Deputy Speaker, I move without notice:
That the House -
(1) recognises Zero Discrimination Day, marked on 1 March this year, which promotes diversity and recognises that everyone counts;
(2) further recognises that this day is a UNAids initiative aimed at eradicating the deeply rooted stigma and discrimination that HIV- infected groups face every day and touches on discrimination in a general sense;
(3) acknowledges that organisations like the United Nations actively promote the day with various activities to celebrate everyone's right to live a full life with dignity, regardless of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, skin colour, height, weight, profession, education and belief;
(4) further acknowledges that many countries have laws against discrimination, but it is still a problem in all layers of society in every country in the world; and that many countries have and still use discrimination as a way of governing;
(5) applauds the efforts of organisations such as the SA National Aids Council, which, in partnership with a number of organisations and institutions, has taken the first National Stigma Index Survey among people living with HIV in 18 districts across South Africa; and
(6) calls on the government to pay greater attention to the plight of people with HIV, the discrimination associated therewith and, in particular, the broad disparities in access to evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
Agreed to.
