Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  • News

New UN body to fight HIV/AIDS

    JOHANNESBURG

    UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday said he would establish a high-level commission on HIV/AIDS and governance in Africa.

    Speaking at a Franco-African summit in Paris, Annan said despite progress made by many African leaders to improve public awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS, much more was needed to be done.

    "I urge you to continue speaking about the disease, and to stress the need for safe sex, including the use of condoms," Annan said.

    The secretary-general appealed for "hard-cash commitments" from leaders of the world's richest nations.

    "We will need to rebuild the capacity of the state to provide essential public services," Annan said.

    Annan said 20 million African children will have lost one or both parents to AIDS by 2010.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join