vladimir Pozner chaired a dialogue on "The Role of Human Rights Law and Legislation in Combating the HIV/AIDS Epidemic", which featured Open Society Institute (OSI) President Aryeh Neier, a former director of the American Civil Liberties Union and an expert on legal rights. Participants engaged in a strikingly lively and controversial debate with lawyers from St. Petersburg and Ukraine.

UN agencies, such as the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Moscow office, made important contributions to the realization of the conference goals. Bertil Lindblad, UNAIDS country coordinator, moderated the keynote speech with Dr. Kim, while Sergey Smirnov of UNESCO Moscow made a valuable contribution to the panel discussion on "Testing and Treatment Rights and Ethical Issues (Options and Obstacles)".

Workshops/case studies were organized and hosted by organizations with special expertise: "On the Front Lines of the Epidemic: Reporting on HIV/AIDS in Russia" by Transatlantic Partners against AIDS (TPAA); "HIV/AIDS in Prisons" by Imena + Foundation; "Harm Reduction and Substitution Treatment" by OSI and Dr. Vladimir Mendelevich, Director of the Institute of Mental Health Research and head of the Department of Medical and General Psychology, Kazan State Medical University; the roundtable on "HIV/AIDS as a Business Issue" by TPAA and Global Business Coalition; "Access to ARV Therapy" by the Delo Foundation and FrontAIDS; and "Women as a Vulnerable Population", led by Marina Berezhnaya, journalist and associate professor, School of Journalism, at SPbU.

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In conjunction with this conference, Bard College sponsored an essay contest for high school and college students on "The Importance of Human Rights in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS". More than 40 students competed. Winners Alexandra Tatarsky of Bard High School Early College and Elizabeth Larison of Bard College were provided an all-expense-paid trip to the conference. Elizabeth, a human rights major, expressing her gratitude, wrote that the experience "influenced the directions in which I will pursue my studies and political interests ... undoubtedly changing what I will do in (and with) my future, and how I will live my life". Alexandra wrote: "I feel overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge that I was blessed to receive during my week in St. Petersburg", adding that "with immense clarity and persuasion, the conference explored how human rights violations are the key contributing factor to the spread of the disease". She described the conference as an important step towards promoting tolerance by raising awareness and creating a "strong community of people dedicated to strengthening universal human rights."

The conference was an important step in the realization of Smolny College's mission as a liberal education institution. Founded in 1997 by Bard College and SPbU, Smolny is the first educational programme in the Russian Federation based on the principles of liberal arts education and is accredited by both American and Russian authorities. In 2003, Smolny College established the Andrew Gagarin Center for Human Rights, which aims to develop human rights education and research as an integral part of its curriculum, with a view towards creating a community of educators and activists and establishing the Russian Federation's first human rights degree programme.

Smolny College is planning a number of follow-up activities to further raise consciousness about issues of HIV/AIDS and human rights. An AIDS Awareness Week, to be held in May 2006, will include the Russian premiere of a film by Anne-Christine d'Adesky, a veteran AIDS journalist who has covered HIV treatment and research issues since 1984, and an information campaign on HIV/AIDS and human rights, aimed primarily at students and faculty at Smolny College and other SPbU departments. Other events will include lectures on social, medical and legal issues related to the epidemic, followed by interactive discussions. Another follow-up activity is a national day of media attention that would involve a variety of new initiatives for HIV/AIDS and human rights education.

Conference proceedings are scheduled to be published in the June 2006 issue of Collegium, the biannual journal of Smolny Collegium--International Interdisciplinary Institute of Advanced Studies. The volume will include edited transcripts in Russian, with brief summaries in English. It should prove useful to experts working in the field of HIV/AIDS and human rights, as well as to others with interest in these issues.

For further information about Smolny College, visit www.smolny.org/english/. The conference website is located at www.human.smolny.nw.ru/english/hiv/index.html.

Natalya Alyoshina (left) is the manager of the Human Rights Project at Smolny College, in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

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Susan H. Gillespie is Vice President and Director of the Institute for International Liberal Education at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, in New York, United States.

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