Eradicating HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa is a cornerstone objective of SADC. HIV and AIDS affect more people in Sub-Saharan Africa – especially the SADC region – than anywhere else, posing the greatest threat to sustainable development of the region.
Therefore, Member States signed the Maseru Declaration on the Fight Against HIV/AIDS in the SADC Region on 4th July 2003 to acknowledge HIV and AIDS as a top priority for SADC and to highlight priorities in addressing the pandemic in the region.
Through the Declaration, Member States agree to focus on prevention and social mobilisation campaigns, accelerating development to create an enabling environment for the disease’s eradication, committing adequate funding for the SADC HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework and healthcare, and strengthening institutional monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to improve systems of information exchange.
