'WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL' IN AIDS FIGHT, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE TO AFRICAN AIDS CONFERENCE
Press Release
SG/SM/6416
AFR/33
'WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL' IN AIDS FIGHT, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE TO AFRICAN AIDS CONFERENCE
19971205 Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to be delivered on his behalf by the Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Dr. Peter Piot, to the Tenth International Conference on AIDS in Africa, being held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from 7 to 11 December 1997:HIV/AIDS has touched us all. I have personally witnessed the devastating effects of the epidemic on countries of sub-Saharan Africa: the loss of a young, able-bodied workforce; the pressures on women who care for the sick; and, now, babies infected with HIV, children orphaned by AIDS.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with fastest-moving epidemic. The African epidemic has also been the most underestimated so far. The latest UNAIDS data shows that 20.8 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are now infected with HIV or AIDS. That is two thirds of the total number of infected people in the world.
The implications for Africa's development are ever more evident in families, communities and countries. Poverty further increases a family's vulnerability to HIV infection.
We see some hope in new therapies. But, due to the exorbitant costs, these are not accessible to most persons in the world, especially in the developing world. It is surely within the grasp of human ingenuity to make treatment available to all. This is yet another reason why the fight against HIV and AIDS is one of the most important challenges in the world.
Many developing countries, particularly in Africa, accord high priority to the fight against the epidemic. But their national efforts are constrained by lack of adequate resources. This constraint must be addressed. The United Nations system has a special responsibility to create a greater awareness among all those who can help mobilize resources.
The fight requires the United Nations system to pool its resources in a coordinated response. Through the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
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(UNAIDS), six organizations of the United Nations system have joined forces to ensure stronger technical support for the countries of this continent.
At the same time, I will continue to play a greater advocacy role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I want to make it clear that we have never been more committed to generating solidarity with Africa. We cannot afford to fail.
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