Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today we commemorate the 18th World AIDS Day since its launch by the World Health Organization in 1988. The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is “Accountability”.
Why this theme?
Africa remains the region of the world most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This is mainly due to the absence of a vaccine and the slow pace at which human behavior changes. However, 2006 has been an important year in the global response to AIDS, particularly in Africa .
A number of key events have taken place this year. They include:
- The high level meeting on AIDS, held in June at the UN headquarters in New York; that meeting conducted a review covering the five years since the Declaration on Commitment to AIDS;
- The Abuja review in June covering the five years since the 2001 Abuja Declaration;
- The signature in Brazzaville in March of the Declaration on universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care;
- The launch in April of the process to accelerate HIV prevention efforts in the African Region;
- Observance of the fifth anniversary of the DOHA Declaration on access to generic drugs.
The year 2006 therefore offered us a good opportunity to reflect on the lessons of the past and to build for the future in the context of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care and attainment of the sixth Millennium Development goal.
As we reflect on how far we have gone, there are signs of hope. There are indications of decline in adult HIV prevalence in a number of countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, and in several cities, including Abidjan, Lome and Ouagadougou..
The number of people living with HIV/AIDS that have access to life-prolonging medicines in Africa has continued to increase and had reached more than one million by June 2006, compared to less than 100,000 in 2003. WHO and its partners have helped 24 high-burden countries in the Region to train more staff to deliver anti-retroviral treatment. Twenty-eight countries have already developed plans to scale-up anti-retroviral therapy (ART), while 20 have plans to monitor and evaluate it as they roll out the treatment.
We recognize with satisfaction that a number of countries including Botswana and Uganda have made commendable efforts to scale up HIV/AIDS treatment and care. Successes and lessons learned from these countries need to be shared with other countries in the Region.
The number of people accessing HIV preventive services has also gone up, as countries continue to scale up testing and counseling services and strengthen programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission. The year 2006 was declared “Year for acceleration of HIV prevention in the African Region” and countries have adopted bold multisectoral approaches to accelerate HIV prevention.
These are encouraging developments in our Region. However, there are still major gaps and challenges that need to be urgently addressed. According to the 2006 epidemiological report that has just been released :
- 2.8 million people in Africa became infected in 2006;
- Only 10% of people living with HIV are aware of their HIV status;
- In sub-Saharan Africa, women account for 59% of people infected with HIV/AIDS;
- Only 23% of the estimated 4.6 million people in need of anti-retroviral therapy in our Region are receiving it;
- Less than 10% of HIV positive mothers receive services to prevent HIV transmission to their unborn babies;
- On average, 35% of TB patients in the African Region are co-infected with HIV.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The year 2006 has been the watershed for acceleration of HIV prevention in the African Region. In order for us to address the challenges highlighted by the 2006 epidemiological report, we need to intensify and sustain HIV prevention efforts, while continuing to expand HIV treatment programmes as we move towards universal access to HIV prevention, care, treatment and support.
The theme of my message today is Accountability, and this message is intended for all of us. Accountability for promises and commitments made by leaders in all segments of the society, and from national leaders to leaders at the grass roots level. Accountability for each and everyone’s behavior in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Accountability is an individual responsibility particularly in dealing with issues related to discrimination and stigmatization. Accountability is also associated with access to health care; with increasing national resources to support HIV/AIDS interventions and with commitments made at the national or international level.
As we move towards universal access, we need to deliver on our commitments and promises. The World Health Organization is determined to intensify its support to Member States. We will continue to work closely with other development partners in a context of renewed, enhanced and results-oriented partnership that can help countries achieve set targets.
I thank you.