Closing remarks by His Excellency, Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda, First President of Zambia, at the Interactive Session of the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA).

Venue: Casablanca, Morocco

Date: April 23 2005

Mr. Chairman;
Your Excellency Dr. Pascal Mocumbi, former Prime Minister of Mozambique and co-patron of the Commission;
Hon. Minister of Health of Ethiopia Dr. Kebede Tadesse,
Distinguished Commissioners,
Representatives of various UN agencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

This day marks an important mile stone in the work of the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA). The five regional interactive sessions we have held since our inaugural meeting in, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in September 2003 have, without a doubt, served a useful purpose. Indeed, they have enabled the Commission to consult widely with people from all walks of life including experts, representatives of international organisations, Governments, churches, activists and some organisations of people living with HIV/AIDS. We have therefore brought to the table many stakeholders who have made important contributions to our work.

Mr. Chairman, the Commission’s work is of critical importance to the people of Africa, the region with the highest rate of HIV infections and deaths in the world. In the wake of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we need to take bold and decisive decisions today in the interest of our succeeding generations. Indeed, what we do or not do today will in one way or another, affect the people of Africa for decades to come.

It is with this view in mind that I wish to once again thank the distinguished Secretary General of the Unites Nations, His Excellency Kofi Annan, for his important decision to establish this Commission. A Commission, whose recommendations may have far reaching implications on humanity for many years to come.

The Commission has worked tirelessly under the able and wise leadership of a distinguished son of Africa, K.Y. Amoako, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission of Africa (ECA). I wish to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to him for the excellent manner he has guided our deliberations. K.Y., we are indeed thankful to you.

Similarly, I want to extend similar sentiments to my fellow patron, His Excellency, Dr. Pascal Mocumbi, for the wise counsel he has provided to the Commission. The Commission has benefited immensely from his valuable experience as Prime Minister of Mozambique. We owe him a great debt of gratitude.

The members of the Secretariat have served the Commission diligently under the leadership of Dr. Nana Poku. I want to express our deep sense of appreciation to all of them for their invaluable service to the people of Africa. Please, fellow participants, let us give these dedicated men and women a resounding round of applause.

The Commission has carried out its mandate to examine the AIDS epidemic in all its aspects and the likely future implications. The Commission will soon be making its recommendations to the Secretary General of the Unites Nations later in the year. This is the first phase of our work.

The second one is to interact with ministers, Governments and our other key constituencies regarding the implementation of our recommendations. At Government level we need to sensitise our leaders to be actively involved in the fight against the AIDS pandemic. We must take this message to our regional organisations and the African Union in order to influence the decision-makers at country, regional and continental levels.

The third phase should be the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to gauge progress. This is necessary so that we remain focussed on achieving the desired goal.

Mr. Chairman, the work of this Commission will be meaningless unless our recommendations are implemented by Governments and other stakeholders. We should therefore, in our different capacities, even after the mandate of this Commission, continue to serve as activists so that there is no loss of momentum in the global efforts to reverse the spread of the AIDS pandemic.

Let our recommendations help to inspire our leaders to do more than they have done in this campaign. Let our recommendations serve as a call to action for all our leaders at different levels to be involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

I thank you for your attention.

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