UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé attended a high-level international conference, Africa 21 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

The African continent is experiencing major changes as 17 African countries prepare to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their independence in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Two days before the anniversary celebrations, a high-level international conference, Africa 21 began on Tuesday in Yaoundé. The conference is called “Africa, a chance for the world: realities and challenges,” and brings together top politicians, economists, international civil servants and business leaders, including former United Nations Secretaries of State, Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Much of the debate will focus on macro-economic issues.

Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé will participate in the conference’s plenary session on security issues on Wednesday.

“As an African I am proud to take part in events marking the rebirth of this continent,” said Mr Sidibé. “There is so much potential and promise here,”

Mr Sidibé began his three-day working trip to Cameroon on Monday. Aside from attending “Africa 21,” he will meet with the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya. He will also make a joint field visit with Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Abdoulie Janneh. They will visit an urban renewal project in Yaoundé, which is financed by the African Development Bank, the International Labour Organization and the government of Cameroon.

Mr. Sidibé will also visit Yaoundè’s central hospital, which has a major HIV treatment centre and meet with people living with HIV. He will tour the International Research Centre, Chantal Biya, which aims to develop research into vaccines and treatment into major diseases challenging Africa, particularly HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. One of the highlights of Mr. Sidibé’s visit is his meeting with leaders of civil society and people living with HIV.

Cameroon has a generalised HIV epidemic with a prevalence of 5.5% in adults aged 15-49 years old. Cameroon has led the way in decentralizing its AIDS response. Now almost all health districts are equipped to manage mother-to-child HIV transmission. Around 46% of people with an advanced stage of HIV infection were receiving antiretroviral therapy in 2009 compared to 39% in 2008.

(from left) Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director; President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS’ Executive Director. 10 May 2010 Credit: UNFPA

President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has pledged to promote the emergence an AIDS-Free Generation, to ensure safer motherhood and to eliminate mother-child-transmission of HIV in his country.

“These are priorities for the women and children of my country,” President Kabila said as he received a joint mission to his nation by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA’s Executive Director, and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS’ Executive Director.

“I will lead in ensuring an AIDS-Free Generation in DRC,” the President added, expressing his commitment to launch a national initiative to reverse the AIDS epidemic.

The Executive Directors thanked President Kabila for his readiness to make safe motherhood and an AIDS-Free Generation priorities not only in his country, but also in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union.

UNFPA’s Ms. Obaid highlighted the links between women’s health, reproductive health and HIV: “By integrating HIV services for maternal and child health with general sexual and reproductive health, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will reap great benefits for the health system.” She urged the country to seize the opportunity offered by the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) to launch the President’s initiative for an AIDS-Free Generation.

UNAIDS’ Mr. Sidibé welcomed President Kabila’s decision to use his leadership as Chair of the SADC to rally his peers across Africa to support this urgent agenda. “Mr. President – you have the unique opportunity to restore the health and dignity of mothers, sisters and daughters in DRC and beyond.”

The Executive Directors stressed the need to take AIDS out of isolation and integrate it with related health interventions for the most effective outcomes. They called the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission by 2015 a concrete but achievable goal.

Currently, more than 40,000 infants are born with HIV infection every year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Only 2 per cent of pregnant women have access to services to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and only 8 per cent of pregnant of women are offered HIV testing and counselling.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the six countries in the world that together account for 50 per cent of the world’s maternal deaths. Each hour, maternal death takes the lives of about four women.

During their joint mission, the Executive Directors are also scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister, other Government officials, parliamentarians and civil society representatives, including people living with HIV.

High-profile cricketers including Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Stafanie Taylor team took time out from the Twenty20 World Cup being held at Barbados to help support cricket’s global response to HIV.

A series of community activities have been organized during the tournament by the Think Wise partnership. While Sri Lanka’s captain Sangakkara visited a school in Barbados to deliver an HIV prevention session, the Indian team hosted community groups and carried out cricket training sessions.

The South African squad invited a group of children aged 12-15 to visit a training session followed by a 15-minute question and answer session with skipper Smith. The children then showcased their cricketing skills to Rob Walter, the South Africa fitness trainer.

Stafanie Taylor and Stacy-Ann King, both of the West Indies women's cricket team, visited Project Viola in St Kitts which aims to provide services and support to teen mothers in school.

Think Wise, a partnership programme between UNAIDS, the International Cricket Council, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative, was established to use the power of cricket to help tackle key issues around AIDS and encourage informed decision making by children and young adults.

The advocacy work carried out by the partnership and leading international cricketers delivers key information about HIV through public service announcements, event publications and online at international, regional and national levels. The partnership also provides information resources to young people and volunteers, coaches, as well as commentators and broadcasters about the AIDS epidemic.

Talking about the campaign, Graeme Smith said, “As a Think Wise Champion, I believe that it is very important to use my profile to encourage young people to protect themselves from HIV.

“By having the chance to meet young people from the region, I have been able to understand the important work that organizations such as UNAIDS and UNICEF, working with local agencies, do in providing young people with education on HIV in the Caribbean,” he added.

UNICEF Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Tom Olsen, added: “We are extremely proud of this partnership and value it highly. We talk a lot of sports for development and know the value of using sports to effect positive behavioural change."

Sri Lankan skipper Sangakkara said, “Hopefully more players and umpires will join in with this project in the future so we can continue to spread the word.”

A Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS public service announcement campaign, featuring Taylor alongside other leading Caribbean celebrities, is also being played on the big screen at matches and by CBMP broadcasters across the region.

Tickets have been donated to local community groups who run HIV prevention programmes, umpires are wearing Think Wise logos on their shirts and players in the semi-finals and the final on May 16 will wear red ribbons as a show of support for people living with HIV.

The partnership between UNAIDS and ICC began in September 2003 when they first teamed up to bring messages of HIV prevention to young people across cricket playing nations. In 2006 UNICEF also joined the partnership which now also supports the “Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS” campaign.

His Excellency the Governor General of PNG, Grand Chief, Sir Paulius Matane (seated left) and the Head of the Roman Catholic Church in PNG and Chair of the Alliance, Archbishop John Ribat (seated right) with the Church Leaders who signed the statement of commitment. 05 May 2010, PNG.

Church leaders from 19 Christian denominations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) came together to launch the Christian Leaders Alliance, a network of Christian faith leaders committed to provide an effective response to AIDS in the country. Civil Society, including people living with HIV, Faith based groups, donors and partners in the national response attended the event.

“This is a turning point in the national AIDS response. Having Christian Leaders to jointly come together in addressing AIDS is a major breakthrough, a source of inspiration to all of us in the AIDS community in Papua New Guinea,” said UNAIDS Country Coordinator Tim Rwabuhemba.

During the launch, faith leaders signed a Statement of Commitment to represent their promise in reversing the epidemic in the country. The statement enumerates the ways in which the Christian church can make a lasting difference in helping the country to overcome the epidemic.

“The launch and the signing of the statement of commitment is a historic event of great magnitude” said His Excellency the Governor General of PNG, Grand Chief, Sir Paulius Matane in his keynote address while launching the Alliance. Sir Paulius Matane commended the church leaders for taking “bold, strong and courageous steps needed against a formidable adversary such as HIV.”

The new alliance aims to share knowledge, understanding and experience from the various communities to unite efforts for a more effective and inclusive response to AIDS. Through the signing of the agreement, faith leaders seek to establish a new culture of ecumenical cooperation, respecting the uniqueness of their traditions while focusing on shared values of human dignity and human rights.

Faith leaders committed, among other things, to address social, religious, cultural and political norms and practices that perpetuate stigma and discrimination. To that end, they agreed to utilize existing infrastructure and communication networks within their religious communities to disseminate accurate HIV information in the areas of prevention, treatment, care and support.

“We pledge to do more. We will spare no effort to break the silence around HIV,” said the Head of the Roman Catholic Church in PNG and Chair of the Alliance, Archbishop John Ribat.

Sir Peter Barter, Chairperson National AIDS Council, noted that the churches of Papua New Guinea were the stakeholders with the “biggest potential for preventing the spread of HIV in the country. This is because the churches have gained the trust and confidence of affected communities.”

Papua New Guinea makes up the largest share of HIV cases in the Pacific region, growing exponentially from 21% in 1984–1989 to over 99% in 2008. Reported cases in Papua New Guinea total 28,294 but UNAIDS estimates there are 54,000 people living with HIV. It is estimated that by 2012, Papua New Guinea will have a national prevalence rate of 5.07% and a total of 208,714 people will have been infected with HIV.

The World Bank has made its extensive store of developmental data available to all free of charge.

In an unprecedented move, the World Bank has made its extensive store of developmental data available to all free of charge. From now on more than two thousand health, economic, human development, financial and business statistics will be accessible via a new website, data.worldbank.org. In the past such information has generally only been available to paying subscribers.

The decision is part of the World Bank’s broader effort to increase access to information and it hopes that a varied range of users, from researchers to journalists and from entrepreneurs to school children will draw on this new resource, available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

The Bank hopes to reach new audiences and foster a greater commitment to development issues. In order to distribute its information as widely as possible, it has also partnered with Google to make nearly 40 development indicators more accessible via the search engine.

“It’s important to make the data and knowledge of the World Bank available to everyone," said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick. "Statistics tell the story of people in developing and emerging countries and can play an important part in helping to overcome poverty.”

The Bank is keen to see this initiative stimulate discussion, increase demand for data and lead to more evidence-based policymaking in areas such as poverty alleviation and achieving the millennium development goals. It can also provide an avenue for encouraging more individuals to turn their attention toward development.

According to Aleem Walji, manager of the World Bank Institute's new Innovation Practice, "Free and open access to data will empower citizens to get more directly involved in the development process."

Designed to be simple to navigate, user friendly and interactive, the website holds data from more than 200 countries and those visiting will be able to download entire datasets for any given country. The information comes from a variety of sources including the Bank’s 186 member states, partners in both the public and private sectors and more than 30 international agencies. The site uses data from a number of fellow United Nations organisations and the extensive health section, for example, draws on information from UNAIDS, the United Nations Population Division, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, among other sources.

The agency’s new open data policy has been welcomed by researchers and development professionals. Sabina Alkire, director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, said she hoped that the move will mean more frequently updated poverty data and increased innovation.

"The more that people can have access to the data, the more they can really interact with it, think about it, digest it, and experiment with it. That has very good independent value, because in effect by doing so you’re releasing the creativity of many minds, to be able to create and innovate, experiment with the data, and see if they can come up with a more interesting analysis."

(L to R) UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, President of Mali Amadou Toumani Touré. 4 May 2010. Credit: UNDP

On the fourth and final day of their official visit to Mali, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé commended President Amadou Toumani Touré on achievements in the country’s AIDS response and said that Mali had set an example for other countries in the region to follow.

According to government estimates, about 27 000 people were receiving antiretroviral treatment in 2009, representing more than 80% of those in need. HIV prevalence in Mali declined from about 1.7% in 2001 to 1.3 % in 2006.

“I want to congratulate President Touré for leading Mali's success in the national AIDS response," said Ms Clark, in a meeting with the Malian Head of State. "These results are remarkable.”

Mr Touré, who has served as President since 2002, is Chair of Mali’s National AIDS Committee, an organization that coordinates the country’s AIDS programme. He said the Committee had succeeded in uniting all sectors in the country, including all levels of government and civil society. However, he underscored the importance of remaining vigilant in the national HIV response: “AIDS is like a boxing match. We can never let down our guard,” he said.

During the visit, Mr Sidibé reiterated his call for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: “Mali needs to build on its success by redoubling efforts to ensure an HIV-free generation.” An estimated 12% of pregnant women in Mali received an HIV test in 2008 and, that same year, only 18% of infants born to HIV-positive women were given ARV prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

Ms Clark and Mr Sidibé began their mission in the ancient city of Timbuktu, where they visited Groupe d'Appui à la Formation de Base (GAFB), a local civil society organization that provides HIV prevention through innovative peer education programmes among vulnerable populations, including uniformed services, youth, and domestic workers.

“Twenty years ago when I was Minister of Health in my own county, we had the same chance that you have today in this region to stop the epidemic in its tracks,” said Ms Clark, a native of New Zealand. “We were successful because we had a very inclusive approach. Mali should be the example for other countries in Africa on how to halt the HIV epidemic."

GAFB is working to give people a voice and help the most marginalized members of society, said Mr Sidibé. "This organization is showing that we can end the HIV epidemic by focusing on those that are most vulnerable," he added.

GAFB started its activities with the support of a World Bank grant, and continues to expand its services through resources from the Global Fund. In January 2010, the Global Fund awarded Mali a two-year grant of US $43 million to intensify HIV prevention, treatment, care and support across the country.

Preventing people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis is one of the 10 priority areas outlined in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework for the period 2009-2011. Credit: UNAIDS/P.Virot

The 18th Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board meeting is being held from 4 – 5 May 2010 in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The meeting will bring together UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership to strengthen their joint response to HIV/TB co-infection and to agree on a compact intended to halve TB deaths in people living with HIV by 2015.

‘One in four AIDS deaths is linked to tuberculosis. This compact represents an important milestone in ensuring that no person living with HIV dies of TB, a preventable and curable condition’ noted UNAIDS Deputy Director, Programme Paul De Lay

Every three minutes a person living with HIV dies of tuberculosis. Mortality rates have escalated (to an estimated 500,000 a year) over the past 10 years. The emergence of drug resistant strains of TB is a particularly lethal threat in populations with high rates of HIV infection.

Preventing people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis is one of the 10 priority areas outlined in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework for the period 2009-2011. UNAIDS hopes to achieve this goal by ensuring an effective integrated delivery of services for HIV and tuberculosis as well as nutritional support in all settings.

Universal access and MDG targets for HIV and TB will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve without greater attention to marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as prisoners, drug users, women, and migrants, and the strengthening of a human rights approach to ensure equitable access and risk-reduction.

A wide variety of participants are expected to attend the meeting, including Ministers of Health of Viet Nam, South Africa and Myanmar, the Regional Director of the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region as well as high-level representatives from UNAIDS, the Stop TB Partnership and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Discussions will range from an overview of the TB epidemic in Viet Nam and the Western Pacific Region to a review of progress in the development of new TB drugs, diagnostics and vaccines.

The Board meeting is also meant to be a follow-up from the Beijing Ministerial Meeting held in April 2009 where ministers from countries with high burden of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) met to address the disease’s alarming threat. The 18th Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board meeting will review the progress made by countries since Beijing and recommend further actions to overcome bottlenecks and accelerate action.

The Stop TB Partnership is a leading public-private global health partnership, established in 2001, with the aim of eliminating tuberculosis as a public health problem and, ultimately, to obtain a world free of TB. It comprises a network of more than 900 international organizations, countries, donors from the public and private sectors, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and individuals.

(L to R): Malik Sène, Executive Secretary of NAC, Ben Essayouti, Imam of Timbuktu, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé began their four-day mission to Mali in the ancient city of Timbuktu, where they visited Groupe d'Appui à la Formation de Base (GAFB), a local civil society organization that provides HIV prevention through innovative peer education programmes among vulnerable populations, including uniformed services, youth, and domestic workers.

“Twenty years ago when I was Minister of Health in my own county, we had the same chance that you have today in this region to stop the epidemic in its tracks,” said Ms Clark, a native of New Zealand. “We were successful because we had a very inclusive approach. Mali should be the example for other countries in Africa on how to halt the HIV epidemic."

Accompanying Helen Clark, Michel Sidibé said that GAFB is working to give people a voice and help the most marginalized members of society. "This organization is showing that we can end the HIV epidemic by focusing on those that are most vulnerable," said Mr Sidibé. "I am honoured to join Helen Clark on her first visit to Mali, which is a clear sign of the UN's commitment to reach zero new HIV infections.”

GAFB started its activities with the support of a World Bank grant, and continues to expand its services through resources from the Global Fund. Earlier this year, the Global Fund awarded Mali a two-year grant of US $43 million to intensify HIV prevention, treatment, care and support across the country.

In meetings with high-level government officials on May 3-4, including President Amadou Toumani Touré, the executive heads of UNDP and UNAIDS will call for an accelerated national AIDS response in the lead-up to 2015, the target date set by the international community for reaching the Millennium Development Goals. Mr Sidibé will also reiterate his call for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. An estimated 12% of pregnant women in Mali received an HIV test in 2008 and, that same year, only 18% of infants born to HIV-positive women were given antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection.

According to government estimates, Mali’s HIV prevalence declined from 1.7% in 2001 to 1.3 % in 2006 and about 27 000 people were receiving antiretroviral treatment in 2009, representing more than 80% of those in need. UNAIDS estimates that 100 000 people are currently living with HIV in Mali.

The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Helen Clark and Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé are on a four day mission to Mali. It is the first joint mission to Mali by these two UN agencies. Ms Clark, who is also Chair of the United Nations Development Group and Chair of the UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (CCO) will call for an accelerated national AIDS response in the lead-up to 2015, the target date set by the international community for reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

The official visit will include a visit to a hospital in Timbuktu, where Ms Clark and Mr Sidibé will meet health care providers, civil society, people living with HIV and other stakeholders involved in the HIV response.

They are also scheduled to meet a number of high-level government officials, including Prime Minister Modibo Sidibé and President Amadou Toumani Touré.

Mr Sidibé will reiterate his call for preventing HIV transmission from mothers to children. Only 12% of pregnant women in Mali received an HIV test in 2008 and, that same year, 18% of infants born to HIV-positive women were given antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection.

Earlier this year the Global Fund awarded a grant of US$ 43 million to Mail towards reaching universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

In recent years, Mali has made considerable progress in expanding HIV prevention, treatment care and support for those in need. According to government estimates Mali’s HIV prevalence has declined from 1.7% in 2001 to 1.3 % in 2006 and in 2009 80% of people who need treatment (over 27,000) were on antiretroviral treatment. UNAIDS estimates that 100 000 people are currently living with HIV in Mali.

(from left) Dr Mario Raviglione, Director WHO Stop TB Department; Ms Gerry Elsdon, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Advocate for TB, Mr Michel Sidibé UNAIDS Executive Director; and Dr Marcos Espinal, Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership. Credit: UNAIDS

Gerry Elsdon was at the height of her professional career as a popular TV personality in South Africa when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Living in an affluent Johannesburg suburb, Gerry was shocked to find her nearest TB clinic was hidden behind a number of buildings, “as if it was something to be ashamed of”. It was this experience that prompted her to become an advocate for the rights of people affected by TB.

Nine years on, Ms Elsdon is a passionate voice speaking out about the gaps in TB services. Gerry visited the UNAIDS Secretariat headquarters on 29 April and joined a panel with Dr Mario Raviglione, Director WHO Stop TB Department and Dr Marcos Espinal, Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership. The discussion with staff was chaired by Mr Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS.

Ms Elsdon is now an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Advocate for TB and volunteer for CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation, the Othandweni Children’s Home and the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership.

TB is thought to be responsible for one in four deaths of HIV-positive people, yet it is a curable disease. More TB screening and treatment for people living with HIV—through fully integrated TB/HIV services—would be an important and an essential step to reduce TB’s burden on people living with HIV. It’s an approach Ms Elsdon believes would make a difference. She spoke of the value of a clinic facility where a person get be counselled and tested for HIV followed by a TB test in an adjacent room.

In 2007, there were an estimated 1.37 million new cases of tuberculosis among people living with HIV and TB was responsible for 456 000 deaths. Preventing people living with HIV dying from tuberculosis is one of the priorities in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-11.