Lars O. Kallings

The AIDS Accountability Leadership Award is presented to persons who play an exceptional role in promoting accountability in the international response to HIV/AIDS.

Professor Lars O. Kallings has shown a long term commitment in pointing out the lack of leadership and accountability as a major obstacle in improving the global HIV/AIDS response. After many years of experience within the fields of HIV/AIDS, Professor Kallings emphasizes this standpoint in his book “The uttermost plague - The book on AIDS”;

“Governments must [...] be put under pressure and held accountable via independent investigation and by making public information about how they carry out the measures they have undertaken to realise and how they have spent the funds put at their disposal by the world community. What is needed is a world opinion which will make governments answer for their omissions that have led to suffering and death for millions of people. The glow of repressed anger must flame up – in a forceful global movement that will jolt the world.” Lars O Kallings, The uttermost plague-The book on AIDS

This perspective and convincement also lead him to support the establishment of AIDS Accountability International. Professor Kallings has given an inspirational example through his own acting how a policymaking leader can make a change, and transform words and commitments into action. AAI is therefore honoured and proud to extend our deepest gratitude and congratulations to the 2009 Award laureate!

AAI´s first International Roundtable Discussion on Accountability and HIV/AIDS was organized in Stockholm on the 23rd of April. The facilitators, Per Strand, AAI ´s Scientific Director, and Rodrigo Garay, the Executive Director of AAI, presented the AIDS Accountability Country Scorecard and coordinated a constructive discussion on the global HIV/AIDS reporting and response.

Invited panellists were:

Lennarth Hjelmåker, HIV/AIDS Ambassador Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden
Lars O. Kallings, Former Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Beth Maina Ahlberg, Researcher and member of Network for African-European Women Scientists
George O. Ezuma, Minister- Counselor of Nigeria
Gustaaf Wolvaardt, Executive Director, Foundation for Professional Development, South Africa

The audience included representatives from various embassies based in Sweden, civil society organizations, academia, media and the Swedish International Development Agency amongst others.

Stockholm Roundtable Summary

Interested in organizing a Roundtable Discussion?

This Roundtable discussion was the first of a series of International Roundtable Discussions that AAI will be coordinating. The objective of these Roundtable Discussions is to create an effective dialogue and debate on the results of the AIDS Accountability Country Scorecard with invited leading national key stakeholders and representatives from Government, National AIDS committees, civil society organizations, UN bodies and media. If you are interested in co-organizing a Roundtable discussion in your country, please contact Communications Manager Karin Nilsson for more information; karin@aidsaccountability.org .

AAI is taking the next step in establishing the Rating Centre in South Africa. We are therefore recruiting Research Assistants and a Liaison Officer to be based at the Rating Centre.

Download job descriptions:

Interested in knowing more? Contact Johanna Löfgren at:johanna@aidsaccountability.org.

AAI at the 4th SA AIDS Conference in Durban, 31 March- 3 April 2009

Participating in this regional AIDS Conference is important to AAI, who has a strong relationship to South African organizations. AAI took the opportunity to host two sessions; one satellite focused on the technical aspects of the Country Scorecard, and one skills-building session on the topic ‘Demanding Accountability’, discussing how to use the Country Scorecard for advocacy purposes.

At the satellite, AAI representatives Dr. Per Strand and Ms. Lisa Grafström were joined by AAI’s acting chairman Dr. Gustaaf Wolvaardt and new board member Prof. Leickness Simbayi. For the skillsbuilding Ms. Bianca Marks from World AIDS Campaign was invited to discuss the Scorecard from a user’s perspetive.
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Scorecard reveals widespread lack of accountability in the global AIDS response

On World AIDS Day, 1 December 2008, AIDS Accountability International released its unique rating of the quality of country reporting to the UN on the response to AIDS. The new scorecard evaluates data that all UN Member States agreed to provide as part of their unanimous adoption of the United Nations 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. The analysis reveals a widespread lack of transparency and failure to report, by both rich and poor countries, that is seriously hindering the global AIDS response.

To the Country Scorecard Page