Ambassador Minata Samate Cessouma, the commissioner for political affairs of the AU has launched the Report on HIV, the Law and Human Rights in the African Human Rights System on the margins of the 30th AU Summit held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event was organised by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the UN Aids Programme (UNAIDS) as well as the First Lady of Ethiopia.
The ambassador said that for more than three decades, the world has been battling the HIV pandemic, which is estimated to have claimed a total of 35m lives globally, primarily in Africa. In 2016, there were an estimated 25.7m people living with HIV in Africa, representing nearly 70% of the global total of 36.7m people living with HIV. She added that the HIV epidemic is also affecting the development of the continent in many ways and therefore needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency.
Samate Cessouma, welcomed this study by the ACHPR and UNAIDS as it recognises the protection of human rights as an essential factor to ensuring that those living with and affected by the epidemic would come forward to access HIV related prevention, treatment and care services. She noted that the study recognises that the protection, promotion and fulfilment of human rights for all was instrumental to addressing the factors that makes specific populations – such as women, children, young people, sex workers, people who use drugs and prisoners – vulnerable to the epidemic.
Samate Cessouma added that in Africa, the great majority of legal and human rights developments relating to HIV have occurred at the national level. She said the study would contribute to the development of jurisprudence at the continental level.
Samate Cessouma commended the efforts of the organisers and reiterated the commitment of the AU Commission to continue the fight to eradicate HIV from the continent as part of the implementation process of Agenda 2063.