Statement by Minister Jeff Radebe, Chair of the South African Inter-Ministerial Committee for the AIDS 2016 21st International Aids Conference
On behalf of the South African Government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) tasked by the President with organising AIDS 2016 in partnership with the International AIDS Society, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to members of the media and other observers who have joined us here today.
If South Africa were a sports team today, we would be pacing up and down the tunnel under the stadium, eager to move onto the field of play.
It is a very special moment to be just hours away from the official opening of the 21st International AIDS Conference, which South Africa is honoured to host for a second time, the first being in the year 2000.
On behalf of President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who chairs the South African National AIDS Council, we are now able to welcome warmly thousands of delegates from around the world, including from our home continent of Africa and our country.
You are very welcome in the City of eThekwini or Durban – a place with a warm heart and a very mild winter! Welcome indeed.
We are excited at the prospect of a rainbow of humanity from all over the globe gathering in South Africa at a time when we observe – with acts of kindness and charity – International Nelson Mandela Day.
This diversity of people from all walks of life and backgrounds is especially inspiring at a time when many countries from which delegates to AIDS 2016 have travelled face terror or insecurity of varying intensity.
It is with such developments in mind that South African authorities have gone to great lengths – as we always do with events of this nature and on this scale – to ensure that delegates and our own citizens will be safe during this Conference.
Working with the International AIDS Society and other partners globally, the South African government has taken all necessary steps in the organisation of this Conference to prepare the stage for an international discussion where we hope the world will make history in further pushing back the frontiers of HIV, AIDS and TB.
We look forward to AIDS 2016 as the platform from which governments, civil society, the scientific community, business and social partners at large will jointly secure the Access, Equity and Rights that continue to elude millions of people infected or affected by HIV, AIDS and TB.
When the curtain comes down on AIDS 2016 at the end of these five days, and a result of the implementation of the extensive scientific knowledge and expertise that will be shared, the collaborations that will be established, and the friendships that will be formed, the world must be a better place as a result of our deliberations in Durban.
South Africa wishes to express its sincerest appreciation to the International AIDS Society for enabling this return to Durban after the conference of the year 2000. The year 2000 was a time at which South Africa’s HIV response was incomparable to the progress we have made in recent years and which we will proudly showcase at AIDS 2016.
We also appreciate the readiness with which global leaders and flag-bearers in the fight against HIV, AIDS and TB have made the trip to Durban to share their vision, experience and solutions with us, and, like all great leaders, to learn more from others.
Among the dignitaries who will add to the impact of this conference are United Nations Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki Moon; Prince Harry; Ms Charlize Theron and Mr Elton John; all of whom are globally renowned for their activist leadership in this cause.
Very crucially, we welcome and appreciate the high level of participation in this Conference by civil society globally, without whose campaigning, lobbying and active service to communities the progress we have made would not be possible.
We thank all delegates for the time and resources they have spent to visit South Africa and to be part of a critical global reflection on where we are in fighting the HIV epidemic; but also to be part of a global recommitment to advocacy and progress in this area.
We thank the people of Durban and South Africa at large for opening their hearts and homes once again to large numbers of international visitors and we look forward to them sharing our trademark hospitality and friendliness with delegates.
We are particularly excited at the prospect of hosting the most inclusive International AIDS Conference in history, given the extensive opportunities the International AIDS Society and other global partners have made available to civil society participants.
In addition, the Global Village is an easily accessible platform that will allow free participation in Conference proceedings to great numbers of people. It will also be one of most engaging and innovative spaces, thanks to the diversity of programmes, organisations and people concentrated there.
We thank the media for joining us today, throughout the conference and hopefully perpetually into the future to increase the understanding of global society of the challenges we face in this epidemic and the beams of hope that are emerging all over the world.
We thank you for your interest, your column space, your terabytes of information and airtime in broadcasting.
We also wish to highlight the fact that South Africa’s security agencies have adopted a security approach aimed at establishing uncompromising security measures; limiting the impact of any incidents occurring through contingency planning, and limiting the probability of incidents occurring before, during and after the event, to ensure the safety of everyone, local and international participants.
Authorities will maintain a high visibility of police officers on foot and vehicle patrols throughout this event. The presence of law enforcement officials for the duration of this conference will serve to enhance day-to-day safety and security in all the identified areas.
Given some unsettling developments globally, AIDS 2016 is indeed a beacon of hope for the world: a gathering that proves that we can work together – across geography, nationality, class and race – to confront challenges that affect all people on our planet.
We wish all delegates a productive and rewarding Conference that will hopefully reinvigorate in all of us the will and commitment to achieve an HIV-free generation globally without leaving anyone behind.
It is our belief that Durban will indeed inspire new possibilities in the global HIV response.
We will continue to engage with the media on a continuous basis throughout the conference.
You are most welcome.
I thank you.
Enquiries:
Nebo Legoabe
Cell: 082 453 2874
