The 28th African Union Summit closed on 1 February with the election of Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat as the new chairperson of the African Union Commission. The theme of the summit was “Harnessing the demographic dividend through investing in youth” and strong calls for African solidarity resonated through the summit. In his speech, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, stated that the United Nations stands as a proud partner of the African Union and will continue to tap into African wisdom, ideas and solutions.

In side meetings with the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, emphasized the need to revitalize the AIDS response on the African continent. Noting that while many gains have been made, for example in the area of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Mr Sidibé urged both leaders to step up HIV prevention efforts among adolescent girls and young women in their respective countries.

The 18th General Assembly of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) also took place on the sidelines of the summit. The meeting coincided with the 15th anniversary of OAFLA. Mr Sidibé presented the President of OAFLA, Gertrude Muthakira, First Lady of Malawi, with a publication covering the significant milestones of OAFLA over the past 15 years. Mr Sidibé also received an award from OAFLA for his contribution to the organization and the global AIDS response.

In his bilateral meetings with the First Ladies of Niger, Equatorial Guinea and Malawi, Mr Sidibé reiterated again the need to focus on adolescent girls and young women, who are currently being left behind by the AIDS response in Africa.