Uganda President

Yoweri Musevenis
Speech on Ending AIDS
as a Public Health
Threat in our Region by
2030

High-level side event of

the 72nd UN General
Assembly
September 21, 2017
Excellencies - Heads of State;

Excellency - Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS;

Excellencies- Heads of UN Agencies;

Excellency Secretary of State United States of America

Distinguished guests- Ladies and Gentlemen

Thank you all for accepting my invitation to attend this meeting

on the important subject of HIV and AIDS. Let me salute my fellow
Heads of State, Leaders of Government Delegations, AU
Representatives from the African Union and other parts of the
World who are here for this meeting.

In a special way, I recognize the presence of Mr. Michel Sidibe, the

Executive Director, UNAIDS, for the global stewardship of UNAIDS.
I also thank the Secretary of State and other partners present here
for the role they have played especially for responding to HIV and
AIDS and for their global vision of ending AIDS by 2030.

Your Excellencies,I have beeninteracting with our experts from

the Ministry of Health, UNAIDS and other health partners about
HIV transmission and prevention. Using lessons from our own
experience in Uganda, we are now convinced that it is possible to
eliminate HIV/AIDS in its totality. As part of this commitment, we
agreed on ambitious global and national Fast Track targets for
ending AIDS. We are in a better position because we now clearly
know its mode of transmission, availability of anti-retroviral
therapy with an improved outcome and advanced research that
has been able to answer most questions. For example, research
has shown that once you are on treatment, there is a reduced
chance of spreading the HIV infection. For this reason, I invited
you to address these challenges that face our countries and find
means of how we can further strengthen our efforts.I shared this
initiative with some African Heads of State at a side meeting during
the African Union on 3rd July 2017 in Addis Ababa.
The HIV prevention message has been rolled out to all government
ministries, departments and agencies including local government
authorities. The message has been tailored to target different
sectors of the community. It was necessary to repackage the
message because it had lost its vigor. The various categories of
leaders are expected to further cascade the dissemination of these
messages to lower levels.

Globally 78 million people have been infected with HIV and that
35 million people have died from AIDS related illnesses since the
start of the epidemic. (Approximately, 36.7 million people are
estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS). Our region, sub-Sahara, is
home to a disproportionate burden of the epidemic with
approximately 25.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
In Uganda, when the NRM came into government in 1986, we
found the country grappling with several political and socio-
economic problems including a new disease- AIDS which was
causing serious sickness and deaths. Affected people like other in
the region, were in denial about AIDS and as a result the response
was that of silence as the disease ravaged and spread in the
population. We immediately started the ABC campaign (Abstain,
Be faithful and use of Condom where applicable). These were
protracted campaigns to sensitize and educate the population
about the disease - how it was transmitted and how it could be
prevented so that our people would take measures to protect
themselves from acquiring the infection. I was at the forefront
educating the masses at every opportunity I got. We engaged
different community, cultural and religious leaders to put AIDS on
the agenda in their every interface with the population.
Progress in Uganda:
Our efforts at different fronts yielded results that reduced the
infection rate from about 30% in early 1990s to 6.4% in 2004.
Thereafter, we got mixed and false messages that AIDS was no
longer a big threat. Subsequently, our people relaxed and the
epidemic raised up again to 7.3% in 2011.

Our renewed and persistent effort to combat the disease has seen
it reduce to 6.0% in the recent survey (2016).

Additionally, in the last 5 years, the number of new HIV infections

in the population have steadily declined in the new born. The
annual number of new HIV infections have declined from 135,000,
in 2010, to approximately 60,000 in 2016.

I am happy to note that we are making good progress in the

programs for elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV.
In 2016, the number of new mother-to-child HIV infections fell to
4,000 from 25,000 in 2010. This represents a decline of 86 percent
during 2010- 2016 which is very commendable. This is, however,
not acceptable and it must be brought further down.

Unchecked AIDS pandemic is not only dangerous to the economy,

of our nations, but also it impacts negatively affects on the labor
force productivity. It is therefore, important that we must focus on
prevention so that our population remains healthy, productive and
subsequently contribute to economic growth of our continent.
The Fast Track Initiative to END AIDS by 2030: Your
Excellencies and Heads of delegations, during the special session
 of the United Nations in June 2016, we committed ourselves to the
global UN commitment of ending AIDS as a public health threat by
2030. As part of this commitment, we agreed on ambitious global
and national Fast Track targets for ending AIDS.
We appreciate the active role of UNAIDS and other partners,
always challenging us to accelerate the AIDS prevention response
and leave none behind. We count on this unique partnership to
fast track the response and achieve the end of AIDS as a public
health threat.

The Presidential Fast Track initiative to END AIDS in Uganda that

I launched in June 2017, focuses on five key aspects;

1. Engage men in HIV prevention to close the tap of infection among

adolescent girls and young women;Accelerate implementation
of test and treat and attainment of the 90-90-90 targets
particularly among men and young people;
1. 2. Consolidate progress in the elimination of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV;
1. 3. Ensure financial sustainability of the HIV response; and
2. 4. Ensure institutional effectiveness for a well-coordinated multi-
sectoral response.
In conclusion, I call on our partners to continue affirming Global
commitment and solidarity. It is time to jointly increase our
commitments and resources to Fast Track the response to have
the epidemic under control. I am confident that working together
with you all, we shall attain this target of AIDS free Africa. It is
possible to END AIDS in our generation". Doing that, requires
commitment from our Government and I urge you to join me in
ensuring that this target is attained.

I thank you.