South Africa

The special role of parliamentarians in advancing the AIDS response now and beyond 2015 was discussed on 25-26 March during a roundtable at the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa.

The meeting was organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the NEPAD Agency, and in partnership with the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) with support from UNAIDS and Global Fund.

The aim of the dialogue was to create awareness and build the capacity of parliamentarians on the agreed 2013 Abuja actions toward the elimination of AIDS, TB & Malaria in Africa by 2030, the Roadmap on shared responsibility and global solidarity for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the AU Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) including the African medicine regulatory harmonization (AMRH) initiative.

Participants recognized the comparative advantage that Members of Parliament have to follow through the implementation of policies and legislative frameworks. 

Participants:

Members of Parliament from the continent representing national, regional and the Pan-African parliaments; representatives from the African Union Commission, NEPAD Agency, the African Peer Review Mechanism, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNIDO, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and the Africa Civil Society Platform.

Key Outcomes:

Parliamentarians committed to:

• Advocate for and engage with national stakeholders to ensure that ending AIDS, TB and Malaria epidemics remains a key priority in the national, continental and global agenda beyond 2015.

• Gather data on access to health services by vulnerable and key populations as well as to review laws and policies that affect access to services.
• Support the initiative to achieve universal access to HIV treatment on the continent, including HIV treatment for children, as an important catalyst for saving lives, preventing new HIV infections and moving towards ending the AIDS, TB and Malaria epidemics. 

GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG, 5 March 2014—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in cooperation with the Tobeka Madiba Zuma Foundation (TMZF) and the South African Football Association Development Agency (SDA),  have announced the kick-off of the Protect the Goal world tour. Protect the Goal, which was first launched at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, is a campaign to raise awareness around HIV prevention and encourage young people to get actively involved in both the national and global response to HIV.

“I'm honored to join forces with SDA and UNAIDS in the AIDS response," said Madame Tobeka Madiba Zuma, whose foundation is a co-sponsor of the Protect the Goal campaign. "I want to help reach as many young people around Africa as I can. While we need to begin with HIV awareness, we also need to deliver HIV testing and treatment to many young people who need our help."

The official world tour kick-off event was held at the Soccer City Stadium, the largest stadium in Africa, during the South Africa-Brazil international friendly game. The world tour will continue its journey through the five African countries—Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria—whose national teams have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The event also provided an opportunity to announce Kweku Mandela and Ndaba Mandela as global spokespersons for Protect the Goal. The objectives of the campaign are to use the popularity and convening power of sport to unite the world for the goal of an AIDS-free generation. The campaign also raises awareness and support for UNAIDS’ vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

“We are proud to be working with our South African partners in a rapidly evolving environment for mobilizing the global football community against AIDS,” said Dr. Djibril Diallo, Senior Adviser to the Executive Director of UNAIDS.

The campaign has garnered support from around the world. UNAIDS has signed cooperation agreements with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), South American Football Association (CONMEBOL), and Asia Football Confederation (AFC).

In Africa, UNAIDS and partners, including youth leaders, have disseminated HIV prevention messages on large electronic screens to football fans in stadiums and fan zones during games, including the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Africa’s most prestigious football tournament.

In Asia, UNAIDS, in cooperation with the Asian Football Confederation and the Asian Development Bank, are engaged in a partnership to enhance awareness of HIV, improve access to HIV prevention and treatment, and work to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination in five pilot countries, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand.

CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, has also promoted the campaign in the framework of major sporting events. During the Gold Cup soccer tournament the captains of the national football teams of the United States and Panama pledged to raise awareness of HIV in the football community.

Globally, an estimated 5.4 million adolescents and young people are living with HIV, and 1.8 million are eligible for HIV treatment. Millions of young people living with HIV do not know they living with the virus, and every day, approximately 2100 adolescents and young people become newly infected, which accounts for 36% of all new HIV infections globally.

As part of the Protect the Goal Campaign, UNAIDS, TMZF, SDA and Grassroot Soccer, a South African-based, non-profit organization that uses football to educate young people about HIV, will stage a promotional event at the Alexandra Football for Hope Centre on 6 March. The centre provides young people with a safe space to learn about HIV prevention. As part of the event branded footballs of the Protect the Goal campaign will be distributed to underprivileged communities. 

New data show that new HIV infections have been reduced by about a third from 2004 and 2012. The South Africa 2012 HIV Estimates and Projections at-a-glance report was launched in Durban, South Africa on 10 January by the Deputy President of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe and UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. Additionally, the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Senzo Mchunu launched the Operation Sukuma Sakhe Best Practices Publication at the same event.

There are 6.1 million people living with HIV in South Africa. Since 2009, the government has massively scaled up HIV prevention and treatment programmes. According to the National Department of Health, in 2012, some 2.2 million people were accessing HIV treatment, making it the largest HIV treatment programme in the world. The data show that the number of new HIV infections has dropped from 540 000 new infections in 2004 to 370 000 in 2012.

The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal also highlighted the achievements of Operation Sukuma Sakhe. ‘Let us stand and build’ is a community-led empowerment programme to address poverty, HIV, gender inequality and other family and community priorities.

The programme follows an integrated multi-sectorial service delivery model, which puts individuals, households and communities at its centre to tackle poverty, food insecurity, health and environmental issues.

According to the publication, KwaZulu-Natal is one of the most affected regions—with about a third of the people living with HIV in South Africa, living in the province. 

UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox is in South Africa to highlight the progress and challenges in the AIDS response. During her site visits, she paid tribute to Former President Nelson Mandela.

Ms Lennox learned about the benefits of early HIV treatment in preventing paediatric AIDS during a visit to the Children’s Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit (KID CRU) at the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital. She met with patients and their families and watched a performance by a community group singing a eulogy dedicated to President Mandela.

At the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre in the Masiphumelele community, Ms Lennox witnessed how a safe environment tailored to the needs of young people can change lives. The centre provides youth-friendly health services as well as education and entertainment. Ms Lennox spoke with young mothers about their challenges and dreams and listened to a rousing recording by a group of teenagers.

The field visits were particularly significant and symbolic to Ms Lennox because almost exactly ten years ago she resolved to bring attention to the HIV epidemic after her first very moving encounter with President Mandela.

In her role as UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador, Ms Lennox will attend the 17th International conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) and speak at several high level events. The five day conference, which opens on 7 December, will be attended by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé along with around 7 000 of the world’s leading scientists, policy makers, activists and people living with HIV.

We remember his extraordinary commitment to dignity, human rights and hope

GENEVA, 5 December 2013—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is greatly saddened by the death of South Africa’s former President, Nelson Mandela, one of Africa’s greatest leaders and a passionate advocate for people living with HIV. 

“Nelson Mandela was a central figure in the AIDS movement. He was instrumental in laying the foundations of the modern AIDS response,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS.  “His actions helped save millions of lives and transformed health in Africa. He broke the conspiracy of silence and gave hope that all people should live with dignity.”

In 1994, Mr Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected President after the end of apartheid. He devoted much of his time to advocating for access to HIV treatment, ending stigma and ensuring all babies are born HIV free. He used his stature and presence on the global stage to persuade world leaders to act decisively on AIDS and tuberculosis.

In 2005, Mr Mandela took the bold decision to make a personal AIDS tragedy public. AIDS was still a taboo topic in South Africa, but he revealed at a news conference that his son had died from AIDS-related causes. His public revelation helped drive debate about HIV. And his support to people living with HIV helped to break down stigma and discrimination.

In one of his notable public statements about AIDS, Mr Mandela called on the world to be brave, “The more we lack the courage and the will to act, the more we condemn to death our brothers and sisters, our children and our grand-children. When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of a global crisis or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?”

“Nelson Mandela’s vision and his steadfast commitment to social justice and personal bravery have inspired not only me but millions of people around the world to stand up and speak out for what they believe is right,” said Mr Sidibé. “He was my personal hero and showed me that even in the face of adversity it is possible to realize your dreams and move mountains.”

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 to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

(From left to right) UN Messenger of Peace Charlize Theron, South African President Jacob Zuma, and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. Credit: UNAIDS

The challenges facing young people in South Africa were the focus of a dynamic meeting between South African President Jacob Zuma, UN Messenger of Peace Charlize Theron and the Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé. Prominent issues in the discussions included the vulnerability of young women and girls to HIV in South Africa, the need for Africa to become more self-sufficient in producing antiretroviral medicines  and the remarkable progress South Africa has made in responding to HIV recent years. 

President Zuma said, “We came from a difficult time. We had all the plans but the manner in which we interfaced with the world was very difficult. I want to thanks UNAIDS, specifically Michel Sidibe, who has been a pillar of strength in supporting our country on HIV. During this very short time we have changed the life expectancy of our people due to his support and guidance."

The importance of reaching young people with HIV services was also stressed together with the need to integrate health care into education and youth programmes. The example of South Africa’s Integrated School Health Programme, which aims to reach school children with primary health care services and life orientation skills, was highlighted as a positive way forward in improving the health of young South Africans.

“It’s time to end AIDS,” said Mr Sidibé. “It’s time for zero preventable deaths due to AIDS, zero tolerance for violence and new infections among young women.”

A recent study revealed that young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are three times more likely to become infected with HIV than young men in the same age group. HIV prevalence is also much higher among women (23%) in South Africa than in men (13%).

Ms Theron spoke passionately about some of the issues facing young people in South Africa that she has seen and heard through the work of her non-profit organization the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

“I can promise that we will continue to support you to keep yourselves and your peers safe from HIV,” said Ms Theron.

Ms Theron and Mr Sidibé also met with Friends for Life, a non-profit organization located in Alexandra township in Johannesburg. Friends for Life is a community-based HIV prevention, care and support organization which works closely with young people.

“The visit was such a great opportunity for us to share our ideas and concerns as young people,” said Thulani Tshefuta, a representative of the South African National AIDS Council’s youth sector. “We hope that through speaking about the situation of youth in South Africa and continuing to serve as advocates, we see a change in our communities and in the lives of young people living with HIV.”