At a high-level event in New York on 28 September, the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) endorsed the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and pledged to redouble their efforts to help ensure a safe and healthy future for women, children and young people.
The event, Building on MDGs to invest in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, took place during the 70th session of the UN General Assembly and was led by Gertrude Mutharika, the First Lady of Malawi and Vice-Chair of OAFLA. The meeting brought together First Ladies from across the continent, as well as heads of UN agencies and major international donors, to explore how the SDGs will tackle the ‘unfinished business’ of the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, Lorena Castillo de Varela, First Lady of Panama, and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Victoria Beckham attended the meeting as special guests.
They were joined by representatives of the Fashion 4 Development (F4D) initiative which aims to harness the influence of the fashion world to create positive social change. F4D co-hosted the meeting with OAFLA, with support from UNAIDS, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the Global Fund.
OAFLA reviewed its own role in helping attain the SDGs, linking its Strategic Plan 2014-2018 with global efforts to reach the new goals. It also took the opportunity to increase its profile at the global gathering with the aim of developing new partnerships and platforms through which to share its messages, programmes and activities.
After introductory presentations, including one given by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, the meeting broke up into two roundtable discussion groups to examine HIV treatment and prevention for young people; and investing in women’s and adolescents’ health in the post-2015 development framework.
The First Ladies reaffirmed their commitment to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and keeping mothers alive by championing the end of early marriage and adolescent pregnancy, improving access to HIV services and ensuring that all children diagnosed with HIV receive treatment.
OAFLA members also committed to end new HIV infections among young women and adolescent girls and ensure AIDS is no longer the leading cause of death among adolescents. These commitments are expected to be key priority areas of implementation for 2015 and 2016 by OAFLA member states and their partners.
"I salute the great leadership of the African First Ladies in tackling what seemed impossible. You have shown that together we can and will end AIDS as a public health threat. We have achieved the MDG 6 target and now we stand ready to take on SDGs together leaving no one behind!”
Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director.
“Together as African First Ladies, working with our partners and countries will achieve an AIDS-free generation. We must Fast-Track the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets and ensure that every child, every woman and everybody receives the HIV treatment, care and support they need.”
Gertrude Mutharika, First Lady of Malawi and Vice-Chair of OAFLA.
“I thank our partners for staying the course to fight an AIDS epidemic that seemed insurmountable. Amazing decline in new infections has been achieved, but we must now integrate the work on AIDS into universal care.”
Jeannette Kagame, First Lady of Rwanda
“I thank the First Ladies of Africa for not giving up the battle against AIDS. We must not be complacent with the current advances in development. With the partnership of UNAIDS and other partners, and the involvement of leaders and parents, we can achieve an AIDS-free generation in Uganda and everywhere.”
Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda
“Let the organization of African First Ladies lead us into forming a global movement of First Ladies in the entire world to work together with our countries and partners to end AIDS as a public health threat. I pledge to be an advocate for this in the Americas—together as a world organization we will be stronger!”
Lorena Castillo de Varela, First Lady of Panama
"African First Ladies have put their power behind addressing AIDS and promoting women and children's health, with exceptional results. This is a moment of significant opportunity to build upon. Emphasis on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls has resonated across the events at the Summit to adopt the post-2015 agenda as critical to progress in all other areas of the SDGs. There is unified momentum to drive forward this agenda and we are committed to work in partnership with OAFLA towards ending the AIDS epidemic and a sustainable and peaceful world."
Jan Beagle, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director
