The OAFLA General Assembly, 31 January 2015, with the following representatives. Front from the left: First Ladies of Niger and Namibia, the wife of the United Nations Secretary-General, Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, First Ladies of Ivory Coast, Chad, Sudan and Zambia. Back from left: First Ladies of Swaziland, Rwanda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Comoros and Algeria. Courtesy: WHO
In the 14th General Assembly of the Organization of Africa First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), held on 31 January on the sidelines of the 24th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, African First Ladies reaffirmed their commitment to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The First Ladies also highlighted the importance of paediatric care, strengthening of partnerships and ensuring that AIDS is a strong component in the post-2015 development agenda.
The OAFLA General Assembly was addressed by Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek, who emphasized that women, including young women, adolescent girls, women of child-bearing age, sex workers and transgender women, are a key population in the continental AIDS response and require focused and strategic interventions if we are to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. She also called for a reinvigorated campaign against new infections among children.
Since the establishment of OAFLA in 2002, African First Ladies have advocated for and raised awareness on AIDS, championing many campaigns on eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, underlining the burden of HIV on women and strengthening networks of people living with HIV.
“This is not the time to relent and I commend African First Ladies for joining UNAIDS in boldly calling for the end of AIDS by 2030 and ensuring that HIV and AIDS are a firm part of the post-2015 agenda.”
Gertrude Mutharika, First Lady of Malawi
“Africa needs women, women who are healthy and peaceful, to achieve sustainable socioeconomic development. Therefore, let OAFLA be more aggressive in working alongside our governments to bring women on board.”
Penehupifo Pohamba, First Lady of Namibia
“Women are a key population that requires a specific focus if we are to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. We as partners can end AIDS as a public health threat across the continent by 2030, but to do this, we must re-engage ourselves, our leaders and our partners.”
Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek
“Eliminating mother-to-child transmission is a critical component to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. By stepping up efforts for this we are not only empowering women and mothers, but we are empowering our children, our families, our communities and our countries towards an AIDS-free generation. UNAIDS stands ready to provide all the necessary support to African First Ladies towards scaling up our joint efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission in 2015.”
Rosemary Museminali, UNAIDS Representative to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
