Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 11/18/2004

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - AFRICA: Leaders appeal for continued fight against AIDS, malaria and

TB

2 - ETHIOPIA: Musicians join politicians to fight HIV/AIDS

1 - AFRICA: Leaders appeal for continued fight against AIDS, malaria and

TB

ARUSHA, 18 November (PLUSNEWS) - Three African heads of state appealed to

rich countries on Wednesday to continue funding the Global Fund to fight

HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

" I am convinced that working together we can roll back HIV/AIDS and

malaria and we can roll back tuberculosis, but we must now shift

resolutely from talk to action, " Mkapa, the Tanzanian president,

told the plenary session of the Global Fund meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Global Fund is a public-private partnership dedicated to attracting

and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS,

tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil

society, the private sector and affected communities represents a new

approach to international health financing.

Presidents Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda also

attended the plenary session. UN Secretary-General Kofi n pulled out

at the last minute because of a previous commitment to attend the UN

Security Council meeting being held in Nairobi, Kenya, but was represented

by the executive director of UNAIDS, Piot.

Mkapa said the Global Fund Board was expected to decide on whether or not

to launch the fifth funding round.

" I earnestly appeal to all donor governments, international organizations

and private donors to make a genuine effort, and show practical support to

Africa by raising the resources necessary to fund existing grants and

launch new funding rounds, " Mkapa said.

" ly speaking, meeting for the first time in Africa and not deciding

to launch a new funding round would be difficult for Africans to

understand. It would send a wrong signal to those struggling with meager

resources to address these alarming and pressing health emergencies, " he

added.

Museveni said he believed firmly in Uganda's model of fighting HIV/AIDS.

" I reaffirm that Uganda's model of ABC [Abstinence, Being faithful and

Condom use] is the correct model to halt the AIDS pandemic, " he said.

He called for continued funding of the Global Fund, saying it had helped

to cut down the three diseases.

Kibaki said Kenya had benefited greatly from the Global Fund and that the

fifth round of funding must be continued to allow Africans to work for the

benefit of their respective countries.

At a news conference, the US Secretary for the Department of Health and

Human Services Tommy said the US was not against the Global

Fund's fifth round of the funding, " but wanted firm financial commitments

from donors " .

He added that the US had been the single largest contributor since the

Fund was launched in 2002.

" This is a war we have to win collectively, " he said.

The board of the Global Fund began a two-day, closed-door meeting on

Thursday. Top on its agenda is the decision of whether or not to call for

a new round of grant applications, which would be submitted for approval

in 2005.

Board members have to balance the need for increased funding for

programmes to fight the three diseases against the Global Fund's current

resource constraints.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has committed US $3.2 billion

to 300 programmes in 130 countries. Of this, $570 million has gone to the

countries of the Lake region in East Africa.

The Global Fund consists of nine members representing donors and 10

members representing countries and organisations eligible as recipients of

the financing. In addition, there are four non-voting members,

representing the UN World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the World Bank and

the Swiss government.

[ENDS]

2 - ETHIOPIA: Musicians join politicians to fight HIV/AIDS

ADDIS ABABA, 18 November (PLUSNEWS) - Top Ethiopian musicians joined

hundreds of politicians on Thursday to launch their own charity song with

inspiration from the United Kingdom’s Band Aid success, organised by famed

musician Bob Geldof.

The artists and 500 parliamentarians performed an anti-AIDS song called

" Find a Solution " , which they hope will help to end stigma in the country.

The idea of the charity song came from the National Coalition for Women

Against HIV/AIDS, a local anti-AIDS charity group headed by prominent

women in the country.

Azeb Mesfin, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s wife and one of the

founding coalition members, said she hoped the song would raise awareness.

She told PlusNews that songs are a traditional African way of informing

communities, and the piece will be sung across the country to warn of the

dangers of HIV/AIDS.

" The song is very important for the mobilisation of the population about

HIV/AIDS, " Azeb said after the launch. " It is especially good for raising

awareness and increasing people’s consciousness about the disease. We hope

that people will be able to sing the song in their communities as they go

about their daily chores to help people discuss HIV/AIDS openly. "

In 1984, Geldof brought together a number of the world’s most famous

artists under the name Band Aid. They recorded a charity song to raise

money for victims of famine in Ethiopia. On Sunday, he was joined by about

40 leading names, like Robbie and Dido, for a fresh version of

1984’s number one hit, " Do They Know it’s Christmas? " , to raise support

for the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Top Ethiopian hip-hop singer Abdu Kiar told PlusNews: " If we have anything

like their success we will be happy. They are an inspiration, but we

Ethiopians must also show what we can do. "

He added: " Often people do not pay attention to politicians so artists and

singers can have a big impact in raising awareness and informing people. "

Among the stars taking part in the anti-AIDS song, which was sung in the

country’s parliament, were Menlik Wosenachew, Alemayhu Eshete, Tamirat

Molla and Nini. The MPs included Minister of Education Genet Zewdie and

the Minister for Information Netsannet Asfaw. The speaker of the house,

Dawit Yohannes, also took part.

More than 6,500 Africans die every day from AIDS, while 8,000 new people

are infected daily, according to UNAIDS. In Ethiopia, 2.2 million people

are infected and the virus has orphaned one million children.

The song, which is in the national tongue Amharic, calls for the country

to " mobilise and battle " against HIV. Haileeyeseus Adamu, from the

National Coalition, said it will be used to raise awareness in the country

rather than being sold to raise funds like the Band Aid song did. It will

be played on state television and radio.

[ENDS]

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