New UN Commission on HIV/AIDS launched

The United Nations on Wednesday launched a 20-strong Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA) which aims to tackle the long-term threat of the virus to economic, social and political stability. Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, one of the members of the task force, hailed its creation as a breakthrough. “This virus is having a devastating impact and must be stopped,” he said. Kaunda's own son died as a result of HIV/AIDS over a decade ago. “I made this loss public because that is how we are going to fight this wall of silence that surrounds AIDS and I will continue to do that,” the 78-year-old said. “I feel that loss all the time but there are millions of people who have perished in sub-Saharan Africa and this is a much bigger problem than for just one family.” Some 70 percent of the people living with HIV/AIDS across the world are in Africa. UNAIDS says an estimated 20 million Africans have died as a result of the pandemic, some 29.4 million live with the virus and 25 million children have been orphaned. Average life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa has dropped, because of the virus, from 62 years to 47 years - which was the U.S. life expectancy 100 years ago. The commission, which is the first of its kind, aims to come up with concrete answers on how to stop the continent’s teachers, police officers and political leaders from dying prematurely. It brings together experts from the world of HIV/AIDS as well as key government officials and ministers, and includes one commissioner who is living with the virus. Ugandan-born Milly Katana, who was diagnosed with HIV 13 years ago, said the commission aimed to come up with solutions to the threat the virus poses to society. “Our task is to help governments and other players to map out best practices on what has worked and what could be done to scale up the fight against HIV/AIDS,” she said. “Our social capital in Africa is particularly threatened. A very visible example is the education sector where teachers are dying faster than they can be trained.”