Decision point La Francophonie: No new HIV infections no one denied treatment

In June 2011, world leaders unanimously adopted the UN General Assembly Political Declaration on AIDS that laid out ambitious targets for the global HIV response. They pledged, among other goals, to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV by 50%, end new HIV infections among children and ensure 15 million people have access to HIV treatment by 2015.  While the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) has made considerable progress towards these targets, its member countries are characterized by marked variations in access to treatment and prevention services as well as inadequate funding from both international and domestic sources.

The IOF’s founding mission of active solidarity between francophone member states and governments is a powerful unifying force that can be galvanized to invigorate the AIDS response, foster shared responsibility and direct resources where they are most needed.

For the 29 francophone countries in Africa, the African Union’s Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity—endorsed by African Heads of State and Government in July 2012—has defined the steps needed in health governance, financing and access to medicines to enable countries to build long-term sustainable responses to HIV. Shared responsibility is at the core of the Roadmap, which calls on African governments and development partners to advance national HIV responses together.

Against this backdrop, Decision point La Francophonie: No new HIV infections, no one denied treatment focuses on three key areas of the HIV response in low- and middle-income IOF countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa:

I Scaling up of HIV treatment
II Preventing new HIV infections among children
III Financing the HIV response

To read more, visit: http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspubl...