East and Southern Africa

This story was first published by News24.com

Eswatini is one of the countries which has been most affected by HIV. At the peak of the epidemic in 2015, almost one out of three people were living with HIV. In 1995, when there was no antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV, 73 000 people were living with HIV. 2400 people died of AIDS that year. Worried about the rising number of infections and deaths, communities of people living with HIV mobilized to press that antiretroviral treatment be made available for people living with HIV.

One of the key campaigners for access was Hannie Dlamini. Dlamini is now 50 years old and has been living with HIV for 32 years, after finding out about his HIV positive status at the age of 18. He was one of the first people in Eswatini to publicly declare his positive HIV status in 1995 at a time when the stigma and misinformation around HIV was rife.

Dlamini rallied together other people living with HIV as well as non-governmental organizations working to end AIDS in Eswatini, to ensure that everyone living with HIV and in need of treatment had access to it. They formed a community-led organization called Swaziland AIDS Support Organization (SASO) as a support group for people living with HIV. SASO also provided healthy living information for people living with HIV.

“When we asked the government [in 2002] for ARVs in Eswatini we did a pilot project with NECHA [National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS], to see if people would use the drugs.” Dlamini says the response was overwhelming, with many people keen to start the lifesaving treatment. “We initially planned to enrol 200 people on treatment but the demand was 630.” said Dlamini.

Today, Eswatini is one of the countries which has achieved the ambitious 95-95-95 targets (95% of people living with HIV who know their HIV status, 95% of people who know that they are living with HIV are on life-saving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of people who are on treatment are virally suppressed). This achievement has put the country a step closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat, thanks to the work of community-led organizations, authorities and global partners like UNAIDS, the United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria who are working with the government and local communities to end AIDS.

Eswatini’s HIV response strategy includes ongoing nationwide testing and treatment campaigns, use of self-testing kits to encourage more people to take up testing at the comfort of their homes, antiretroviral treatment, male circumcision and pre-exposure prophylaxis (medicine to prevent HIV) and other prevention measures. Community organizations such as Kwakha Indvodza are also key in encouraging men to take full responsibility for their wellbeing and reducing toxic masculinity and gender-based violence which are some of the drivers of HIV.

The driving role of communities in Eswatini to end AIDS is acknowledged by the health authorities. According to Dr. Michel Morisho, HIV management specialist at Mbabane Government Hospital, the government “could not have achieved the 95-95-95 without communities.”

Dr. Morisho says as part of the country’s strategy to end AIDS, HIV testing and treatment are part of disease management for every patient who presents at health facilities for any illness. “When people come to the hospital for whatever, or check up, we offer an HIV test to allow them to know their HIV status,” he said. Dr. Morisho added that treatment is important to bring down viral load and is helping people living with HIV to stay healthy. Eswatini is striving to achieve 100-100-100 [in the number of people who know their HIV status, are on treatment and are virally suppressed].” People who are virally suppressed cannot transmit HIV, thus helping in HIV prevention efforts.

Young women living with HIV have also stepped up to fight the spread of HIV in the country, volunteering their time as peer educators to educate young people about HIV and supporting people newly infected to stay on treatment to live healthily and long lives. Ntsiki Shabangu is a 28-year-old young woman living with HIV. She was diagnosed with HIV in 2015, at the age of 19. She opened up about her status in 2017 and is now working with the Eswatini Network of Young Positives, a local non-governmental organisation working to end AIDS among young people providing counselling and HIV awareness training . Ntsiki believes that: “When you share your story, you bring hope to young people.”

While Eswatini is on the path to end AIDS, the country is facing other health burdens associated with aging, including non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer. People living with HIV are not often more affected by these illnesses. Some people living with HIV in Eswatini have developed these comorbidities, which presents the need for the strengthening of the healthcare system to provide easily accessible holistic disease management and treatment along with HIV services to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV. As Thembi Nkambule, a woman who has been on HIV treatment for more than 20 years said: “Most of us are sick. Most of us are presenting with kidney issues. We are presenting with hypertension; we are presenting with sugar diabetes. We have a lot of issues.”

To protect the gains that have been made against HIV in Eswatini, the government should invest more resources in building a resilient healthcare infrastructure to strengthen the system to better meet the health needs of people living with HIV and to prepare for future pandemics. Community-led organisations should also be placed at the centre of HIV response and supported, both financially and politically, to reach more people who need HIV services to end the epidemic by 2030 as a public health threat.

One year ago, on 15 April 2023, armed conflict broke out in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces. Since then, the situation has worsened. The hostilities, which were initially centred in Khartoum State, have intensified and rendered over half the country inaccessible.

The impact of this conflict has been devastating. Some 8.6 million Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes, 6.8 million are displaced with in the country and 1.8 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries – Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.

The severity of the humanitarian emergency has been compounded by a deepening famine crisis, with 17.7 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity, close to 5 million of whom are on the verge of starvation, as reported by OCHA and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

In addition to the humanitarian crisis, the conflict has severely disrupted the healthcare infrastructure. The central depot, which stored all the antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV in the country is inaccessible and the stock that it holds has since expired.

Before the conflict erupted, 11,000 people living with HIV in Sudan were on HIV treatment, 4000 of whom were lost to follow-up when the war broke out. All HIV prevention and testing services were suspended.

“We are adapting the HIV response in Sudan to the situation in the country. Our priority has been to get anti-retroviral treatment to those who need it, in whatever way we can,” said Elsheikh Ali, UNAIDS Country Director for Sudan.

Despite these challenges, there are unsung heroes who are working tirelessly to ensure that the HIV response continues uninterrupted.

Amidst active war, the displacement of critical partners in the HIV response, poor internet connectivity and communications, sporadic electricity and growing food insecurity, the HIV national response team, with UNAIDS’ support, were able to reconsider, plan and raise resources for this new, national context of the HIV response in the country. The team was able to submit a funding application to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund) and to finalize the Global Fund Grant Making process. This secured critical financial support to HIV, TB and Malaria for the next three years. The funds received from previous Global Fund cycles have been used to replace stocks of antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) as well as to establish new HIV treatment storage facilities in safer regions.

During the COVID pandemic, Sudan established a ‘Search and Rescue’ system to track people living with HIV who had  their treatment interrupted. Once the conflict in the country escalated, the HIV national response team were able to draw on the ‘Search and Rescue’ system to locate most of the 4000 people living with HIV who were lost to follow-up because of the war and to re-enrol them again to receive HIV treatment services.

“We have heroes here in Sudan, including networks of people living with HIV, who are working in very difficult circumstances, traveling tens of kilometres and risking their safety, to personally deliver ARVs to the people who need it,” said Elsheikh Ali, UNAIDS Country Director, Sudan. “These are the people we should be applauding; they are the ones keeping the HIV response going in the middle of a war and famine.”

The Ministry of Health, whose infrastructure has been significantly disrupted, is trying to provide critical HIV services including treatment and PEP (emergency medicine for HIV taken to prevent the virus in case of potential exposure to the virus) in regions of the country where there is active warfare. In more stable areas, more comprehensive HIV services are now being offered to those who need them.

In the face of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan, there are dedicated people who remain steadfast in their commitment and working selflessly to mitigate the impact of the conflict on the HIV response.

“The HIV national response team exemplify the resilience  the AIDS response,” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director Eastern and Southern Africa. “In the face of adversity – war, displacement, famine – and against all odds, they have found a way to continue collaborating to uphold the HIV response.” She adds, “They have completed a successful Global Fund grant in the middle of an active war. They have made sure that people living with HIV across Sudan are not being left behind, that they are found, there is treatment available for them and that they receive it.  That is resilience, commitment and leadership.”

GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG, 3 April 2024—The Constitutional Court of Uganda has today struck down certain sections of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023.

“The Constitutional Court of Uganda made a judgment today to strike down certain sections of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023. Evidence shows that criminalizing populations most at risk of HIV, such as the LGBTQ+ communities, obstructs access to life-saving health and HIV services, which undermines public health and the overall HIV response in the country,” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. “To achieve the goal of ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030, it is vital to ensure that everyone has equal access to health services without fear."

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ANTANANARIVO/GENEVA, 27 March 2024—Despite progress across most of sub-Saharan Africa, UNAIDS warns that gaps in HIV prevention are driving new HIV infections in the Indian Ocean Countries (IOC) and several other countries in Africa. The critical gaps in HIV prevention were the focus of a workshop organized by UNAIDS and UNFPA which was hosted in Madagascar between 18 and 20 March to address some of the barriers to accelerating progress.

Insufficient focus on HIV prevention in a number of African countries including Egypt, Madagascar, Angola, Sudan and South Sudan has resulted in these countries not achieving the proportionate declines in new infections seen in the rest of the region.

For example, the increase in the number of new infections in a country like Madagascar for example, is in stark contrast to the downward trend in Botswana which has seen a 66% decline in new HIV infections since 2010 and 36% decline in AIDS-related deaths during the same period.  As a result, Botswana—along with Eswatini, Rwanda and Zimbabwe— are on the path to end AIDS having achieved the global 95-95-95 targets through strong HIV prevention and treatment interventions.

Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the region, has been hit by cyclical natural disasters including drought and cyclones, making it difficult for the country to recover and mount an effective response to HIV. Madagascar recorded a 151% increase in the number of new HIV infections since 2010, and a 279% increase in AIDS-related deaths during the same period. In addition, just 18% of the estimated 70 000 people living with HIV in Madagascar had access to treatment in 2022, and 3200 people died of AIDS-related illnesses. Sudan and South Sudan are also falling behind on HIV prevention and treatment efforts. Inequalities are exacerbating people’s vulnerability to HIV.

“Local research indicates increases in new HIV infections among key populations, including people who use drugs, and among young women and girls. This could be attributable to many factors including drug routes, recurring cyclones and deep poverty in some areas that is making people more vulnerable to HIV infections,” said Professor Zely Randriamanantany, Madagascar’s Minister of Public Health. “We need our international partners to invest with us before it's too late. This prevention focus is very welcome indeed."

“It is clear from our visits to communities and from speaking to health specialists in Madagascar, that the HIV epidemic is changing. The persistent rise in new infections in Madagascar since 2010, for example, shows that it could spread rapidly if we do not stop it in its tracks immediately,” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. “We know the path that ends AIDS. It’s not a miracle. It requires strong political and financial support.”

Gaps identified in some countries include a lack of data that would point to where HIV prevention efforts need to focus. Data gathering interventions are key to implementing evidence-informed and effective programmes. Some countries are also lacking commodities, including HIV testing kits and condoms.

“Inadequate investment in HIV responses is holding back ending AIDS as a public health threat,” said Jude Padayachy, UNAIDS Country Director for Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. “We need to accelerate the HIV response in the Indian Ocean Island states by ensuring all the basics—making sure people are informed about HIV and how to prevent it, and making sure people have access to HIV prevention services and commodities, such as condoms. We also need to make sure that people who are HIV-positive know their status and get the treatment they need.”

UNAIDS is committed to support countries to accelerate political leadership, investments and better data for prevention.

The meeting in Madagascar brought together HIV experts and programme leaders from a number of countries across Africa to learn from each other and to review and strengthen their national plans on HIV prevention to support countries in scaling up their HIV responses. The meeting included teams from Comoros, Egypt, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan and South Sudan.

Participants explored ways to improve data collection to help develop more of an understanding of the dynamics of their HIV epidemics to ensure an effective, evidence-informed, human rights-based response. They also drafted national assessments which will serve as a guide to facilitate dialogues with communities, governments, and partners. This will aid in refining strategies and setting priorities to implement ambitious HIV prevention plans. UNAIDS will continue to support countries in their internal assessments to strengthen their HIV responses.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 5 February 2024—It is with profound sadness that UNAIDS learns of the passing of Dr Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia. President Geingob was a distinguished leader, a tireless advocate for social justice, and a steadfast supporter of efforts to end AIDS.

The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, expressed her deep condolences, stating, "I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of President Geingob. He was a true people’s leader, a leader I admired and whose guidance I benefitted from. My heart goes out to his family, especially his wife Monica Geingos, the First Lady of Namibia. Africa has lost a giant son. May he rest in peace.”

President Geingob was not only a statesman who was instrumental in the anti-apartheid movement, he was also a compassionate leader who was dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Namibia and around the world. Most recently he proposed doubling the value of the cash transfers the Government of Namibia gives monthly to poor and vulnerable Namibians. He was a pan-Africanist leader who was committed to peace, democracy and a united Africa.

President Geingob's dedication to addressing the challenges posed by HIV and to fight inequality were evident throughout his tenure. Under his leadership, Namibia made significant strides in the fight against the HIV epidemic, creating a supportive legal and policy environment.

He positioned the Government of Namibia among the global AIDS leaders, funding more than 70% of the country’s HIV care and treatment from domestic resources. He helped lead global efforts to accelerate actions on Sustainable Development Goal 10 – Reducing Inequalities. Locally, he engaged communities and implemented effective strategies to prevent new infections and provide care and support to people affected by the virus.

UNAIDS acknowledges President Geingob's pivotal role in advancing the global AIDS response, both through his leadership within Namibia and his contributions to international collaborations. His efforts have left an indelible mark on the fight against AIDS, and his vision of ending AIDS in Namibia and across the world will continue to inspire the work of UNAIDS and its partners.

The entire UNAIDS family extends its deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and the people of Namibia during this difficult time. We honour President Geingob's memory and remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure that the progress achieved in the AIDS response continues to benefit people most in need.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Holy Disrupters: Interviews with Religious Leaders and advocates on HIV and Compassion

Professor Mohamed Karama, working with Islamic Relief on the HIV programme, Kenya

UNAIDS speaks to Professor Mohamed Karama about confronting stigma and his concerns for the future

How has the faith community engaged in the response to HIV?

I am a researcher with the Kenya Medical Research Institute and my background is from the Muslim community. Faith communities have become increasingly engaged, first with HIV then with COVID, and now the faith community are part and parcel of not only health but many other government programmes.

How big of a problem is HIV-related stigma among the Muslim community and how do you deal with that?

Stigma has been very high amongst Muslims because for many years there has been a misconception that HIV is one of the punishments for wrongdoing.  

To address the challenges of stigma we have had to address it from the Islamic scriptures and from the teachings of faith. This is what we have been doing for the last few years, and although stigma still remains, we have been able to break down some of the barriers this way.

“For many years there has been a misconception that HIV is one of the punishments for wrongdoing”

We have been teaching how God prohibits judgement of others, we should never see ourselves as holier than others and we should support the sick. From the Islamic scriptures God says, “I was sick, you didn’t visit me, I was hungry, you didn’t feed me, I was undressed, you didn’t clothe me.” And the people reply, “but you are God how can we do that?”

God says “Your brother was sick, you never visited him, if you had visited him you would have found me there. Your brother was naked, if you had clothed him you would have found me there, your brother was hungry, if you had fed him you would have found me there.” Allah says have mercy on those who live with you on earth so that he the great can have mercy on you as well.

These teachings are very strong, they discourage stigmatization, they discourage looking negatively at the sick, any sickness, HIV included.

What’s the biggest challenge you are facing in Kenya at the moment?

Young people 15 to 24 are sexually very active and increasingly liberalized, unlike before where social containment was very heavy, now it’s no longer the case. So we have to reactivate our HIV prevention programmes and re-strategize how to deal with these new dynamics.

What concerns you about the future?

I want to start with PEPFAR (the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), I’m an epidemiologist and I think that if we slack a little we are likely to lose the momentum, and losing the momentum might be too expensive to rebuild—too expensive to rebuild the motion and to sustain the momentum. The progress we have made in the last 40 years cannot be lost, so much has been achieved to date we mustn’t lose it.

“Losing the momentum might be too expensive to rebuild”

(concerning the reauthorization of PEPFAR)

What can the United Nations do better?

The United Nations also needs to work more closely together as partners with the faith-based community, the technical experts and the researchers. That way not only can we address HIV, but we can also address other pandemics that are likely to come in the future.

Holy Disrupters: Interviews with religious leaders and advocates on HIV and compassion

Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town

UNAIDS speaks to the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba about his work on HIV and his hopes for the future

What was your experience working on HIV in the early days?

I first started working on HIV in around 1998 when I was a rector in Johannesburg and it was a scary time, I remember the South African television adverts saying ‘AIDS kills’ with a coffin that banged—we were all terrified. Everyone was scared, there was a lot of stigma, parishioners were also dying from fear and lack of knowledge.

"There was an immense fear that life had come to an end…."

Through Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others we knocked on every door and established the Anglican Church of Southern Africa’s AIDS programme called ACSA. We hit the ground running but there was an immense fear that life had come to an end….

How has your work changed today?

Today our work has evolved—from fundraising, to incorporating HIV messages in the liturgy, in the prayers and in the readings. Today we make sure we don’t work in silos, we work with the mining companies, with the other churches and we work from an interfaith context—challenging our governments to do the right thing.

Much has happened in recent years and things have changed. There’s a sense of trust that has developed and partnerships now are much easier. As leaders, we have learned to work together, we’ve learned to work together on the ground, but we’ve also learned to work with our international partners. I’m hugely grateful to PEPFAR. Initially there was a degree of suspicion but once we realized, through UNAIDS, that PEPFAR is there to help us check our own resources and to strengthen our resolve to help people – a great deal of trust has been developed.

“There is nothing more pro-life than PEPFAR.”

I pray that PEPFAR will be reauthorized to ensure that the commitments that we have made are realized. There is nothing more pro-life than PEPFAR. Millions of mothers and children have been saved from dying because of PEPFAR.

UNAIDS has also been essential. UNAIDS has showed us how important numbers and record keeping are, how important data is. We have to be systematic, we have to be thorough in our interventions, understanding that evidence-based interventions are critical.

“UNAIDS has showed us how important numbers and record keeping are, how important data is.”

In faith communities you can drown in the tsunami of problems, you throw yourself into your work without really knowing whether the intervention is working. But through praying, partnering with others, looking at the numbers and seeing the impact on people whose viral load has been reduced has been a great experience—we have learned a lot through working with UNAIDS and PEPFAR.

What does the faith community bring to the response to HIV?

It’s the fact that we are there. We are in every corner, even where governments can’t reach with their 4x4’s we have a little church there, we have a mosque there, we see God’s people every Sunday at the very minimum. We marry we bury we baptize, and we do this work not because we want to be paid or we want constituencies, it is our vocation and our calling.

“We marry we bury we baptize….We are in every corner, even where governments can’t reach with their 4x4’s”

Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, a Jew or a non-believer, you are a child of God and you need healing. We don’t exist for ourselves, we exist in order to show the love and care of God in the communities.

“We smile at you so please smile at us, because together we have made this possible.”

We must ensure that no more children are born with HIV, we must work together to ensure that every child living with HIV has immediate access to treatment and we must ensure that those children will be alive and thrive. That way in 2025 they will come here saying “you have allowed us to live, and we smile at you so please smile at us, because together we have made this possible.”

This will speed up progress to end the AIDS pandemic and save lives.

GENEVA, 4 October 2023—The United Nations in Mauritius—which includes UNAIDS, UNFPA, OHCHR, UNDP and WHO—welcome today’s ruling by the Supreme Court of Mauritius that a discriminatory law criminalizing consensual same sex relations is unconstitutional and will be immediately struck from the legal code. Previously, under Section 250 of the Mauritian Criminal Code (which dated back to 1898) anyone convicted could have faced up to five years in prison.

“The Supreme Court today overturned an obsolete colonial law and demonstrated its commitment to non-discrimination and leaving no-one behind,” said Lisa Singh, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mauritius. “The UN in Mauritius and internationally welcomes the decision of Mauritius to join the growing list of African countries protecting the human rights of everyone, including LGBTQI+ people.”

The ruling noted that “Section 250 was not introduced in Mauritius to reflect any indigenous Mauritian values but was inherited as part of our colonial history from Britain. Its enactment was not the expression of domestic democratic will, but was a course imposed on Mauritius and other colonies by British rule.” It also noted that a growing number of countries have decriminalized consensual same sex sexual relations, including the United Kingdom which overturned its law in 1967. 

“Mauritius' decision to decriminalize homosexuality is an important step forward for public health and a step towards equal rights, respect and dignity for the LGBTQI community,” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, Director of UNAIDS’ Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa. “UNAIDS applauds Mauritius for today’s decision which will mean that men who have sex with men will have much easier access to the health and social services they need without fear of arrest or criminalization. Work will need to continue to break down the barriers of stigma and discrimination towards the LGBTQI community, but today’s ruling is a positive step in the right direction. It will save lives.”

Mauritius becomes the latest in a growing list of countries to declare that laws which have criminalized LGBTQI people are unconstitutional. However, UNAIDS estimates that 66 countries still have laws which criminalize consensual same sex relations. In addition to contravening the human rights of LGBTQI people, these laws impede access to health and social services, including HIV services. Such laws fuel stigma and discrimination against LGBTQI people and put them under constant fear of being punished or detained.

The case was brought forward by Abdool Ridwan Firaas Ah Seek, President of Arc-en-Ciel, the largest and longest-standing organisation in Mauritius championing the human rights of LGBTQI people, and was supported by partners including the Human Dignity Trust.

Civil society organizations, especially community-led organizations, are at the forefront of a global wave of progress that advances access to health for all. UNAIDS urges all countries to decriminalise same sex sexual relations. Decriminalization saves and changes lives.

Maneesh Gobin, Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Mauritius said, “In keeping with its internationally acclaimed respect for the rule of law, Mauritius will indeed report to United Nations Member States at the next cycle of the Universal Periodic Review.” The Universal Periodic Review is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 21 September 2023—UNAIDS has designated the First Lady of Botswana, Neo Jane Masisi, as a UNAIDS champion for the empowerment and engagement of adolescent girls and young women. UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, confirmed the appointment during a meeting with Mrs Masisi during the 78^th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Her Excellency Mrs Masisi has a deep understanding of the structural barriers that are making adolescent girls and young women so vulnerable to HIV infection in Botswana and right across Africa,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “Mrs Masisi is a fierce advocate for the rights of young women and girls and for the need to support them to stay in school, finish their education and receive the knowledge they need to help them thrive.”

Mrs Masisi has already been working closely with UNAIDS for several years as an advocate for young people. In her new role, Mrs Masisi will champion Education Plus, an initiative launched by UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women to prevent HIV infections through free universal, quality secondary education for all girls and boys in Africa, reinforced through comprehensive empowerment programmes. Botswana joined the initiative in June.

In Botswana, young girls aged 15-19 years old are seven times more likely to become infected with HIV than their male counterparts. During the meeting the First Lady said that surveys showed that between 2015 and 2019 young women and girls accounted for 36% of all new infections in Botswana and 19 are boys and 43 girls become infected every week.    

“I will be serving with this special title at a crucial moment. The SDGs are just around the corner and it is the last sprint to end AIDS by 2030,” said Mrs Masisi. “We will be discussing some hard issues to protect our children and young people. But the good thing about our communities today is that they realise that these are not ordinary times, and they know that doors that were closed, mouths that were sealed—its time they were opened. I remain resolute in directing energies to supporting young people in my country.”

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.