UNAIDS head says pandemic endures because of poverty, injustice

Published: 2006-08-15

TORONTO (CNS) -- AIDS is not an emergency; it's an enduring feature of injustice, poverty, the status of women, fear and ignorance, the executive director of UNAIDS told religious leaders. The long-term nature of the AIDS crisis makes religion a key player in the fight against the pandemic, Dr. Peter Piot said Aug. 12 during a gathering of faith-based organizations at the University of Toronto before the XVI International AIDS Conference Aug. 13-18. Because churches, mosques and temples have endured for generations and have always worked for their communities, they are ideal institutions to take on the fight against AIDS, said Piot. "Treatment is for life, and prevention is for life as well -- for (the) life not only of the individual but for the life of the society," he said. In many parts of the world churches are now the leading institution for combating AIDS, said Piot. This marks a contrast to some early religious response to the disease, he said.

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