Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Delegates from 44 African countries Thursday night ended five days of deliberations on development and AIDS in Africa by adopting a consensus plan of action for waging a multifaceted campaign against the pandemic.

Speaking at the closing session of the 2nd African Development Forum or ADF 2000, the executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, K.Y. Amoako, said the consensus document may not be perfect or final, but it would assist the African leadership to act decisively against HIV/AIDS.

"We all leave this conference hall with a deeper commitment and a stronger sense of agreement that the time is now to act," he declared.

He called on some 1,500 participants that had belaboured for the past week to take "The African Consensus And Plan Of Action: Leadership To Overcome HIV/AIDS" document as a guide to fighting AIDS.

He praised the youth, women and people living with AIDS that attended the forum for "sharing their ideas and in helping design the consensus."

He urged everyone involved in the deliberations to work "to break the silence and remove the stigma" against the pandemic, individually and collectively.

He also called for support and compassion for the 24 million people in Africa living with AIDS, saying they are fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. "We should fear the virus but not those with AIDS," Amoako pleaded.

The heads of UNICEF and UNAIDS, two organisations that collaborated closely with the ECA in organising ADF 2000, also addressed the closing session.

UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy said she was delighted that the consensus document contained specific actions to help children in Africa. She stated that AIDS had reversed the gains her agency had made in Africa for over a decade.

"I'm particularly delighted the consensus document contains the call for the abolition of education fees and other costs to primary school-age children," she said.

Bellamy promised that UNICEF would continue its work "to reduce mother-to-child transmission of the AIDS virus and also help AIDS orphans in Africa."

Peter Piot, executive director of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS or UNAIDS, stated that the consensus document focuses on four key issues -- resources mobilisation to assisting national governments to s trengthen their AIDS combating bodies, improving information on anti-AIDS drugs, access to care for the stricken and prevention to the rest of society.

He added that behavioural change was also needed on the part of the UN system in many areas, particularly in including the fight against AIDS in the various UN activities not hitherto involved.

He expressed hope that the plan of action would be further strengthened by two major gatherings in 2001 - the OAU special summit on AIDS in April in Abuja, Nigeria, and the UN world conference on AIDS in June at the UN headquarters in New York.

The consensus document also incorporates "important points" raised by seven African leaders that took part in a 'heads of state and government forum' Thursday morning during which they related the experience of their respective countries in the fight against AIDS, and suggestions they forwarded for enhancing national mobilisation against the pandemic.

The leaders were Presidents Festus Mogae of Botswana, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, vice president Justin Malewezi of Malawi, Prime Ministers Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Nagoum Yamassoum of Chad and Moustapha Niasse of Senegal.