PRESS RELEASE
World AIDS Day 2013 Statement by Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank Group
World AIDS Day is December 1
TUNIS, Tunisia,November 29, 2013/
— Africa has made significant progress in fighting the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. In the past seven years, AIDS-related deaths declined by
32%.The number of people contracting the HIV infection declined by 25%
in the past 10 years. The rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
has also declined from 35% in 2001 to 26% in 2010. Ten years ago, we had
fewer than 50,000 people on ARV treatment; today we have over 6 million
receiving treatment. A few years ago, Senegal and Uganda were the only
success stories for their outstanding results and containment of HIV;
now we have 25 countries that lowered HIV infections by more than 50%. A
lot has been achieved; however, the risks are far from over. Indeed,
new infections are a threat. It is time to raise, not to lower our
vigilance.
Photo Donald Kaberuka: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/donald-kaberuka-afdb-president.jpg
Recall,
30 years ago, when the first HIV-positive case was reported; 24 million
Africans have lost their lives. Africa still bears the heaviest burden
of the disease globally and accounts for 91% of the world’s children
with HIV, 89% of HIV orphans and 69% of people living with HIV. Each
day, 3,500 Africans die of AIDS and millions of others and their
families and communities go through economic, psychological and social
traumas. HIV-related stigma still hurts people, in society, in their
workplaces and homes. Women in Africa are more severely affected than
men. In 2012, 58% of people living with HIV were women.
HIV/AIDS
continues to have a huge detrimental impact on the most important
resource of our continent: our people. It robs the continent of vitally
needed skilled workers and deprives families of their incomes. It has
hampered our ability to educate and build our human capital. Kenya lost
an estimated 1.7% of its teachers between 2000 and 2010 due to HIV/AIDS.
For
the African Development Bank, in partnership with governments,
international organizations, civil society and the private sector, the
future of HIV/AIDS agenda is about ‘getting to zero’. Zero new HIV
infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. Getting
there is not easy and the Bank aims to support African countries to,
first, take ownership of the AIDS response. It is time for Africa to
take bold steps to reduce dependence on external donors and work towards
more sustainable domestic solutions. According to UNAIDS, Africa will
require between US $11 billion and $12 billion for its AIDS response by
2015. Yet international funding to HIV is dwindling, putting our
progress at risk.
Second,
the Bank supports African countries in increasingly applying ‘value for
money’ and ‘solidarity’ principles to strengthen social systems. The
way HIV resources are mobilized and spent needs to change. The vertical
approach may no longer be appropriate and cost-effective in many
contexts. There is a need to mainstream AIDS-related services into the
general healthcare delivery systems and to support the local production
of ARVs.
Third,
the Bank supports the building of inclusive health systems to fight
stigma and discrimination. Let us all tackle stigma and discrimination
by building a supportive and caring culture both in their communities
and workplaces. We cannot leave the victims of HIV/AIDS and their
families behind.
Finally,
the Bank, through its inclusive growth agenda, aims to support the
reduction of women’s increased vulnerability and prevent mother-to-child
HIV transmission. Addressing the gender dimension is an important
priority in the response to the epidemic. Recent progress suggests that
the solutions are in our hands. We can reduce gender inequalities by
empowering women with information and services to prevent and treat HIV.
Strategies to counter and manage gender-based violence can be
effectively included in HIV-prevention programs. Effective treatment to
reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission now needs to be scaled up and
made accessible to those who need them, regardless of their
socioeconomic status. Training health workers to provide gender-friendly
counseling and services must also be prioritized. Most importantly, we
need to sensitize men and elicit their involvement to create a
supportive environment for reducing women’s vulnerabilities to the
epidemic.
Getting
to zero starts with us. It is time for Bank staff to take care of
themselves and their families by taking advantage of HIV/AIDS services
the Bank’s Medical Centre provides. These include Anonymous Voluntary
Confidential Counseling and testing available to all Bank staff and
their families.
I
also want to stress that the African Development Bank is a workplace of
zero discrimination and that we must support each other in our
communities and workplace. Our fight to get to zero is producing
results. Let’s continue in order to give the next generation of Africans
– our children, our sons and daughters — an AIDS-free life ahead. Zero
has a value!
Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank Group
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
SOURCE
African Development Bank (AfDB)
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