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AIDS activists named newsmakers for 2003

    JOHANNESBURG

    South African AIDS lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and its director, Zackie Achmat, were jointly named newsmakers of the year for 2003 by the country's National Press Club.

    Achmat launched TAC to change the government's controversial HIV/AIDS policies and has achieved a number of successes.

    In a recent statement the Press Club said: "The TAC's use of legal and moral arguments led to South Africa importing cheaper generics of AIDS drugs. This victory raised hope for millions of people living with HIV/AIDS to finally gain access to drugs that could prolong their lives."

    Widely credited for forcing the policy turnaround, TAC and Achmat have also been nominated for the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, while Time Magazine voted Achmat one of 35 "heroes of 2003".

    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

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