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MBABANE – Leaders committed to create a conducive structural, legal, regulatory and eliminate discrimination and stigma against people living with HIV.
This was revealed during the 36th Session of the African Union (AU) to commit to a set of actions to boost progress towards ending AIDS in Kenya, Addis Ababa. Abuja declaration noted that weak health systems were continuing to hamper progress, including inadequate human resources for health, weak drug and commodity supply chains, insufficient quality control, inadequate integration of HIV services with other health and social services.
A failure to build the capacity, fund and include community organisations as critical and valued partners in the response to HIV was also preventing accelerated progress.
United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy Ambassador Dr John Nkengasong, who oversees PEPFAR said: “When HIV/AIDS is over, establishing regional manufacturing on the continent of Africa will be our legacy for fighting infectious disease across the continent and globally”.
Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director sees universal health care as key said Universal Health Coverage was another opportunity for African self-reliance, creating national insurance
schemes where resources were collected and insurance is rolled out for all those who could not afford it.
“This must include HIV services. People living with HIV are citizens like any other,”she said.
She further said there was also a deep concern that a significant share of HIV-related programmes were primarily managed, implemented, and financed by external donors rather than governments.
She indicated that less than 10 per cent of the 55 AU member States had met their pledge under the Abuja declaration to allocate 15 per cent of the annual budget to the improvement of the health sector.
Appreciation
Leaders noted with appreciation the Outline of the Roadmap to 2030: ‘sustaining the AIDS response, strengthening health systems and ensuring health security’; and its six pillars and requested the Commission, AUDA-NEPAD to develop a fully costed Roadmap to 2030 and to submit to the Assembly at its next session.
It also invited the Assembly, 10 years after the Abuja+12 to hold a Special Session on Ending AIDS, preventable Maternal deaths and Health Systems strengthening by 2030 no later than July 2024; and called on partners, especially PEPFAR, UNAIDS, The Global Fund, The African Private Sector and others, to support the implementation of this Declaration and Roadmap to 2030.