11/07/2003

Annan discusses AIDS at African Union Summit

Secretary-General Kofi Annan began his final day in Maputo, Mozambique, with a working breakfast hosted by President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, to reviewed the progress to date in the fight against AIDS in Africa and to discuss a work plan for the coming year. Speaking to reporters afterward, the Secretary-General said that the officials gathered for the breakfast had very useful and constructive discussions, not just on AIDS but also on conflict resolution, economic and social development and the empowerment of women.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General visited an AIDS clinic at Matola, on the outskirts of Maputo, run by the Catholic Order of St. Egidio, which has done a remarkable job in dealing with mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The clinic houses some 300 HIV-positive pregnant mothers; but, following treatment with anti-retroviral drugs, only three out of 151 babies born at the clinic have been diagnosed as HIV-positive.

A baby boy was born at the clinic as the visit was taking place, and the Secretary-General met with the mother, telling her that his own name, Kofi, means a boy born on Friday. The mother decided to name the boy Kofi.

The Secretary-General told the workers at the AIDS clinic, This is our fight, and lets all move ahead and win this fight.

AIDS was also the subject of some of the bilateral meetings the Secretary-General held in the margins of the African Union Summit. He saw the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr. Peter Piot, to discuss tighter coordination between the UN and the Global Fund against AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis for the most effective use of the increased funds in the fight against AIDS.

He also met with the Director General of the World Trade Organization, Supachai Panitchpakdi, with whom he discussed efforts by multinational pharmaceutical firms to make AIDS medication available at low cost to developing countries. The Secretary-General emphasized that there should be no slippage in this campaign, and he invited Supachai to join him at a meeting with pharmaceutical executives that he is planning for later this year. Supachai agreed.

The Secretary-General will be departing Mozambique this evening, to return to New York over the weekend.

Asked about the Secretary-Generals travels to Washington on Monday, the Spokesman said it would be a day trip, and that details were still being finalized.