Press Release

New Presidential Leadership Emerging in Africa's Fight Against HIV/AIDS

NAIROBI, 22 November 2005.   As political observers know, presidential words are the best signposts for the direction of national policies and actions. Which is why the strong signals coming from some of Africa's leaders are likely to attract welcome attention and vitally needed funds in the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

At separate national events launching the new partnership campaign for children affected by HIV/AIDS, the Presidents of Burundi, Mozambique and Rwanda riveted the attention of large crowds in each of their countries recently, pledging actions to halt the spread of the disease and care for those affected.

Describing HIV/AIDS as a question of life or death, of dreams and hope, Armando Guebuza, President of Mozambique, called for mobilization of "all Mozambican hearts, all wills and all sectors of national life." He spoke at the packed event at Independence Plaza in Maputo earlier this month.

HIV/AIDS affects on average over 16 per cent of the population of Mozambique, with more women than men affected. The President was joined at the event by the First Lady of Mozambique, Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza, who is a key partner in the country's mobilization against HIV/AIDS and the patroness in Mozambique of the partnership campaign, Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS.

In other evidence of the growing political coalition around HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, the National AIDS council, chaired by Prime Minister Luisa Diogo, met last week to discuss the scale up of the children and AIDS campaign. A large number of Ministers, heads of UN agencies, bilateral donors and representatives of the civil society also were present. And Virgilia Matabele, Minister of Women and Social Action, recently praised the step forward the country's Ministry of Education and Culture has taken in introducing information on HIV prevention into the primary school curriculum.

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza pledged his Government would be active in "ensuring access to antiretroviral drugs for children" and also in the implementation of the National Policy for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children when he kicked off the campaign in Bujumbura in late October. President Nkurunziza has already gained fame and won hearts in his nation, recovering from the wounds of war, with his inaugural commitment this past September of free primary education for Burundi's children.

In Burundi, antiretroviral treatment is already free for those affected, including children. The President is now committed to addressing some of the problems that hinder children's access to treatment in particular, including lack of transport to treatment centres and medical personnel shortages. The First Lady of Burundi, a member of the influential Organization of First ladies of Africa, was at the President's side during the campaign launch in Bujumbura. The Organization has made HIV/AIDS a focus of its work.

The improvements that only high-level political leadership can effect are vital in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, where multiple problems and issues call for well-coordinated strategies, particularly if the situation for children and women is to change. The new campaign is calling attention to the fact that in most countries fewer than 5 per cent of children in need of antiretrovirals have access to them and an even smaller percentage of children receive the cheap antibiotic that can treat the common infections that kill so many children infected with HIV.

Sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of the pandemic, with over 25 million adults and children living with AIDS. Eighty-five percent of all children living with AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa, as do more than 12 million of the 15 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS.

When looking for good news about the situation in Africa, Rwanda inevitably comes up. President Paul Kagame, launching the partnership campaign in Kigali, emphasized concerted action and partnerships against HIV. Proof of progress isn't hard to find in Rwanda's industrious atmosphere, where partnerships are thriving and funding is already  arriving and ushering in change.

Access to antiretrovirals for children has soared in Rwanda, with an estimated 1,000 children now receiving them, up from 300 only months ago. About 13 per cent of children in need of retrovirals receive them. Families in Rwanda affected by HIV are also finding help through a package of services for parents living with HIV and their children.

Credit for the country's coordinated approach goes also to the leadership of Rwanda's First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, who chairs the Organization of First Ladies of Africa. The high-level group is working towards the goal of "No New Infections Among the Youth of Africa."

For more information, please contact:

Catherine Mbengue and Olalekan Ajia in UNICEF Bujumbura [+257 226888,
+257 228334]
Leila Pakkala (+258-82-305 1900) and Gabriel Pereira (+258-82-316 5390) in UNICEF Maputo
Bintou Keita and Jane Muita in UNICEF Kigali [+250 57 3033, +250 57 3209]
Patricia Lone and Beatrice Karanja, UNICEF Regional Office Nairobi, 254 20 622214