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03/06/2005
UN calls for further action to combat spread of AIDS
The battle against the worldwide spread of HIV/AIDS is “still losing ground” despite years of significant progress, UN Security-General Kofi Annan has warned.
Speaking at a meeting of UN officials in New York, Mr Annan said that progress in combating the spread of HIV and AIDS had been “significant but insufficient” and said that more money and leadership was required to help halt the spread of the disease.
The Secretary-General made his comments at the General Assembly’s review of efforts to achieve the goals laid out at a special session of HIV/AIDS in 2001. At the meeting, there were calls for the rapid expansion of HIV prevention, care, treatment and impact alleviation by 2005.
However, at the meeting, Mr Annan said that only 12% of those in need of antiretroviral therapies in low and middle-income countries were receiving them. He said: “The response has succeeded in some of the particulars, but it has not matched the epidemic in scale.”
The meeting was also attended by Assembly President Jean Ping of Gabon, who warned that if urgent action was not taken between now and 2006, 11 sub-Saharan African countries faced the potential loss of more than one-tenth of their work force due to the spread of the disease.
However, the Secretary-General said that some prevention programmes were succeeding in Brazil, Cambodia and Thailand, while others were making progress in the Bahamas, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia and elsewhere. Mr Annan said that these successes must be built on, but said that they would require increased resources, better planning, more vocal leadership and “real investment” in the empowerment of women and girls.
The Secretary-General concluded: “The fight against AIDS may be the great challenge of our age. Only if we meet this challenge can we succeed in our other efforts to build a humane, healthy and equitable world.”
(KMcA/SP)
Speaking at a meeting of UN officials in New York, Mr Annan said that progress in combating the spread of HIV and AIDS had been “significant but insufficient” and said that more money and leadership was required to help halt the spread of the disease.
The Secretary-General made his comments at the General Assembly’s review of efforts to achieve the goals laid out at a special session of HIV/AIDS in 2001. At the meeting, there were calls for the rapid expansion of HIV prevention, care, treatment and impact alleviation by 2005.
However, at the meeting, Mr Annan said that only 12% of those in need of antiretroviral therapies in low and middle-income countries were receiving them. He said: “The response has succeeded in some of the particulars, but it has not matched the epidemic in scale.”
The meeting was also attended by Assembly President Jean Ping of Gabon, who warned that if urgent action was not taken between now and 2006, 11 sub-Saharan African countries faced the potential loss of more than one-tenth of their work force due to the spread of the disease.
However, the Secretary-General said that some prevention programmes were succeeding in Brazil, Cambodia and Thailand, while others were making progress in the Bahamas, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia and elsewhere. Mr Annan said that these successes must be built on, but said that they would require increased resources, better planning, more vocal leadership and “real investment” in the empowerment of women and girls.
The Secretary-General concluded: “The fight against AIDS may be the great challenge of our age. Only if we meet this challenge can we succeed in our other efforts to build a humane, healthy and equitable world.”
(KMcA/SP)
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