African Union Press release on HIV prevention

March 26, 2006

AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA

P. O. Box 3243

Telephone: 5517 700 Fax : 5517844

Reference : DIR/SAD/ D1a/245/06

The Commission of the African Union presents its compliments to the

Ministries of Foreign Affairs/External Relations of all Member

States and has the honour to inform the latter that in August 2005,

Ministers of Health at the 55th Session of the Regional Committee

for Africa held in Maputo, Mozambique adopted Resolution AFR/RC

55/R6 calling Member States to intensify HIV prevention efforts and

declaring 2006 as the Year for Acceleration of HIV prevention. This

resolution is also in line with the Declaration and Road Map towards

Universal Access adopted by the Second Session of the AU Conference

of Ministers of Health in Gaborone, Botswana in 2005 (Copy of

Declaration is attached).

Furthermore, this is also in the framework of the Brazzaville

Commitment on Scaling up Towards Universal Access to HIV Prevention,

Treatment, Care and Support held in Brazzaville, Congo in March

2006, and the Theme of World Health Day 2006, " Working for Health " .

In response to the adoption of the Resolution, Regional

Directors of UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and WHO

met in November 2005 in Brazzaville and adopted a declaration in

which they committed themselves to support the Resolution of African

Health Ministers, recognizing the need to strengthen and

reinvigorate HIV prevention efforts with a sense of urgency. The

meeting proposed that a regional launch be organized under the

leadership of the African Union to strengthen ownership from Member

States.

In line with the decisions of the Task-Force chaired by AU

and WHO working in collaboration with other UN Agencies, it was

proposed that the main launch takes place in Addis Ababa on the 11th

April 2006 at AU Headquarters. Three locations for possible

simultaneous launches are Dakar (Senegal), Johannesburg (South

Africa) and Khartoum (Sudan) through video conferencing.

In this connection, the Commission of the African Union has

the pleasure to:

1. Propose that national launches be organized at convenient

dates in countries covered by the WHO Regional Office for Africa;

and acceleration of HIV prevention implemented in the context of

universal access in all AU Member States.

2. Invite the Permanent Representatives of all AU Member States

to attend the official launch of the " Year for HIV Prevention " ,

which will take place at the AU Conference Centre, AU Commission,

Addis Ababa at 10:30 – 13:00 hrs. on 11th April 2006.

Further information could be obtained from:

1. Dr. Kamel Esseghairi

Director,

Social Affairs Department

The Commission of the AU

P.O. Box 3243

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Fax: +251-11-5517844/5533616

Tel.: +251-11-5513522/5517700 Ext. 300

Email: EsseghairiK@..., KalimugogoG@africa-

union.org

2. Dr. Ayele Belachew

WCO-NPO-HIV/AIDS

Office of WHO Representative to Ethiopia

P.O. Box 3069

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Fax: +251-11-5514037

Tel.: +251-11-5518873

Email: ayeleb@...

The Commission of the African Union avails itself of this

opportunity to renew to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs/External

Relations of all Member States the assurances of its highest

consideration.

Addis Ababa, 20th March 2006

- Ministries of Foreign Affairs/External Relations

of Member States of the African Union

cc: - Permanent Missions of Member States to the AU

Addis Ababa

- The Ministries of Health of all Member States of the

AU

March 26, 2006