BuaNews (Tshwane)
Bathandwa Mbola
6 August 2008
Mexico — Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has urged the South African delegation at the 17th United Nations International Aids Conference to learn as much as they can so that they could feed that knowledge back into the health sector when they returned home.
The Deputy President said this would help them further their work in treating and preventing HIV and AIDS.
"When we leave here, we are going be strengthened to go back and take the fight [against HIV and AIDS] to even higher levels.
"As we know there's still a lot of work for us to do and the knowledge we're gaining by being here is going to help us to do our work even better, "said Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka, speaking in Mexico City.
She said the knowledge that one could gain from the experts at the conference would assist the country in better understanding the complexity of this pandemic
The Deputy President headed a South Africa delegation, comprising the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Loretta Jacobus, officials from the Department of Health, provincial MECs for health and social development as well as sections of civil society to the conference.
The three day conference, held under the theme "Universal Action Now" also dealt with issues of leadership for AIDS prevention, the fight against stigma, gender violence and homophobia.
With over 5.7 million people infected with the HI-virus, South Africa has made significant progress in HIV and AIDS since the previous conference in Toronto two years ago, when the country received criticism for its efforts to fight the disease.
Significant progress has been recorded by Government and civil society especially with regard to the National Strategic HIV and AIDS Plan 2007-2011.
The Deputy President's visit to the country, which ended on Tuesday, was part of President Felipe Calderon and President Thabo Mbeki's commitment towards consolidating bilateral relations between Mexico and South Africa reached at their bilateral meeting during the G8 summit held in Hokkaido, Japan, on 8 July.
It was in this context of strengthening bilateral relations, that the Deputy President had led the South African delegation to the AIDS conference.
The two government leaders welcomed the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries which will be commemorated on October 2008.
On poverty eradication programmes, President Calderon and Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka agreed to share experiences on the operation of social programs such as Oportunidades (Opportunities), Vivir Mejor as well as the Mexican experiences on micro-financing and financing for the construction industry and financing of social housing.
They agreed that this work would be carried out under the framework of the Technical Cooperation Agreement in the Field of Social Development, signed in 2006.
They agreed on the importance of intensifying the scientific and technical cooperation, specifically relating to agriculture, water, biotechnology, environment and energy.
A delegation of South African scientists will take place from 11 to 15 August.
The two highlighted the need to identify new business and investment opportunities, as well as to promote wider and more balanced commercial exchanges through reciprocal visits to be held by official delegations and trade missions.
The two further reaffirmed the commitment to jointly keep working within the G5 group of nations, consisting of Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, China and India, to search for solutions to major international challenges such as global economic governance, food security, climate change and development.
They also reiterated that this commitment included continuing the collaboration with the G8 group.
Both have also expressed the need for the two countries to share their experiences on issues of economic integration, conflict resolutions, combating organised crime and the consolidation of institutions of governance.
President Calderon and Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka welcomed the decision to establish a Bi-National Commission to be co-chaired at the level of the deputy ministers of both countries.
The first meeting will take place early in 2009 with the objective of establishing a long term comprehensive perspective for guiding our bilateral and multilateral relations. The committee will constantly review the political economic and cultural cooperation.
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