Godwin Haruna
4 December 2008
Dakar — As the 15th edition of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) opened in Dakar, Senegal yesterday, African leaders have urged emphasis on prevention, treatment and research.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal stated that in the absence of effective prevention, the number of infected persons would continue to grow and that could threaten the fragile health system in Africa and destabilise the society as a whole."And finally, when research is neglected, how can we imagine that the preventive and therapeutic tools we have today will suffice to combat a virus that never ceases to evolve and an expanding epidemic?" Wade queried.
He noted that the international community has made real progress in mobilising for the response to the pandemic, as evidenced by both the 2001 Declaration of Commitment by the United Nations General Assembly, as well a the 2005 Development Summit held in New York that concluded with a call for universal access to treatment by 2010.
He added that these political commitments have been accompanied by financial mobilisation at the national and international levels, particularly through the creation of the Global fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.However, he said these efforts remained insufficient in terms of both size and sustainability.
"If we are to implement prevention and treatment programmes equal to the task at hand, sustainable, consistent and predictable funding must become a reality," the Senegalese president noted.
Also speaking, Prof. Femi Soyinka, President of Society of AIDS and STI in Africa (SAA) noted that the conference theme; "Africa's Response: Face the Facts," not only bore contemporary relevance to the state of the HIV epidemics in Africa, but most importantly also to the future developmental plan and survival of Africa."The only way left to us to make progress is to face the facts about where we are, accept the facts, face the realities truthfully, speak as Africans and act decisively as one on facts for the future of Africa," Soyinka said.He stated that whether or not the HIV prevalence in Africa was going down, it remained a fact that the epidemic was still a huge problem in Africa and required total response from everybody.In her speech, Mrs. Elizabeth Lule of the World Bank, noted that good governance and accountability remained an integral part in the national response to HIV/AIDS.She said the World Bank has earmarked $1.6 billion to contain HIV/AIDS in Africa and the bank has mechanisms to ensure that the money was judiciously applied.Lule added that issues around improved coordination, monitoring and evaluation are very essential and never to be compromised.An estimated 5000 delegates, among them stakeholders working on HIV and AIDS, government delegations, NGOs , People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), Community-based Organisations (CBOs) from all over the world are attending the bi-annual conference at the Le Meridien Hotel, Dakar.The central theme of the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa is: "Africa's Response: Face the Facts."
For more than two decades, the African continent has participated in the fight against AIDS and provided potential solutions to the numerous challenges posed by this epidemic.However, even as the fight continues, organisers say it is important to stop and evaluate these many initiatives, in order to recognise their contributions, successes and ambitions, as well as to acknowledge their weaknesses and shortfalls."It is time to take stock of political commitments, unfulfilled promises and actions and practices employed in the fight against HIV/AIDS," a conference delegate declared.At ICASA 2008, International and African experts are evaluating the current state of the HIV and STI epidemics with regard to science, communities and leadership.In addition, the conference will broach topics concerning other, equally important infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis. There are also several sessions organised by the various stakeholders to point the way forward in combating the pandemic.The last conference was held in Abuja, Nigeria in December, 2005 and it was due to be held in Gabon last year, but was postponed and shifted to Dakar.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
