HALLENGE
TO AFRICAN LEADERS ON HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC
To build a launching pad for more concerted action against HIV/AIDS in Africa
and galvanize an African-led response to the pandemic: That is the aim of the
African Development Forum being held 3-7 December 2000 in Addis Ababa on the theme
"AIDS: The Greatest Leadership Challenge." It hopes to mobilize the
highest possible level of scientific, technological, traditional and intellectual
leadership, at all levels of society and the development community, for dealing
with AIDS and mitigating its already devastating impact in Africa.
Expected to attend are some 1500 African leader sand policymakers, representatives
of development agencies, the private sector, academia and civil society organisations,
including people living with HIV/AIDS. Involvement by the United Nations family
and other partners in each African country is an important component of the ADF
2000 process.
Despite all efforts made over the past two decades, HIV/AIDS has continued to
spread at an alarming rate throughout Africa. If unchecked, it could claim more
lives than all the casualties in all the wars of the 20th century put together.
IV/AIDS represents an emergency of unprecedented proportions, which threatens
to derail Africa's development.
Against this background, the Forum will build on efforts already under way by
African counties and their development partners to combat HIV/AIDS, and will address
the remaining gaps. The Forum is expected to yield country action plans and proposals
on specific leadership roles at every level for the fight against HIV/AIDS and
its impact in Africa. This involves six steps:
Upscale the continent's response by documenting the status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic
in Africa, identifying priority programs for implementation and establishing a
dialogue with African government planners and decision makers to elaborate country
specific action plans and work programs for the year 2001;
Share knowledge on what has worked, as well as what has failed, in Africa's struggle
against HIV/AIDS to date;
Discuss and develop strategies on how to mobilize the required resources to enable
Africa's fight against HIV/AIDS, as well as to ensure their accountable use;
Focus on how a response to HIV/AIDS in Africa can be upscaled, as well as highlight
the costs of failure to address the epidemic adequately;
Assess what skills and capacities are needed to interpret HIV/AIDS data and related
information as a means of achieving effective implementation of policies;
Support ongoing efforts to facilitate access to drugs and overcome the hindrances
of intellectual property regulations.
Convened each year, the ADF aims to present the key stakeholders in African development
with the results of current research and opinion on key development issues, in
order to formulate shared goals and priorities and enable African countries to
implement effective programs. The first Forum in October 1999 was on the theme
"The Challenge to Africa of Globalization and the Information Age."
Organizer of the meeting this year is the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
in conjunction with UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank and other partners. It
will be held in the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
(For more information on the Forum see www.uneca.org/adf2000. )