Voice of Liberia
Fighting for Justice for all Liberians
World AIDS
A gathering of hope in the heart of
Tamba D. Aghailas |
On Thursday, November 30, 2006, in New York City, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Joan Holmes, President of The Hunger Project and Lynn Murchison representing people living with AIDS commemorated World AIDS Day at St. Bartholomew's Church on Park Avenue, 51st Street in Manhattan.
Kofi Annan who leaves office at the end of this year, delivered a powerful message to guests on the AIDS pandemic.
Since the disease was discovered in 1981, 25 million people have perished the world over. The virus has infected over 40 million people and of those currently living with the virus, 63% live in sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNAIDS/WHO 2006 epidemic update.
The numbers are alarming and urgent action is needed to curtail the pandemic. In 2006 more than 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses, and 4.3 were infected with HIV, a 10% increase from 2004. These figures indicate that though progress is being made in the fight against the disease; more people are getting infected and are dying due to lack of medication, proper treatment and information.
In his speech, Mr. Annan called on countries to deliver on their promises to ensure that people get access to medication and treatment and to reinforce the dissemination of information on prevention. He also challenged major pharmaceutical companies to live up to their promises and increase funding to poor nations.
Kofi Annan entered St. Bartholomew's Church to warm applauses and received a standing ovation during his speech. The Secretary-General expressed thanks to everyone involved in the fight against AIDS for their commitment and determination.
“The eradication of AIDS has become the greatest challenge of our generation,” Mr. Annan said. “The challenge now is to deliver on all the promises governments have made.” And delivering on these promises will require accountability at all levels and the involvement of every person to help bring the AIDS issue out of the shadows.
The Rev. Kevin Beacon, who co-organized the event with the United Nations and the Hunger Project, had one last statement to remind the world of the AIDS pandemic. “Twenty-five years, the world is still not on track to prevent AIDS, an illness easily curable. The fight against AIDS is not a matter of charity, it is a mater of fundamental justice,” he said.
For his part, Dr. Peter Piot stressed the need for a strong coalition in the struggle to eradicate AIDS. In building strong coalitions, “we must not take no for an answer,” he said. He also highlighted the importance of investing in new technologies and medicine to counter the spread of this deadly virus.
In the
Official stats estimate about 70% of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the
This underscores the fact that world poverty in places like Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe, and even in the
Entertainment for the event was provided by PG and Love Choir of New Jersey and Salah, a young
The author is a freelance Liberian writer and human rights activist. He is a cont ributing writer for several online news portals, including the www.voiceofliberia.org, www.TheLiberianTimes.com, liberianforum.com. Read his other opinions and commentaries on his Blog.
