The Joint Meeting of the National AIDS Commission Directors and Programme Managers responsible for HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) from Southern African Development Community (SADC) region was held on 8th October 2025 in Lusaka, Zambia and concluded with a call for increased domestic financing, HIV and SRH integration and youth involvement to accelerate progress in HIV prevention and access to SRH services across the SADC region.
The Joint Meeting was convened under the theme, Accelerating HIV Prevention and Access to Integrated SRH Services: Tackling Inequalities, Securing a Sustainable Response. Participants to the Joint Meeting included the Directors of National AIDS Commissions from the SADC Member States, Senior Government Officials, Managers of HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Gender Programmes, representatives of Development Partners, United Nations Agencies and Cooperating Partners, Representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations, members of the Aacademia and Research Institutions and SADC Secretariat Officers.
In her welcome remarks, the Director of Social and Human Development at the SADC Secretariat, Ms. Duduzile Simelane highlighted that the SADC region continues to take bold and exemplary leadership in the fight against HIV, citing as examples, seven SADC member states namely Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe that have already met the UNAIDS 95–95–95 targets ahead of the 2025 deadline while other Member States such as the United Republic of Tanzania are very close to the 95% goal.
The Director, however, said that, despite commendable progress in expanding access to HIV treatment and prevention services, new infections continue to rise, particularly among adolescent girls, young women, and key populations. She therefore called for deliberate investment in young people, by taking an integrated approach that places human capital development at the centre of socio-economic development.
She appealed to the participants to advocate for programmes that promote girls to stay in school and reduce early and unintended pregnancies, highlighting that, “if a girl remains in school for longer, they are likely going to achieve a good education, be economically productive and contribute to socio-economic development and not be trapped in the poverty cycle”.
Director of the Family Health in the Republic of Madagascar, Dr. Rajoelina Miary Toky Herindrainy, speaking as a current Chair of SADC, emphasised the need to integrate HIV, SRHR and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) interventions thereby creating a more comprehensive approach to addressing the intersecting needs of adolescent girls, young women, and key populations.
“The history of our region proves that when we act together, we can change the course of events. By combining our strengths, resources, and political will, we can reduce inequalities, protect the most vulnerable, and make HIV/SRHR/GBV integration a pillar of public health and sustainable development,” Dr Herindrainy said.
She added that, “there can be no sustainable development without guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health rights. The fight against HIV cannot be won without guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health rights”.
The Director General of the National AIDS Council of the Republic of Zambia, Dr. Kebby Musokotwane welcomed the delegates and highlighted that despite the SADC region being disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, the region has shown resilience through strong political will, community engagement and evidence-based interventions, leading to a steady decline in new HIV infections, improved access to treatment and a renewed push for integration of HIV, SRH and gender programming in the SADC region.
On her part, the Regional Director of the UNAIDS for East and Southern Africa, Dr. Anne Muthoni Githuku-Shongwe applauded SADC and its Member States for the continued leadership in keeping HIV prevention high on the political agenda, especially at a time when global attention is divided, and resources are tightening.
The UNAIDS Regional Director cited multi-sectoral approach to reduce HIV incidence among adolescent girls, increased domestic funding, and legal reforms to expand access and empower the youth as examples of leadership to sustain health gains in the SADC region.
A representative of the youth, Ms. Thubelihle Nyoni, a 28-year-old Zimbabwean who participated under the Ministry of Youth, Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training in the Republic of Zimbabwe hailed the participation of young people at the Joint Meeting, highlighting the benefit and importance of collaboration between Government and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in HIV and SRHR interventions.
“I am here today because of the support and mentorship I received from Civil Society Organizations, the CSOs that believed in me before I believed in myself. They gave me access to education, health information, and leadership opportunities. They taught me to speak out about issues that affect young people-about our sexual and reproductive health, about HIV, and about the violence that too many girls face in silence,” she said in her intervention during the Joint Meeting.
The Joint Meeting provided an opportunity for SADC Member States to share their experiences on HIV, SRHR and Gender integration and national initiatives for financing HIV and Health programmes.
Among the key documents, the Joint Meeting reviewed the Minimum Standards for Integrating HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), and Emergency Response in the SADC Region which aim to benchmark and harmonise the provision of integrated SRHR, HIV, and SGBV services, including in humanitarian and emergency contexts, across SADC Member States. The meeting also received the Mid Term Review report of the Regional SRHR Strategy and the Fourth Biennial SRHR Scorecard Report, 2025 and the SADC HIV Annual Progress Report. These documents will be presented to the Ministers of Health and HIV and AIDS during their Meeting in November 2025 for endorsement.
One of the key highlights of the meeting was the Health Financing Update prepared by the SADC Secretariat, UNAIDS, Global Fund, World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and GAVI which will be presented to the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers of Health and Finance. The update, amongst other things, notes the decline in external aid, a situation that threatens to reverse progress made in the provision of HIV and health services. The update proposes medium to long-term measures aimed at building regional self-reliance by strengthening local manufacturing ,pooled procurement and promoting sustained political commitment to health as a key investment in socio-economic growth.
The meeting was convened in partnership and support from the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, Sweden and 2gether4SRHR.
