HIV/AIDS: Defusing A Biological Timebomb (2005)

Each year the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) hosts our Intergenerational Spring Seminar. Below is the statement complied by attendees to represent Unitarian Universalist voices at the United Nations. Learn more about UU work on HIV/AIDS.

UU United Nations 2005 Seminar Statement: “A Person with AIDS is a Person”

Whereas the United Nations Charter reaffirms “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,”

And whereas Unitarian Universalist principles affirm and promote “the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” and “justice, equity and compassion in human relations,”

And recognizing the terrifying proportions of the global AIDS pandemic, and the complexity of addressing the issue and engaging in possible solutions,

Understanding the obstacles to controlling and preventing the further spread of the global epidemic,

Honoring the history of HIV/ AIDS globally and nationally, and with compassion learning from the experience of people living with and affected directly by HIV/AIDS,

Affirming the long-standing history of Unitarian Universalists in the United States and Canada to advocate for and treat people living with HIV/AIDS with dignity and respect in their congregations and communities,

Expressing concern with pervasive issues of stigma, poverty, discrimination, morality, racism, and greed that dominate cultural and political discourse worldwide,

And expressing outrage that we have the medical technology to sustain the lives of millions of people affected by HIV/ AIDS, but not the global political will to bring generic drugs to entire communities in danger of disintegration,
We the members of the 2005 UU-UNO Annual Intergenerational Spring Seminar call North American Unitarian Universalist congregations to action regarding the global AIDS pandemic.

  • We call forsupport of Unitarian Universalist efforts for comprehensive sexuality education that teaches medically accurate facts about HIV transmission and the best prevention methods.
  • We call for efforts to improve education in communities worldwide, with the belief that education can equip future generations with the means for success and opportunity in the face of the destruction caused by the AIDS epidemic.
  • We call for a demand for global access to healthcare and treatment for HIV-positive people from our own governments and international organizations.

Therefore, as liberal religious people, guided by compassion, commitment to social justice, and the UN/UU-UNO goal of building a just international community, we call all peoples to positive and immediate action around the global AIDS crisis, as we reaffirm our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and to the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Endorsed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the UU-UNO, May 5, 2005.