More than 100 Leaders Expected to Sign Document at Major Summit on AIDS in Africa
When former South African president Nelson Mandela closed the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa last July, he urged attendees to rise above their differences so more peoples' lives could be saved through collaborative efforts. The appeal was urgent, especially for those living in Africa. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, more than 33 million people are infected with HIV or AIDS, and 24 million of those live in Africa. Life expectancies are predicted to decrease to age 35 in some of the hardest hit countries, leaving millions of children orphaned.
In the past, joint efforts to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa have not always benefited Africans, and collaborations between developed and developing countries have sometimes been strained or disintegrated altogether.
Now, representatives of the Harvard AIDS Institute and others have taken a major step towards defining and supporting the relationships among developed and African countries. At the invitation of the institute, more than 100 African and US leaders will gather in Cambridge on Tuesday, November 14 to sign a landmark document called "Principles of Collaboration when Confronting AIDS in Africa."
The document stresses that African priorities and leadership must be paramount in joint African-US efforts and that partnerships must benefit the health of people within each African country.
"Principles of Collaboration" also calls for the creation of sustainable means to combat the epidemic through long-term commitment by both US and African leaders.
The document is based on principles developed by the Harvard AIDS Institute in 1985 when representatives started doing work in Senegal, said Richard Marlink, executive director of the Harvard AIDS Institute. Since then, similar principles have been used by the institute in Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa.
"We're guests in their countries," said Marlink. "It shouldn't be our priorities and agendas."
The signing of the document is part of a three-day summit from November 12 to 14 called "Africa Now! A Leadership Summit to Define African Priorities for AIDS." Expected attendees include Festus Mogae, president of Botswana; Hage Geingob, prime minister of Namibia; and Sandy Thurman, US AIDS policy director.
The summit is the first of its kind on US soil. Marlink stressed that attendees will discuss more than research issues in an attempt to approach the AIDS crisis from many angles. He said that economic recovery, education, and health care infrastructure are all subjects that affect the epidemic and will be addressed at the summit.
In addition to signing "Principles of Collaboration," the summit's attendees hope to compare US efforts dealing with AIDS in Africa to the priorities of Africans themselves and to map out a plan to address the epidemic.
For more information, visit http://aids.harvard.edu/africanow.
Please note that attendance is by invitation only.
