The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) system in East and Southern Africa, hosted a two-day technical meeting for the SADC member states under the theme: The Path to
ending AIDS in 2030 in the SADC Region: Closing the Gaps, as a precursor to the annual National AIDS Councils (NACs). The meeting was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 25-27 September 2023.
The SADC member states like the rest of the global community have committed to end AIDS as a public health crisis by 2030. This commitment has been expressed through the SADC political Declaration to end AIDS during the last Head of States
Summit in Luanda, Angola and in the context of the sustainable development goals. To achieve this target, countries would need to invest strategically in the HIV response. This is more urgent among the SADC countries as the region remains the
epicenter for HIV, with the largest number of people living with HIV and AIDS.
The Objectives of the meeting were to:
- Provide an update on Global pathways to close the gaps in pediatric treatment and
HIV prevention.
- Share lessons learnt and develop clear roadmaps for accelerating pediatric
treatment coverage.
- Share lessons learnt and develop clear roadmaps for strengthening primary HIV
prevention policies and programs including structural drivers and inequalities that
drive HIV.
- Identify strategic issues for ministerial consideration and decisions.
The key Outcome of the meeting is that there is a common understanding on international recommended interventions to address pediatric treatment; a common understanding on primary HIV prevention including structural drivers and inequalities that drive HIV; a better understanding of success factors and barriers to pediatric
treatment and primary HIV prevention.
The meeting agreed to develop draft national roadmaps to strengthen HIV
prevention, draft actions to accelerate pediatric treatment coverage and develop
draft recommendations for ministerial decisions.
