By Ntombi Mhlongo
African leaders and governments have adopted a declaration that includes commitments to take personal responsibility and provide active leadership in the AIDS response, champion science, and mobilise domestic political and financial support.
This happened at a high-level event on the sidelines of the 36th Session of the African Union to commit to a set of actions to boost progress toward ending AIDS.
The event, Health Financing and Sustaining Action to End AIDS and Related Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases, was co-hosted by the African Union, NEPAD, UNAIDS, and PEPFAR.
African Union Development Agency – (AUDA-NEPAD) Chief Executive Officer Nardos Bekele-Thomas gave the opening remarks, stating that this was the right time to reflect on previous commitments, implementations, and what has worked and what has not.
“The Covid-19 pandemic presented essential lessons that we should use to shape the future of our health systems, the African Continent spearheaded collective actions to respond better. Furthermore, we saw the private sector coming together to work with the Governments to provide services to the people that needed them.”
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The commitments come at a critical time because, despite unprecedented progress, AIDS in Africa is far from over. The massive impacts of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and HIV have exposed huge weaknesses in health systems across Africa and the continent is not on track to achieve an AIDS-free Africa by 2030.
“The coming into force of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty is an important milestone for the Continent. Aligned and coordinated regulatory systems will open up the continental market for pharmaceuticals and enable our manufacturers to leverage the advantages of the ACFTA. The AUDA-NEPAD will continue taking technical leadership in the operationalisation of the AMA which will bring us a step closer in our fight against AIDS” said Bekele-Thomas.
United in efforts to end AIDS, Africa, supported by partners including UNAIDS, PEPFAR, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, has achieved remarkable results.
New HIV infections have been reduced by 60 per cent since the peak in 1996 and some countries by as much as 95 per cent, AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 72 per cent since the peak in 2004, and in 2021, 88 per cent of people living with HIV in Africa knew their HIV status of whom 89 per cent were accessing antiretroviral treatment.
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However, for the first time in more than two decades, global progress against AIDS is faltering. In Africa, six out of seven new HIV infections among adolescents aged 15-19 years were among girls. Women and girls accounted for 62 per cent of all new HIV infections in 2021 and only 50 per cent of children living with HIV received the lifesaving treatment they need.
During the event leaders committed to creating a conducive structural, legal, regulatory, and policy environment that addresses persistent HIV-related equity gaps, promotes gender equality, respect human rights, and eliminates discrimination and stigma against people living with HIV.