Global Aids Week 2008 Begins

All Africa

May 20, 2008

Liberia

A candle-light walk and memorial service on Sunday led the Liberian segment of the Global Aids Week 2008. The walk began concurrently from the Catholic Hospital and Nigeria House intersections on Tubman Boulevard and move to the SOS Clinic, opposite Sophie's, where the service was held.

The coordinator of the activities, ActionAid HIV/Focal Person Elizabeth Dato-Gbah in a release said the week of activities will also involve people living with and affected by AIDS participating in a two-day widespread community outreach activity, which will help spread messages about the effects of HIV/AIDS in our community, and lay the basis for enhanced public information.

According to the release, the outreach will cover high-risk communities, including Slipway, West Point and central Monrovia area.

The week is also expected to include a round table involving government officials and representatives of NGOs and development organizations and the community at large; as well as a parade, where a statement of concern will be presented to members of the Liberian legislature.

The week is meant to focus on the severe impact of the AIDS pandemic on families, communities and economies the world over.

Activities in Liberia will seek to fight off stigma and discrimination, and garner government's commitment to providing access to medication and support for people living with AIDS.

At present, AIDS continues to kill almost 6000 people each day and more than 2 out of 3 HIV positive people still lack access to treatment.

While women make up an increasing proportion of those living with HIV and bear a greater burden of care, current AIDS responses do not tackle the violation of women's rights - a key driver of the pandemic.

For the past two years during the Global AIDS Week of Action, activists have organized actions in over 30 countries to hold world leaders accountable on their landmark commitment to fight AIDS made at the United National General Assembly Special Session on AIDS (UNGASS) in 2001.

In 2005 world leaders made another historic promise on universal access, committing to: "developing and implementing a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of coming as close as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010."

According to ActionAid, "The world needs to honor this ambitious promise to stop the needless deaths of women, men and children. Our governments must meet their national targets for universal access to treatment prevention, care and support. Multinational drug companies must stop putting profits before people. Rich nations, including the G8, must back their warm words on AIDS with real funds."

"The Global AIDS Week of Action is the defining mobilization moment before world leaders report back to the UN on the progress they have made to meet their commitments on HIV and AIDS."

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