AU elects JB to champion Sadc health initiatives
African heads of State at the AU Summit in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on Sunday elected President Joyce Banda to champion HIV, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) in southern Africa.
Banda, who was last week named the 47th most powerful woman in the world and most powerful woman in Africa, announced the news on her Facebook page.
“I accept this appointment which has been endorsed by the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, with honour because time has come for us to work together and mobilise resources to promote people’s access to health,” she said.
“This is recognition by fellow heads of States and the United Nations of my government’s commitment to improve health and reduce maternal mortality rates in Malawi.”
Her election follows a meeting by the heads of States and 50 other global leaders who reviewed progress towards the implementation of transformative reforms in the Aids, TB and malaria fight.
The President’s other task would be to mobilise resources and offer political will to reduce the number of malaria deaths in the region, which hovers around 300 000 per year.
“As leaders committed to a healthy continent, we must redouble our efforts to ensure universal access to HIV, TB and malaria services in order to attain zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero Aids-related deaths, as well as the elimination of TB and malaria,” said Haile Mariam Desalegne, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, who is also the chair of the African Union and Aids Watch Africa.
African Commission chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said adopting new health financing measures will demonstrate Africa’s strong political commitment to the health and development of its people.
UNAids executive director Michel Sidibé said: “African leadership is the elusive magic bullet that has irrevocably changed the course of the three diseases and now can do even more.
“I am confident that African leadership can be the pathfinder to better global health.”
The Sadc region remains the most affected by the HIV epidemic.
According to the UNAids 2010 Global Report, out of the people living with HIV worldwide in 2009, 34 percent resided in 10 Sadc countries.
