Mayors from major cities and urban areas in Côte d’Ivoire have come together to sign the Paris Declaration, pledging their support to accelerate the response to HIV over the next five years.
Thirteen mayors from the Abidjan district and around 20 from other major cities across the country joined UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and the Governor of Abidjan, Beugré Mambé, to sign the Paris Declaration, putting their cities on the Fast-Track to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
The Paris Declaration includes commitments to reach ambitious 90–90–90 targets by 2020, which will mean 90% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status on antiretroviral therapy and 90% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads.
It is estimated that around 40% of people living with HIV in Côte d’Ivoire live in Abidjan, which has an HIV prevalence of 3.6%, compared with 2.7% nationally.
The Paris Declaration was signed in Paris on World Aids Day 2014 by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and more than 20 of her counterparts from cities around the world. Other mayors are now being invited to join the initiative.
“The Ministry of Health fully supports UNAIDS’ Fast-Track Cities initiative aimed at engaging mayors and other city officials to step up their AIDS response and garnering support from multiple stakeholders, including affected communities, key populations, and technical and financial partners.”
Raymonde Coffie Goudou, Minister of Health
“Our town has taken the lead for a long time thanks to a health facility offering counselling, testing and care services for people living with HIV. We fully endorse UNAIDS’ initiative and we plan to triple our AIDS budget from 10 million CFA francs to achieve the 90-90-90 goal by 2020.”
Raoul Aby, Mayor of the Municipality of Marcori
“We already know that the pace of urbanization is unstoppable. Indeed, in 2030 at least 6 out of 10 people will live in cities. Cities will become the most important magnets. Cities will definitely enable the democratic change we always have longed for. This will contribute to human security, which is essential for social stability.”
Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director
