Leaders of key continental, regional and national institutions concluded that the AIDS epidemic remains a key priority for Africa and must be ended by 2030 in the continent during a High-level Dialogue on Ending AIDS, held on 24 November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The dialogue was hosted by the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and UNAIDS as part of activities to commemorate World AIDS Day 2014.
During the meeting, participants discussed the recommendations in the new UNAIDS report Fast-Track: ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 and encouraged countries to embrace the targets set to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. To achieve this goal, participants made several recommendations, which include ensuring the effective use of existing continental accountability mechanisms, such as AIDS Watch Africa and the African Peer Review Mechanism; focusing on innovative ways of increasing domestic financing for health; ensuring sustained access to medicines through local production of drugs; integrating AIDS as part of broader health and development; and ensuring national HIV programmes tailored for young people and populations at higher risk of HIV infection.
Participants of the meeting included ambassadors of African Union Member States, representatives of the African Union Commission, regional economic communities, the African Peer Review Mechanism, AIDS Watch Africa, civil society organizations and development partners, and key opinion leaders, academics and young people.
“Ending AIDS is Africa’s responsibility, everyone’s responsibility and indeed a global responsibility.”
Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission
“The battle against HIV and AIDS is ours to win.”
Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
“The African Peer Review Mechanism not only assesses and monitors the extent to which commitments are implemented, it also provides the opportunity for policy-makers and ordinary citizens to hold each other accountable.”
Joseph Tsang Mang Kin, Eminent Person of the African Peer Review Mechanism Panel
“We must step up our efforts in the AIDS response—there must be no room for complacency.”
Susan Sikaneta, Zambian Ambassador to Ethiopia
“We, the youth movement, ask our leaders to walk away from this dialogue with these commitments—action towards adopting targets for universal sexual and reproductive health and rights, and ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 in the post-2015 development agenda.”
Juliana Adhiambo Odindo, National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV, Kenya
“The commitment to end the AIDS epidemic is already there. What we now need is a clear strategy to achieve this ambitious target.”
Rosemary Museminali, UNAIDS Representative to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
