Barcelona 2002: law, ethics, and human rights. Toward a more meaningful involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS.

All too often, the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS in AIDS NGOs is tokenistic rather than meaningful. This article, which is based on a presentation by Chistophe Cornu (abstract WeOrG1292), demonstrates that, under the right conditions, the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS can be beneficial both for the individuals and for the NGOs. The article describes the beneficial impacts of involvement observed in a study conducted in Burkina Faso, Ecuador, India, and Zambia. It also discusses the harmful effects of involvement, for individuals as well as NGOs, identified by study participants. The article concludes with a series of recommendations for NGOs to maximize the benefits of involvement.