A regional platform to accelerate access to HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy in western and central Africa was launched by UNAIDS and partners on 7 December in Dakar, Senegal. The platform will enable scale-up of the test and treat approach, which calls for increasing HIV testing and immediately supporting people who test HIV-positive to have access to life-saving treatment.
The regional platform is an innovative mechanism—both a think tank and a task force—that aims to identify and analyse bottlenecks and quickly propose corrective actions to increase access to HIV testing, treatment and viral load tests. The platform will encourage operational research and new solutions, support monitoring to measure progress and allow partners to share experience and best practices. It will also support countries in mobilizing resources for a sustainable AIDS response.
Partners include United Nations agencies, national AIDS committees, technical and financial organizations, civil society and community organizations, and laboratories, researchers and experts.
All partners are committed to collectively contribute to this platform in order to meet the UNAIDS 90–90–90 treatment target in western and central Africa and put the region on track to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
“With the UNAIDS strategy to Fast-Track the response and achieve the 90–90–90 treatment target, we can make a difference. There is hope. We need to accelerate efforts, and I fully support the creation of this platform.”
Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Senegal
“We have in western and central Africa a unique partnership between the United Nations, technical partners and civil society. This regional platform is a complementary tool to better support countries to seize the fragile window of opportunity between now and 2020.”
Meskerem Grunitzky-Bekele, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for West and Central Africa
“We reiterate the importance of such a mechanism that will allow the region and all actors to fully play their role in accelerating efforts to reach the 90–90–90 treatment target.”
Daouda Diouf, Director of Enda Santé
“The creation of this platform will be an opportunity to tackle major issues through operational research.”
Pierre-Marie Girard, National Agency for Research on AIDS
