Launch of 2006 as Year of Acceleration of HIV Prevention in the African Region

11 April 2006

WHAT? Launch of 2006 as “Year of Acceleration of HIV Prevention in the African Region ”

WHEN? 11 April 2006

WHERE? African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa Simultaneous launches will take place on the same day in all African countries.

WHO? H.E. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
African Union Commission Chairperson Professor Alpha Oumar Konare
AUC Deputy Chairperson Mr. Patrick Mazimhaka and African Union Commissioners
First Lady of Rwanda and President of the Organization of First Ladies of Africa, Ms Kagame
First Lady of Ethiopia and member of National Coalition of Women Against Aids in Ethiopia, Azeb Mesfin
High-Level Ethiopian Government Officials
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo
WHO / AFRO Director of the Division of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Dr Antoine Kabore
Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UNECA, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh
UNAIDS Director for Country and Regional Support, Michel Sidibe
Berhane Adere, renowned runner and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
Representatives of United Nations Agencies in Addis Ababa
Representatives of People Living With HIV/AIDS, Private Sector, Civil Society and Youth Organizations
The Diplomatic Corps in Addis Ababa.

WHY? The launch aims to create greater awareness of the gravity of the raging HIV epidemic in the African region as well as place and entrench the subject on the agenda of the African media, the governments and people of the region, development partners, other stakeholders, and the global HIV prevention and control community in general.

Facts and figures from UN agencies speak for themselves: 3.2 million or 64% of the five million new infections globally every year occur in Africa, with women and children accounting for nearly half of these. Since the epidemic broke out in the 1980s, 50 million people in Africa have been infected, and 22 million have died; infant mortality, which had fallen by 50% between 1960 and 1990, is on the rise again. Life expectancy in some countries in the region has plummeted to 32 years; overall GDP in one country in the region has dropped to 1%, and agricultural production in another is projected to drop to 24% by 2010. Africa currently has about 12 million AIDS orphans, and this could rise to 19 million by 2010.

NB: A press conference will be organized immediately after the launch at AU, on 11 April 2006 Immediately after the launch