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Community Action Principles

The Canadian AIDS Society and all member organizations agree to abide by the following principles:

Empowerment

People living with HIV/AIDS can achieve their aims by ensuring that they are directly involved in the decisions that affect their lives, and in the organizations that serve their needs.

Community Support

Supporting those communities most affected by HIV/AIDS in their efforts to mobilize around common issues and advocate social change

Self-Help

Recognizing the importance of self-help and mutual assistance, natural support networks of people living with HIV/AIDS, friends, family and the health and social or community workers concerned.

Holistic Approach

Adopting a holistic approach encompassing the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the self; as well as an approach characterized by respect for human dignity that recognizes that validity of various sources of knowledge.

Underlying Issues

Recognizing HIV/AIDS not simply as a health issue, but also as an issue needing a vision of social change aimed at overcoming social inequalities and addressing their underlying causes: injustice, ignorance, poverty, violence, racism, sexism, homophobia and heterosexism

Accountability

Recognizing the need for organizations to be accountable to the communities in which they are rooted.

Greater Involvement of People Living With or Affected by HIV/AIDS

CAS accepts and endorses the Principles of Greater Involvement of People Living With or Affected by HIV/AIDS (GIPA) as stated by the UNAIDS working definition

Harm Reduction

The principles of harm reduction as they pertain to HIV prevention.

Adopted by the CAS Board of Directors May 1991, Amended December 2005