Malawi’s election into the UNAIDS Board, ‘Programme Coordinating Board (PCB)’ gives hope to UNAIDS that more countries will learn best practices in HIV fight, as the country becomes a global role model for number of achievements in its HIV response programme.
Ms Jan Beagle, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, made the observation on Tuesday morning, when meeting President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
She expressed optimism that looking at number of considerable achievements the country is registering including pioneering works on putting pregnant and lactating women on Antiretroviral treatment and significant attainment in reduction of HIV/AIDS related death, UNAIDS has confidence that being in the Board, Malawi will share its success and help other countries to accelerate their HIV response.
“The election of Malawi into the UNAIDS Board come at a very opportune time” said Ms Beagle
“At UNAIDS, we are certain that through the Board, Malawi will be a very good example to other countries in HIV response because these achievements are not only significant to Malawi but also are the signal to other countries.
Many countries are now following Malawi, after you became the first country to adopt the Option B plus and you have achieved 67 percent decline in Mother-to-Child infections which is a highest decline achieved for all the 22 high priority countries in the world.” Explains Ms Beagle
She also promised UNAIDS commitment to provide every possible support to ensure that Malawi’s tenure is strong and leaves an indelible mark in the global HIV and AIDS response.
In his remarks, President Peter Mutharika welcomed Malawi’s election to the Board of UNAIDS, calling it “a testament, not only of our close collaboration but also, of international recognition of Malawi’s successes in the HIV and AIDS response.”
Mutharika then assured the Deputy Executive Director that Malawi is ready and willing to offer its expertise to the global community on accelerating HIV response in order to obtain desired results.
He said “I am happy to inform you that Ambassador Designate Robert Salama will be reporting to our newly established Mission in Geneva. Through him, I am confident that we shall offer the much needed leadership to the global health community and the UNAIDS Board in particular.”
Malawi leader also reaffirmed his commitment to end HIV by the year, 2030 and promised UNAIDS to count on his Government in pushing for a strong political declaration on UNAIDS’s new global strategy for the period 2016 to 2021.
“Together with World leaders, we unanimously called for the end of AIDS and embedded this commitment in the Sustainable Development Agenda. I am fully aware that, if we do not fast track, we risk reversing the gains that we have made. I can assure you that this will not happen under my leadership, and that I am personally committed to putting this country on a strong path to end AIDS by 2030.”
Malawi was elected into the Board by acclamation alongside China, Ecuador, Ghana, Japan and the Russian Federation for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2016 and expiring on 31 December 2018.
Its election affirms international admiration and respect for Malawi’s HIV programme, in particular, its pioneering work on putting HIV positive pregnant and lactating women on life-long ARV to prevent infections among children and to keep mothers alive. Notably, the programme in Malawi has achieved the highest decline (67%) of new HIV infections in babies amongst the 22 high burden countries globally.
Following Malawi's election into the Board, UNAIDS noted in a statement that Malawi has the opportunity to further show-case its programmes but more importantly, to shape global discourse in a post 2015 era in which global leaders have committed to ending AIDS by 2030.
Ms. Beagle is in Malawi for an important visit pertaining to the HIV and AIDS response and is expected to hold number of meetings with various stakeholders in the HIV/AIDS response including the Civil Society.
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