Closing remarks by the Minister of Health, 21st International Aids Conference
Co-chairs of the 21st International AIDS Conference,
The Incoming President of the International AIDS Society, Prof Linda-Gail Bekker,
Distinguished delegates!
Good afternoon.
On behalf of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who sends his sincere regrets that matters of state have detained him, I wish to firstly thank every single delegate and presenter, your presence and contributions have ensured that this conference was both a huge success and another pivot in our response to the HIV and TB epidemics.
I am sure that you will all join me in thanking our hosts, the IAS, the conference co-chairs Prof Beyrer and Prof Shisana and their team for a wonderfully well-organized conference. Durban, South Africa and the world will remember your contributions towards ending AIDS by 2030!
The success of this conference is illustrated by the participation of civil society, people living with HIV+, key populations, scientists, and policy makers. It is clear that without strong civil society participation we will not win the battle against HIV and TB!
We have heard from the rapporteurs they key take home messages from AIDS2016. Amongst these are the following:
- Sustainable financing
Although significant progress has been made, there is so much more to do to fast track our response. Countries will require resources to scale up, introduce new technologies and expand services. This is not the time to decrease or withdraw funding from countries that need it most. To ensure that nobody is left behind, we must advocate for resources, a fully funded Global Fund is critical. Our response to the twin epidemics of HIV and TB must be front loaded.
- Meeting the UN High Level Meeting Targets
We must work much harder to reach the targets that were adopted during the UN High Level meeting in New York in June. The targets are ambitious, but with determination, resolve, greater efficiency and additional resources we can and must reach them.
- Leaving no one behind
Expanding access to the most vulnerable and marginalized populations is central to our goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We must continue to advocate, agitate and convince governments to understand that this. Our understanding of leaving no one behind means there must be no exclusion. Race, gender, social status, sexual orientation, age and any other criteria cannot be used to exclude anyone.
We cannot talk about ending AIDS if we continue to exclude others for whatever reason. In South Africa, our Constitution enjoins us to respect the rights of all. We will continue to uphold this principle and urge others to do the same.
It is quite disturbing that we have to keep repeating this because the preamble of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals pledges that “no one will be left behind”. In addition, the SDGs consistently refer to “all” meaning that nobody must be left behind.
All Member States have adopted these and therefore we must all be guided by the principles which underpin the SDGs.
- Reaching children, adolescents and men
It is clear from the deliberations at this conference that we must do more to reach children, adolescents and men. In hind-sight the 15 year programme of the MDGs did not pay specific attention to adolescents and yet this is the most vulnerable time in human development. We must correct this as we embark on the next phase by putting adolescents and young people at the centre of the response. With respect to HIV, we need to strengthen the management of transition from paediatric care, to adolescent health services. The continuum of care must follow a life-cycle approach.
Adolescents and young women continue to bear the brunt of the epidemic. New HIV infections in the 15-24yr age group remain unacceptably high. We have to design multi-sectoral prorammes that address the needs of young women.
We must confront the fact that men are considered to be “vectors” in HIV transmission; therefore we cannot leave them out of our programmes. We must find innovative ways to reach men. Men must be supported to define their needs, so that we structure programmes that are responsive to these needs. Men need to see themselves as part of the solution.
- Strengthening the management of TB/HIV co-infection
We need to strengthen the management of TB/HIV co-infection especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the words of our icon Madiba:” we can’t fight AIDS unless we do much more to fight TB as well.” These two diseases are two sides of the same coin.
In this regard, I would like to congratulate the Global TB Caucus of Parliamentarians, an international network of Members of Parliament with support from 100 countries seeking to contribute to ending the global TB epidemic. The African Chapter of the Global Caucus was launched during the TB Conference, convened over the weekend. I would like to also congratulate the organizers for convening the TB Conference just ahead of this AIDS Conference. This will help to bring the communities together.
Ladies and gentlemen, to achieve the ambitious targets we have adopted, we cannot afford to be complacent.
There can be no end to this epidemic if we are complacent. Say NO to complacency!!
On behalf of the people and government of the Republic of South Africa I wish to thank you for coming to Durban. I wish every delegate well as you travel back home and hope that AIDS2016 will help us individually and collectively to fast track the response to the AIDS epidemic.
I thank you!
