African leaders have been involved in a rigorous process to define a common African Union position for the post-2015 development agenda. Among the many goals and targets of the common position are those to end the AIDS epidemic and tuberculosis and malaria by 2030.
At the 18th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, being held in Harare, Zimbabwe, panellists at a UNAIDS special session discussed how the African Union common position aligns with the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals. The participants stressed the need to reach the AIDS goals and targets within a much broader and more ambitious framework and discussed how to address existing gaps and leave no one behind.
Noting the importance of the 2016 United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS, the participants explored what Africa’s priorities are and how the continent should mobilize to achieve them.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are interlinked. For my country and region, peace and security initiatives are our entry point to discussing and implementing family planning and HIV prevention.”
Hasna Barkat Daoud, Minister of Family Planning and Parliamentary Relations, Djibouti
“The African Union has given us a platform to discuss and agree on key issues before global negotiations take place. The common African position is a great example of how Africa influenced and shaped the Sustainable Development Goals. Commitments such as the common African position and Abuja Declarations are great only if we implement or act on them; otherwise, these efforts remain theoretical.”
Rotimi Sankore, Coordinator of African Health, Human and Social Development (Afri-Dev), Nigeria
“UNAIDS has just developed a new strategy endorsed by all. This could be the basis of the political declaration for the upcoming High-Level Meeting on AIDS.”
Rosemary Museminali, UNAIDS Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
