PanAfrica: AU, UN Agencies Launch HIV Prevention Acceleration in ...

PanAfrica: AU, UN Agencies Launch HIV Prevention Acceleration in Africa

The African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) agencies yesterday launched 2006 as the Year of Acceleration of HIV Prevention in Africa.

The event was a follow up to the Declaration by the African Ministers of Health in 2005 to declare 2006 as a "Year for Acceleration of HIV Prevention" in the African Region, and called on Member States to intensify HIV prevention efforts.

Launching 2006 as the "Year for Acceleration of HIV Prevention in Africa" here at the African Union Headquarters, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi underscored the importance of scaling up prevention efforts to address the challenges posed by HIV and AIDS.

Many African countries have been implementing intervention which have been reasonably successful, the Premier said. "However, the progress made has not been commensurate with the challenges we face," said Meles pointing to the 3.2 million new infections in Africa out of the global 4.9 million in 2005.

The Premier said Ethiopia is making efforts to prevent new HIV infections based on a national strategic plan for intensifying preventive measures.

"Community ownership of the programme, effective social mobilization and building the capacity of our health care system with a view to putting it at the centre of the prevention programme were central to our strategy," Meles said.

Expansion of Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres (VCT) is also an important area of focus to avert new HIV infections, according to Meles. "At the end of 2005, we had about 658 voluntary counselling and testing centres catering for 451,000 individuals which is a fivefold increase of what we had in 2003," he said.

"Africa must now seize the moment and opportunity to stop the spread of HIV," said African Union Commission Chairperson Prof. Alpha Oumar Konaré. " Prevention is the only sure option currently available to us for winning the war against HIV".

Konaré took the collective efforts of the AU and UN agencies as the right approach to tackle the immense challenge posed by HIV and AIDS and other prevailing problems facing the continent. This partnership, according to Konaré, will develop further to make the campaign to accelerate HIV prevention a reality in all countries, and for all communities.

The Chairperson also urged stakeholders to show commitment to turn policies that promote HIV prevention in action and reach everyone, everywhere with services and on sustained basis.

Director of UNAIDS Country and Regional Support Department Michel Sidibe on his part called for locally tailored prevention, treatment, care and support responses. "There is no single AIDS epidemic in the world or even in Africa," said Sidibe in explaining the varied intensity, pace and impact of the HIV epidemics.

Present at the launching ceremony in Addis were the First Ladies of Rwanda and Ethiopia, representatives of UN, international and regional organizations, diplomatic corps, the private sector as well as youth and women associations and People Living with HIV and AIDS.

Sub-regional simultaneous and synchronized launches of 2006 as the Year to Accelerate HIV Prevention in Africa also took place in Khartoum, Johannesburg and Ouagadougou.

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