AFRO-NETS> Kofi Annan calls for mobilisation against AIDS

[OAU Summit Secretariat <abjsummit@skannet.com>]

Kofi Annan calls for mobilisation against AIDS
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PRESS RELEASE

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls for large-scale mo-
bilization in fight against AIDS

Key priorities and funding objectives are set out in speech to OAU 
Summit on AIDS

(Abuja, Nigeria, 26 April) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi 
Annan called for a major new global campaign in the fight against 
HIV/AIDS and a massive mobilization of new funding in a statement he 
delivered here today to the African Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis 
and Other Related Infectious Diseases.

Speaking to African leaders, the Secretary-General stated that a "war 
chest" of US$ 7 to 10 billion was needed annually, over an extended 
period of time, to wage an effective global campaign against AIDS, 
and proposed the creation of a new Global Fund dedicated to the bat-
tle against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Current spending 
on AIDS in developing countries totals around $1 billion annually.

The Secretary-General issued a call to donors that by the time of the 
United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS to be held 25-27 June 2001 
in New York firm commitments should be made to meet this massive mo-
bilization. At the Special Session, governments are expected to com-
mit to a political declaration to fight HIV/AIDS.

The plight of Africa has caught the attention, and the conscience, of 
the world, the Secretary-General stated, and Africa can is no longer 
being left to face the disaster of AIDS alone. Some 25.3 million Af-
ricans are living with HIV, accounting for nearly 70 percent of in-
fected adults and children worldwide.

Calling the battle against AIDS his "personal priority", the Secre-
tary-General outlined five priority areas for the global campaign:

* Preventing further spread of the epidemic, especially by giving 
  young people the knowledge and power to protect themselves. Large-
  scale awareness campaigns must be mounted, and access provided to 
  voluntary counselling, testing and, when appropriate, condoms. About 
  a third of the 36 million people living with HIV/AIDS are aged 15-24, 
  and half of the 5 million people infected last year were under 25.

* Reducing HIV transmission from mother to child, which he called 
  "the cruellest, most unjust infections of all". All mothers must be 
  able to find out whether they are HIV-positive, and those who are 
  must have access to short-term anti-retroviral therapy, which has 
  been shown to reduce mother-to-child transmission by up to half. In 
  the year 2000 alone, some 600,000 children worldwide acquired HIV, 
  the vast majority in this way.

* Ensuring that care and treatment is within reach of all. The Secre-
  tary-General noted, based on his recent meeting with leaders of six 
  of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, that they are now 
  ready to sell life-saving drugs to developing countries at the lowest 
  greatly reduced prices possible. Some 95% of the world's 36 million 
  HIV-infected people live in developing countries, and fewer than 
  25,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa currently have access to anti-
  retroviral therapy. Access to affordable HIV-related drugs, however, 
  is only one part of the comprehensive HIV care package, which in-
  cludes voluntary counselling and testing, home and community- based 
  care, and simple treatments for opportunistic infections.

* Delivering scientific breakthroughs. Finding a cure and vaccine for 
  HIV/AIDS must be given increased priority in scientific budgets.

* Protecting those made most vulnerable by the epidemic, especially 
  orphans. Help must be provided to the estimated 13 million children 
  most of them in sub-Saharan Africa -- who have lost their mother or 
  both parents to AIDS.

To achieve these five goals, the Secretary-General called on the Af-
rican heads assembled to take the lead on in this campaign. Specifi-
cally, he called on them to break the wall of silence and embarrass-
ment that surrounds the AIDS issue in many African societies, to re-
move the discrimination and stigma attached to those infected, and to 
mobilize more of their own domestic budgets against the pandemic. He 
stated that local communities and those living with HIV/AIDS must be 
involved in the struggle against it, and that women must be empowered 
in order to protect themselves and their children against infection.

Building stronger healthcare systems is an absolutely essential step 
often overlooked in the budgets of governments and development agen-
cies, the Secretary-General stated. Without improved healthcare, 
cheaper anti-retroviral drugs may even do more harm than good, if 
life-threatening side effects are not addressed, or if therapy is in-
terrupted, leading to drug-resistant forms of HIV.

The Summit convened by the Organization of African Unity and hosted 
by Nigeria is taking place on 26-27 April, preceded by ministerial 
and technical meetings on 24-25 April. In addition to African lead-
ers, participants include heads of United Nations agencies and pri-
vate sector executives, as well as hands-on AIDS workers and experts.

Summit Media Centre
Mr. Omololu Falobi
Tel: +234-9-234-5381, 234-5413, 234-5415
Fax: +234-9-234-5487
mailto:abjsummit@skannet.com
Summit websites: 
http://www.fmh-abujasummit.org
http://www.oau-oua.org/afrsummit/index.htm

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