COMBATING THE HIV/AIDS SCOURGE

At The United Nations Special Session On HIV/AIDS

New York. 25 June, 2001

Mr President, two months ago, Nigeria hosted the African Summit on HIV/AIDS. Tuberculosis and other related Infectious Diseases. It was a unique gathering of African leaders who resolved to consolidate the foundations for prevention and control of the scourge of HIV/AIDS through a multi-sectoral strategy with the active collaboration of all stakeholders. Our decision was based on an appreciation of the grave danger that face African people unless the spread of HIV/AIDS is arrested, and its raging effects mitigated. It is for this reason that Nigeria welcomes the convening of this global extra-ordinary health emergency meeting.

Mr President, millions are already infected with the HIV virus. These people referred to as people living with HIV require primary attention. This special session must therefore consider and adopt a comprehensive approach to the epidemic that will put treatment for the 36 million infected persons on the same pedestal as the need for preventive action for those uninfected.

We acknowledge that this calls for the mobilization of huge resources. But we must recognise as well that the people living with HIV/AIDS in our various countries can no longer wait for medicines to improve their health, and extend their lives. We must be wiling, here and now, to take decisions that will spare them the agony of living with fear of certain death. We must be willing to take decisions that will save them as part of humanity, and take those measures that will assist countries in overcoming all barriers to access to anti-retroviral drugs and treatment.

Mr President, Nigeria welcomes the recent breakthrough in accessing generic drugs for the treatment of AIDS. We consider it a victory for humanity. Similarly the recent actions by some major pharmaceutical companies to provide their products on a non-profit basis is salutary. It is our hope that this marks the beginning of a true and enduring partnership in which compassion translates into effective actions that would lead ultimately to defeating this deadly disease. We call on other companies to follow this worthy path so that collectively, we can give hope to the millions of HIV positive poor people in the developing countries.

Mr President, with a population of over 120 million people, and current HIV prevalence rate of 5.4 per cent among the sexually active population, Nigeria has crossed the threshold of an epidemic. If infection rates should rise precipitously, as it did in Southern Africa, Nigeria could easily become home to the world's largest population living with AIDS. It was partly for this reason that Nigeria hosted an African Summit on HIV/AIDS on behalf of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) at Abuja, Nigeria from 24 -27 April 2001. That summit produced a DECLARATION ON HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND OTHER RELATED INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND A FRAMEWORK PLAN OF ACTION for implementation of the Declaration. For now, we are happy to record as a complement to preventive measures, the beginning of a pilot project for anti-retroviral treatment of 10,000 AIDS sufferers HIV positive persons, as well as intervention to arrest mother to - child transmission of the virus, using generic drugs imported at greatly reduced prices.

Mr President, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has been compounded by the harsh economic realities in Africa. Africans are vulnerable to the disease because they are poor, undernourished and largely uninformed about basic precautions. This vulnerability is clearly the result of economic underdevelopment. Consequently the ultimate cure is therefore, economic development.

Mr President, the debt burden is increasingly making it impossible to meet the expectation of providing basic social services to our people. With many African countries spending up 40% of their national budgets on debt servicing, it is no longer secret that for every dollar given in development assistance to an African country, an estimated $4 go back to the rich countries in debt service payments. This is the reality confronting us today in our part of the world. It is a reality that this special session in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic must be bold to address and redress.

Mr President, if we are to be true partners in development in our rapidly globalising world then the principal impediments to development should be removed. The debt issue should therefore be addressed in a comprehensive manner that frees our resources to enable us fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS, as well as meet our social obligations to our people. We reiterate that such a solution should include debt cancellation for countries facing huge debt burdens as well as an end to imposed conditionalities that hurt their economies.

Mr President, we, in Africa, have decided to take up the challenge of this pandemic and confront it decisively. That was the reason why, against all the economic odds, including the debt overhang, we took the unprecedented decision, last April in Abuja, for the first time to allocate 15% of our annual budgets to the health sector. We also resolved to make available the necessary and adequate resources for the development of a comprehensive multi-sectoral response under which National Commissions/Councils would be set up by member States in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We also undertook to use tax exemptions and other incentives to reduce the price of drugs, as well as remove tariffs and other economic barriers which currently prevent funds from reaching those involved in the fight against AIDS.

Mr President, we know that leadership is essential in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It is in recognition of this all-important fact that I have personally taken the lead to raise awareness in Nigeria for the fight against HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We also recognize that our health infrastructure will have to be rehabilitated to deal with the care/treatment component of our HIV/AIDS containment strategy and have in earnest commenced the rehabilitation of our health facilities.

Mr. President, we are fully committed to addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the Nigerian Government has put in place multi-sectoral strategies which include education and training, information dissemination in our schools and the work place; to complement our efforts in stopping mother - to -child transmission of the virus and care/treatment of infected persons. In these efforts, we remain committed to working together with all stakeholders.

Our measures do recognize the crucial need to involve the local communities in this fight. These include support for young people to enable them change their behaviour and protect themselves and plans are afoot to launch an effective "Youth Army" against HIV/AIDS. We have also mainstreamed people already living with AIDS in our policies and programmes and the benefits of working with them are beginning to show.

Mr. President, before I conclude, permit me to convey the gratitude of my government to all those who have committed themselves to the fight against AIDS. Our special gratitude goes to the United Nations Secretary-General, who has taken the fight as his personal priority and has put in a tremendous amount of energy and time in this endeavour. We commend his thoughtful proposal for the creation of a Global Fund dedicated to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. We pledged in Abuja Plan of Action to contribute to this Global Fund, and we urge this august body to graciously support the establishment of this fund on an urgent basis to finance an expanded and intense response to the epidemic. Our gratitude also goes especially to President George W. Bush for kick-starting the Fund with a contribution of two hundred million US dollars ($200m) in May, when I visited the White House with the Secretary General. We expect other countries to follow the example of the United States of America. African nations shall surely contribute to this Global Fund. I have consulted with some of my brother Heads of State and in spite of all economic difficulties including foreign debt overhang, Nigeria will make a contribution of 1.2 billion naira to this Fund.

Finally Mr. President, more people have died last year from this disease than in any previous year. Unless we act decisively and urgently, these figures will multiply. And our pledge in the Millennium Declaration to halt and reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015 will be a mirage, unless we act resolutely and now.

I thank you.