The XVI International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2011) opened on Sunday 4 December in Addis Ababa. Delegates from across the world are convening in Ethiopia to discuss the HIV-related challenges faced by Africa, as well as future strategies for consolidation and development of national AIDS responses.

Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Meles Zenawi welcomed all participants and encouraged them to fully participate and share experiences than can contribute to bring an end to the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The Prime Minister also recognized the important contribution of international partners in providing antiretroviral treatment, but he stressed that it is time for Africa to own the response. “We must urgently devise African led innovations to defeat HIV,” said Prime Minister Zenawi.

This year’s conference theme, ‘Own, Scale-up and Sustain,’ was selected to emphasize the need for increased country ownership and commitment in the AIDS response. Statements at the opening ceremony were made by former President of the United States of America George W. Bush, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, young women living with HIV, Melao Phillipus and Professor Robert Soudré, President of the Society for AIDS in Africa.

Mr Sidibé, in his key note, emphasized that 2012 would be a crucial year for the AIDS response. He welcomed the recent progress made in both scientific research and expanding access to HIV treatment, but also cautioned against losing ground as a result of the global financial crisis.

“We have seen unprecedented progress. But I am scared by unfolding events. We need to continue investing in areas where we are producing results,” said Mr Sidibé. “But to scale up and sustain the progress made, we must create a new framework for Africa, based on country ownership, shared responsibility, mutual accountability and social justice,” he added.

President Bush, who is currently travelling through Africa to promote the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative, made a stop in Ethiopia to participate in the conference. In his address, President Bush praised the Obama Administration for their continued support to the global AIDS response.  “We are breaking the grip of AIDS—but this only the beginning. There is a lot of work to be done,” said President Bush. “In moments of economic crisis there can be a temptation for Americans to disengage from the world. But we cannot retreat. There is no greater priority than saving a human life.”

Representing young people, Ms Phillipus denounced the nonexistence of comprehensive sexual education and HIV services adapted for adolescents and young people in most African countries. She highlighted the heterogeneity of youth groups and their varied needs which are not being addressed. She said that the needs of young parents are not the same as those of students or young professionals. “I challenge all delegates to spell out what actions they will take to empower the youth,” concluded Ms Phillipus.

Sessions, workshops and community development

ICASA 2011 is intended to provide a forum to link political and national leaders, the scientific community, practitioners, communities, civil societies, the private sector and partners to scale-up and sustain the AIDS response. The conference is organizing a series of plenary and satellite sessions, workshops and community development programmes that are designed to generate support for the AIDS response, discuss common values and share best practices.

Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Meles Zenawi giving an award to former President of the United States of America George W. Bush for his contribution to the AIDS response.
Credit: UNAIDS/J.Ose

In addition, the conference will also host the community dialogue space and the human rights networking zone. The community dialogue space is dedicated to highlighting stories of grassroots achievements in AIDS responses and the challenges faced by community-led action around the world. The human rights networking zone is an open space to share good practices around HIV, TB and human rights in Africa as well as to discuss HIV and human rights challenges that are common to many countries on the continent. The networking zone sessions will cover key topics such as the criminalization of HIV transmission and exposure, coercive practices in sexual and reproductive health, including HIV testing, coerced sterilization and termination of pregnancy.

Hosted by the government of Ethiopia, the international partners for ICASA 2011 include the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as well as its Cosponsors the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF); and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).The conference will run until December 8.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé meets with the Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Meles Zenawi at his office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Credit: UNAIDS

Ahead of the opening of the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa (ICASA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with the Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Meles Zenawi at his office in the capital.

During the meeting, Mr Sidibé commended the Prime Minister for his strong political leadership and the country’s ownership of the AIDS response. “It is encouraging to see the Government of Ethiopia at the forefront of the HIV response,” said the UNAIDS Executive Director. "Ethiopia’s remarkable efforts to contain the epidemic and the integration of AIDS into the national health and development agenda will ensure sustainable results."

The two leaders discussed the need for robust political momentum for shared values and responsibilities to expand and sustain the AIDS response. Although many countries in Africa have increased their domestic investments on HIV in recent years, they continue to rely heavily on international assistance. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi expressed a strong commitment to initiate a political debate in Africa on country ownership and shared responsibility for the AIDS response.

Expressing concern about the current global financial crisis and reduction in international assistance available for AIDS, Mr Sidibé stressed that Africa would need to find innovative ways of increasing domestic resources. “We need predictable and long-term financing—domestic and international—to restore confidence among people for accessing HIV prevention and treatment services," said Mr Sidibé.

According to Ethiopian government sources, by the end of 2010, an estimated 1.2 million people were living with HIV in the country. In 2010, more than 9 million people received HIV counselling and testing. HIV counselling and testing sites in the country increased from 658 in 2004 to 2 309 in 2010. Currently, 743 public and private health facilities in Ethiopia are providing antiretroviral treatment services for 330 000 people living with HIV, up from just three health facilities in 2004.

L to R: President of the Society for AIDS in Africa, Prof. Robert Soudré, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and External Relations, Jan Beagle, Commissioner Bience Gawanas of the African Union Commission opening the community village.
Credit: UNAIDS/J.Ose

The dialogue space dedicated to community organizations was inaugurated today at the 2011 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA). The area, which is the heart of the Community Village at the conference, provides a space for grassroots and community based organizations to present innovative, local responses to the AIDS epidemic.

The community dialogue space of this year’s conference is organized by UNAIDS with support from UNDP, Irish Aid and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. It is an integral part of the Red Ribbon Award Initiative that recognizes outstanding community work on AIDS. The 10 African Red Ribbon Award winning community-based organizations from 2010 are running the community space.

Opening the Community Village, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director for Management and External Relations, Jan Beagle stressed that most innovative and successful responses have often come from communities that are directly affected by the epidemic. “Communities have been central in developing the UNAIDS vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths,” said Ms Beagle. “Ending the epidemic is a shared responsibility and together we can do it.”

The dialogue space is a physical area designed to encourage discussions and provide a meeting place for policymakers and activists. “We need to work together,” said Innocent Laison, Director of Programmes at African Council of AIDS Service Organizations. “We need evidence from science but we also need the leadership and the heart of the communities,” he added.

All sessions within the community dialogue space are purposely unstructured and encourage direct dialogue with the audience. Discussions will focus on issues such as the realization of economic, political and social rights, access to HIV services as well as addressing stigma and discrimination that still prevails in many communities in the region. Particular emphasis will be placed on human rights and key populations at higher risk of HIV infection like sex workers, men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs.

The community dialogue space will also focus on community engagement in the recently launched Global Plan towards the Elimination of new HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive. Community representatives will also have the opportunity to discuss about their expectations on the community mobilization aspect of the UNAIDS investment framework.

The community dialogue space has been a regular feature at every ICASA conference since its inception in 2006.  UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and External Relations used the occasion to announce the launch of the 2012 round of the Red Ribbon Award, which will honor ten exceptional community organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the response to AIDS.

The Association Penitentiare Africaine (APA) is an NGO from Burkina Faso that ensures that the HIV prevention and care needs of prison inmates are addressed and is one of the 2010 Red Ribbon Award winners. “The Red Ribbbon Award programme has been instrumental in strengthening our credibility and increasing the impact of APA’s work,” said Julien Tougouri from APA.

Other Speakers at the opening of the dialogue space included Rosemary Nburu, KANKO; Béatrice Kogoyire, Rwandan Network of people living with HIV; and Joel Gustave Nana, from African Men for Sexual Health and Rights.

Ms. Jan Beagle, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and External Relations speaks at the World AIDS Day commemoration in Addis Ababa.
Credit: UNAIDS.

Ethiopia’s progress in its national AIDS response has been celebrated at a World AIDS Day commemoration event in Addis Ababa, which was attended by the UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and External Relations, Ms. Jan Beagle.

Ms. Beagle was joined by the President of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Minister of Health, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the Mayor of Addis Ababa and the Executive Director of the Network of Networks of HIV Positives in Ethiopia, Dereje Alemayehu. Key supporters of the Ethiopian national AIDS response also participated in the commemoration, including the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has invested more than US$ 1.4 billion in country’s AIDS response.

Remarkable scale-up

Speaking at the commemoration, Ms. Beagle commended Ethiopia’s achievements said, “Ethiopia's remarkable leadership in investing in voluntary counselling and testing has resulted in more than 9.4 million people receiving HIV counselling and testing in 2011 alone, and subsequent increased access to HIV services, in particular antiretroviral treatment.”

The HIV epidemic in Ethiopia is largely concentrated in urban areas and represents one of the biggest epidemics in Africa. It is estimated that in the capital city of Addis Ababa alone, some 300 000 people are living with HIV, equivalent to approximately 25% of all Ethiopians living with HIV.

Speakers at the World AIDS Day commemoration highlighted recent progress in the national response, including dramatic declines in HIV incidence in urban areas. The high-level participants also congratulated the Government on its hosting of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), which starts on 4 December and is considered a key advocacy platform for the continent’s response.

AIDS free generation in Ethiopia

Alongside the aspiration of an AIDS free generation in Ethiopia, speakers identified the UNAIDS goal of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths as a common vision for stakeholders.

A group of mothers living with HIV addressed the audience and highlighted how the provision of services to eliminate new HIV infections among children meant that their babies were born free of HIV.

At a commemoration at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa earlier the same day, representatives of the AU, Member States, civil society, youth groups, and international organizations celebrated impressive results in the AIDS response throughout the African continent.

Concerns were raised about dwindling international resources available for AIDS programmes, and there were calls for AU Member States to increase domestic investments in order to ensure the sustainability of the response. There was also a commitment to the principle of shared responsibility, which was described as timely and required. The AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Ms. Bience Gawanas, said, “Funding the AIDS response is a good investment and a shared responsibility of all countries. Member States of the African Union will have to invest more domestic resources in the response”.

Credit: UNAIDS/P.Virot

Men, women and children on HIV treatment in drought-affected Ethiopia will benefit from a US$ 56 million donation from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The donation will allow the UN agency to increase vital nutritional support to people on HIV treatment—who are often already weakened by malnutrition—and their families. Spread over five years, it is the largest contribution ever made from PEPFAR to WFP.

Welcoming the donation, Josette Sheeran, WFP Executive Director emphasized that the provision of the right nutritional support for people on HIV treatment “can make the difference between life and death. Because when malnourished people do not have the right food to eat, treatment does not work.” She added that WFP would now be able to reach more people; assisting families affected by AIDS with sustainable food security and helping to eliminate new HIV infections among children and keep their mothers alive.

Supporting children living with HIV by helping ensure good nutrition is a key concern which echoes the WFP’s new global initiative to mark World Food Day: ‘Feed a child, feed a dream’.  Through an online platform, the initiative highlights the aspirations of some of the many children being supported by WFP around the world and how they can be met.

WFP will now expand its areas of operation into the country’s least developed regions of Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Somali and Gambella to improve the nutritional status, treatment success and quality of life of people on HIV treatment and their families.

At present WFP supports HIV treatment in urban areas, including assessments, counselling and food assistance for those who are malnourished. From 2008 to 2010, an estimated 355 000 people living in households affected by AIDS in 23 towns benefited from these activities. With PEPFAR’s donation, WFP can reach an additional 375 000 people living in households affected by AIDS—those that are most vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurity—over the next five years.

The entry criterion for the receipt of food aid is the nutritional status of the individuals as measured by body mass index for example. All people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) receive nutrition education and counselling, and only those who are malnourished will receive food rations for a period of six months. Experience has shown that nutritional recovery (>85% weight for height) occurs rapidly when ART is combined with food assistance.

Food and nutrition assistance is an essential and cost-effective means of enhancing the success of antiretroviral treatment (ART), enabling nutritional recovery and mitigating the socio-economic consequences of HIV and tuberculosis. Furthermore, this type of assistance increases the likelihood that patients will adhere to treatment, thereby reducing the likelihood that additional, more costly treatments will need to be found.

WFP is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. It feeds more than 90 million people in over 70 countries every year. In 2010, WFP supported 2.5 million beneficiaries in nearly 50 countries through its HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) programmes. This included food and nutritional support to some 500,000 people living with HIV as part of their antiretroviral therapy or TB treatment.

(from left) 11-year-old Oluebuechukwu Sylvia Taylor and her mother Uchechukwu Florence

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) was high on the agenda at a General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), held 31 January in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“For every dollar spent preventing HIV among children, we save thousands more in treatment avoided,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, addressing the gathering of African First Ladies, as well as representatives from civil society and the United Nations. “We are making so much progress for mothers and children, but gains are fragile.”

In recent years, African countries—together with national and international partners—have made great strides in reducing the rate of new HIV infections among children. In 2009, an estimated 54% of pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa received antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child, up from 15% in 2005. Several countries are leading the way, including Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, where coverage of antiretroviral drugs for PMTCT is now higher than 80%.

In the 10 countries of southern Africa*, the number of children under 15 who became newly infected with HIV fell from 190 000 in 2004 to 130 000 in 2009—a 32% reduction. AIDS-related deaths among children in southern Africa have declined by 26%, from an estimated 120 000 in 2004 to 90 000 in 2009.

Despite progress, some 2.3 million children in sub-Saharan African are living with HIV. In many countries across the continent, stigma and discrimination prevent HIV-positive pregnant women from accessing the services they need.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé addressed the General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), 31 January 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“I am pleading with you all to join hands and save our future,” said 11-year-old Oluebuechukwu Sylvia Taylor, the daughter of an HIV-positive woman who spoke at the OAFLA meeting. “No child should have to die because of HIV. Let’s work together to ensure zero mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa.” Ms Taylor was born HIV-negative as a result of her mother taking antiretroviral drugs during the pregnancy.

In nearly all countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a majority of people living with HIV are women, especially girls and women aged 15-24. The most recent prevalence data show that 13 women in sub-Saharan Africa become infected with HIV for every 10 men. Addressing gender inequalities and empowering women and girls are seen as critical to effective HIV responses in the region.

“Empowering women is not an abstract term,” said H.E. Woizero Azeb Mesfin, First Lady of Ethiopia and Chair of OAFLA. “It means ensuring that African women have adequate food and shelter, are free from disease, deliver their babies safely and stand alongside men equally and confidently.” With funding from UNAIDS, the First Ladies recently launched a campaign aimed at increasing PMTCT services and eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

African Union Summit

The meeting of First Ladies was held alongside the 16^th African Union Summit, a gathering of 24 Heads of State from across the African continent and a host of other leaders and dignitaries, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“We are seeing success in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Mr Ban, in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Summit. “As partners of Africa, our challenge is to maintain and increase this momentum,” he added.

The HIV response is one successful example of “humanity acting in solidarity,” said Bingu wa Mutharika, the President of Malawi and outgoing Chair of the African Union, in discussions with the UNAIDS Executive Director. “We must continue our efforts to deploy antiretroviral treatment to those affected, and we should not be complacent about fighting stigma,” he said.

* Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

A global consensus is emerging that accelerated progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and more efficient use of resources can be achieved by taking the AIDS response out of isolation and integrating it with efforts to achieve other health and development goals.

On 22 September, the last day of the UN MDG Summit in New York, UNAIDS will co-host the event ‘AIDS plus MDGs: Delivering results towards our shared commitments’ together with the Governments of China, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. 

Premier Wen Jiabao of China and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia will be joined by Nigeria’s and South Africa’s Ministers of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu and Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, respectively, to generate political commitment to leverage the AIDS response to achieve the MDGs. Representing the United Nations will be UN Deputy Secretary-General Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, and UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé, who will chair the event.

“World leaders and UNAIDS are joining together to give the message that we must invest strategically to address multiple MDGs,” said Mr Sidibé. “Releasing the power, capacity and innovation of the AIDS movement may provide one of the best opportunities to ‘do the MDGs’ differently.”

The relationship between AIDS and the MDGs is reciprocal: investments in the AIDS repose advance all the MDGs and efforts to meet the eight Goals address the social drivers of the HIV epidemic. To find out more about AIDS and the MDG, read the UNAIDS report AIDS plus MDGs: synergies that serve people, a report prepared by the Government of Ethiopia and a UNAIDS case study on Rwanda.

UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé (left) met with H.E. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Health Ethiopia at the Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Wednesday 28 July 2010

The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé paid a visit to Ethiopia to discuss ways of accelerating progress towards achieving universal access to HIV services and reaching the Millennium Development Goals in the country.

High on the agenda was exploring the progress and challenges Ethiopia is facing in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT).

Mr Sidibé visited the HIV treatment centre and maternity ward at St Paul’s hospital in Addis Ababa where nutritional support is integrated with health service delivery for people living with HIV. While there, Mr Sidibé had an opportunity to participate in the “Mother Support Group Discussions,” a peer support group of HIV positive women who meet fortnightly for psychological support by sharing their experiences and exchanging views on a range of social issues including experiencing stigma, positive living, telling their partners about their HIV status, clinic attendance, and family planning.

On conclusion of his visit, Mr Sidibé met with the journalists to highlight the need for renewed commitment towards the virtual elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and the need for innovative approaches to sustain the response.

Mr Sidibé praised the efforts being made by the government of Ethiopia towards eradicating mother-to-child HIV transmission and called on the leadership to intensify efforts to increase access to PMTCT services while addressing the factors undermining access to these services including gender inequality, stigma and discrimination and the insufficient involvement of the community.

Mr Sidibé also urged for enhanced integration of HIV prevention and treatment into maternal, newborn and child health programmes.

Earlier, the UNAIDS executive director had paid a visit to one of the HIV urban projects supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) which provide food and nutritional assistance to pregnant and lactating women living with HIV who are accessing PMTCT services. He met with a group of mothers who participate in this project and commended the initiative which supports lives of mothers and babies through the provision of food and nutritional support.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Board of Directors has approved new grants with a two-year commitment of US$2.4 billion. The Global Fund Board concluded its 20th meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 11 November. High on the agenda were discussions on the implications of the global financial crisis for a fully funded AIDS response.

The Global Fund Board also announced the launch its next round of grants in May 2010. This round of funding will be considered for approval at a Board meeting to be held some time between November 2010 and January 2011.

“We are seeing a tremendous demand for funding,” said Michel Kazatchkine, the Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Countries are showing that they are able to effectively turn large amounts of money from donors into prevention, care and treatment of AIDS, TB and malaria, which in turn will save millions of lives.”

Addressing the Global Fund Board earlier in the week UNAIDS Executive Director, Mr Michel Sidibé congratulated Dr Kazatchkine on the excellent progress made over the last year.

Mr Sidibé expressed concern that because overall resource demand is higher than anticipated in the funding scenario of the replenishment meeting in Berlin in 2007, the Global Fund risks facing a resource gap for the period 2009-2010. He reiterated his call to donor countries to ensure that the Global Fund is fully funded. He also called for appropriate prevention investments that match the nature of the epidemic, for example in Eastern Europe where HIV is mainly transmitted via injecting drug use.

Speaking on the potential impact of the financial crisis on the AIDS response, Mr Sidibé called for innovative approaches and the need to establish new partnerships in the AIDS response.

With its key approaches – country ownership, inclusiveness, accountability and performance-based funding – the Global Fund is setting the standard in development financing and is strongly aligned with aid effectiveness principles. Praising this approach, Mr Sidibé encouraged even greater engagement with implementing countries and communities in decision-making processes.

Mr Sidibé also committed to scaling up technical support from the UN system and that UNAIDS programme at the country and regional level would expand its support to the Global Fund.

“A strengthened partnership at country level will lead to greater cohesiveness and sustainability of the response,” said Mr Sidibé.

The Global Fund Board also approved a new grant architecture to simplify grant management and reporting by countries and facilitate their strategic, long-term planning.

The Global Fund was created in 2002 with a mandate to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases – HIV, TB and Malaria, and to direct resources to areas of greatest need. It has since approved a total funding of US$18.4 billion for 144 countries. It’s a global public/private partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities the Global Fund represents a new approach to international health financing.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, signing the agreement. 21st September, New York.
Credit: UNAIDS/B.Hamilton

UNAIDS and the Millennium Villages Project signed an agreement in New York to strengthen efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa. The aim of the partnership is to help local governments create “Mother to child transmission-free zones” in 14 ‘Millennium Villages’ across ten African countries.

The Millennium Villages Project, a partnership between The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Millennium Promise, and UNDP, seeks to end poverty by working in rural areas throughout Africa. The new initiative will use the existing infrastructure, human capacity and technical resources in the villages, to help rapidly expand family- and community-centered heath services with focus on stopping new HIV infections among children.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, signed the agreement in the presence of business and African leaders. The ceremony was held under the auspices of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal.

“I salute this partnership to help protect mothers and their children from HIV. This initiative will mobilize resources and generate political will to save young lives, leading to a generation of African children born free of HIV,” said President Wade.

(L to R): President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
Credit: UNAIDS/B.Hamilton

Also speaking at the ceremony were Dr Lydia Mungherera, a Ugandan HIV prevention activist representing the organizations HIV+ and TASO. The Executive Director of UNICEF, Ms Ann M. Veneman, the Minister of State of Mali, Mr. Abou Sow; the South African Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi; and Ambassador Eric Goosby, MD, the United States Global AIDS Coordinator participated in a panel discussion at the event.

Each day 1,200 children under the age of 15 are infected with HIV; 90% of these infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa. According to Mr. Sidibe, “In all of Western Europe there were fewer than 100 mother-to-child transmissions (MTCT) in 2007, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, there were more than 370,000.”

The top priorities outlined in the memorandum include measures to ensure that women of child bearing age avoid getting infected, those that are infected avoid unwanted pregnancy; increase access to antenatal care services; HIV testing and counselling to expectant mothers; and expanded access to HIV prevention and treatment services for children.

The agreement will bring together the Millennium Village Project’s multi-sectoral and science-based development and primary healthcare strategy with UNAIDS’ expertise in community and family-centred prevention strategies in order to create ‘MTCT-free zones’, whose progress will be monitored by both entities.

Executive Director of UNICEF, Ms Ann M. Veneman, South African Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.
Credit: UNAIDS/B.Hamilton

“We hope that the creation of ‘MTCT-free zones’ in the Millennium Villages will serve as a model that can be used throughout Africa whereby communities are engaged, men and young people are active partners, and children are born free from HIV,” Mr Sidibé said.
In 2007, there were 2 million children under 15 years living with HIV, up from 1.6 million in 2001 and less than 15% in need of treatment were getting it. In sub-Saharan Africa, only a third of pregnant HIV-positive women received the antiretroviral treatment (ART) to prevent transmitting the infection to their infants, compared with nearly 100% in Western Europe.

Operating in 14 sites in 10 sub-Saharan African countries, the Millennium Villages project has been working with local governments to introduce a model primary health system which will cover approximately 500,000 people.

The Villages work on a model primary health system and include education, nutrition and economic development. The primary health systems include; free services at the point of care; trained professional community health workers; a network of adequately staffed primary clinics; access to a mobile communication network and emergency transport services to facilitate referrals; and a local referral hospital to support second-tier care. The system houses a monitoring and evaluation platform that can readily assess the adequacy, uptake and impact of HIV testing and counselling and family centered HIV prevention services.