832 (XXXIII) HIV/AIDS in Africa

 

The Conference of Ministers,

          Recalling the declaration and decision of the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity in Dakar in 1992, in Tunis in 1994 and Ouagadougou in 1998 committing themselves to take specific actions to prevent the transmission of HIV in their respective countries,

          Taking note of the fact that in 1998 alone, nearly 4 million persons in Africa were newly infected with HIV, over 22 million Africans are living with HIV, that millions of others are affected indirectly, economically and socially by the virus, and that in 1998, 1.5 million African adults died of HIV/AIDS.

          Deeply concerned with the devastating impact the AIDS pandemic is having on Africa's socio-economic development prospects;

  1. Appreciates the initiatives of the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa to have this major issue on the Agenda of the present Conference;

  2. Requests the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa to work closely with UNAIDS and co-sponsors and any other institutions to gather, analyses and disseminate data on the economic impact of HIV to facilitate policy development and programme planning;

  3. Calls upon member States to increase their efforts in the fight against AIDS and to prevent transmission by making available adequate resources and involving all concerned sectors of the economy and all interested partners, governmental and non-governmental organizations;

  4. Further calls upon member States to be even more open, and intensify their efforts in educating the general public about HIV/AIDS pandemic.