At full Council this Thursday, October 20, the Labour administration will be asking opposition parties to back an ambitious plan for tackling HIV in the city.
Labour wants the city to become the UK’s first Fast-Track City, by signing the Paris Declaration of November 1 2014, and so joining many other cities around the world from Lusaka to Melbourne to Rio.
Fast-Track Cities are a network of cities committed to achieving the 90:90:90 targets of 90% of people living with HIV being aware of their status, 90% of them being on antiretroviral treatment and 90% of those having undetectable viral loads.
At the same time, the Labour administration has been in discussions with the Martin Fisher Foundation to try to deliver an extra legacy for the city, in memory of Martin Fisher, whose work on HIV/AIDS is known internationally.
The Foundation wants to move the city Towards Zero – a massive ambition for the whole city in HIV prevention – to move towards zero new HIV infections, zero HIV related deaths and zero HIV stigma.
On Thursday at Council, Labour will be calling on everyone to show support for the Foundation, and to ask the Health and Wellbeing Board to consider the sustained action that might be taken to promote the Towards Zero campaign.
Cllr Daniel Yates, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “We want to recognise how significant a step backing the Fast-Track Cities initiative on Thursday would be – for promoting health and wellbeing in the city, and for combatting discrimination wherever we find it. This is everyone’s community, and we need to battle for the prevention and treatment that is needed. At the same time, we want to honour the work of Martin Fisher, and would like to leave no stone unturned in moving “Towards Zero” – let’s say no to new HIV infections, no to HIV related deaths and no to HIV stigma.”