Jonathan at UN, pledges support for anti-HIV fight
DRAWING repeated commendations from other speakers at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday expressed Nigeria’s readiness to support the fight against the scourge in Africa and the world at large.Jonathan said the “time is ripe” for a “final solution” to the HIV/AIDS scourge, adding that Nigeria’s support in that endeavour was guaranteed.
Also, the International AIDS Society (IAS) has called on leaders to ensure the inclusion of HIV cure research and its global strategy into the international HIV agenda and in all discussions, political decisions and funding strategies.
The IAS urged leaders at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on AIDS (UNGASS) to look towards the example of the eradication of the smallpox virus for motivation to ensure the inclusion of HIV cure research and its global development.
Declaring solidarity with the UN, and members of the Security Council, Jonathan explained that as the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping in Africa and the fourth largest in the world, Nigeria had a major stake, not only in ensuring that the Nigerian armed forces were protected against HIV and AIDS but also to provide them adequate treatment.
He said: “In our sub-region, we have taken strident steps towards these objectives. For example, the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) sub-regional transport corridor project, which encompasses Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, is designed to halt and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS among various populations.”
Jonathan assured that the Federal Government was also committed to sustaining the momentum and enlarging the level of engagement with the security services in affected countries in West Africa to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in the region.
As he spoke, the U.S. President Barack Obama issued a formal statement of support for the candidature of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, for a second term. Although Nigeria is yet to make a formal statement of support, diplomats said the Federal Government had decided to back Ban ki-moon for a second term as well and Jonathan might make the formal disclosure before leaving the UN today for a White House meeting with Obama.
Before Jonathan addressed the Security Council Open Debate on HIV/AIDS’s impact on peace and international security, he got commendations from earlier speakers including Ban, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michael Sidibe and the President of Gabon who presided over the meeting yesterday.
They all praised Jonathan and Nigeria’s commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS scourge. Ban had praised Jonathan at his press conference on Monday saying: “I appreciate his strong commitment to see the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”
Addressing the UN Security Council, Jonathan said that the prevention of HIV was an important task for Nigeria because the human, social, and economic costs of inaction were too great to contemplate.
According to him, the Security Council should set clear, decisive goals in order that the global efforts to maintain peace could add to the weapons against HIV/AIDS.
Highlighting one of the challenges in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, Jonathan noted that “unconventional military compositions make it difficult to mainstream HIV programmes into their operations and evaluate progress. For this reason, among others, we welcome the inclusion of an awareness programme in the mandate of all United Nations peacekeeping operations.”
Lamenting the consequences of gender-based violence related to HIV and AIDS, especially in conflict situations, the president said: “Nigeria joins the international community in ensuring that women and girls in conflict situations are adequately protected.”
In his declaration of support for Ban’s second term bid, Obama said that under Ban’s leadership, the UN had played a critical role in responding to crises and challenges across the globe, including most recently supporting democratic transitions in Cote d’Ivoire and earthquake-affected Haiti, the conduct of the referendum on South Sudan’s self-determination, and efforts to resolve the political and humanitarian crisis in Libya.
Although Obama conceded that the UN was an imperfect organisation, he insisted that it was indispensable institution and that Ban “has made important reforms, such as increasing the hiring of women to senior posts and proposing the deepest reduction in the UN’s budget in more than a decade.”
He said the U.S. strongly supported further efforts for reform to improve effectiveness, streamline bureaucracy, reduce costs, and update business practices to improve the United Nations’ ability to meet its mandate to promote global peace and security, human rights and development.
Also, the International AIDS Society (IAS) has called on leaders to ensure the inclusion of HIV cure research and its global strategy into the international HIV agenda and in all discussions, political decisions and funding strategies.
The IAS urged leaders at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on AIDS (UNGASS) to look towards the example of the eradication of the smallpox virus for motivation to ensure the inclusion of HIV cure research and its global development.
Declaring solidarity with the UN, and members of the Security Council, Jonathan explained that as the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping in Africa and the fourth largest in the world, Nigeria had a major stake, not only in ensuring that the Nigerian armed forces were protected against HIV and AIDS but also to provide them adequate treatment.
He said: “In our sub-region, we have taken strident steps towards these objectives. For example, the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) sub-regional transport corridor project, which encompasses Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, is designed to halt and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS among various populations.”
Jonathan assured that the Federal Government was also committed to sustaining the momentum and enlarging the level of engagement with the security services in affected countries in West Africa to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in the region.
As he spoke, the U.S. President Barack Obama issued a formal statement of support for the candidature of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, for a second term. Although Nigeria is yet to make a formal statement of support, diplomats said the Federal Government had decided to back Ban ki-moon for a second term as well and Jonathan might make the formal disclosure before leaving the UN today for a White House meeting with Obama.
Before Jonathan addressed the Security Council Open Debate on HIV/AIDS’s impact on peace and international security, he got commendations from earlier speakers including Ban, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michael Sidibe and the President of Gabon who presided over the meeting yesterday.
They all praised Jonathan and Nigeria’s commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS scourge. Ban had praised Jonathan at his press conference on Monday saying: “I appreciate his strong commitment to see the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”
Addressing the UN Security Council, Jonathan said that the prevention of HIV was an important task for Nigeria because the human, social, and economic costs of inaction were too great to contemplate.
According to him, the Security Council should set clear, decisive goals in order that the global efforts to maintain peace could add to the weapons against HIV/AIDS.
Highlighting one of the challenges in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, Jonathan noted that “unconventional military compositions make it difficult to mainstream HIV programmes into their operations and evaluate progress. For this reason, among others, we welcome the inclusion of an awareness programme in the mandate of all United Nations peacekeeping operations.”
Lamenting the consequences of gender-based violence related to HIV and AIDS, especially in conflict situations, the president said: “Nigeria joins the international community in ensuring that women and girls in conflict situations are adequately protected.”
In his declaration of support for Ban’s second term bid, Obama said that under Ban’s leadership, the UN had played a critical role in responding to crises and challenges across the globe, including most recently supporting democratic transitions in Cote d’Ivoire and earthquake-affected Haiti, the conduct of the referendum on South Sudan’s self-determination, and efforts to resolve the political and humanitarian crisis in Libya.
Although Obama conceded that the UN was an imperfect organisation, he insisted that it was indispensable institution and that Ban “has made important reforms, such as increasing the hiring of women to senior posts and proposing the deepest reduction in the UN’s budget in more than a decade.”
He said the U.S. strongly supported further efforts for reform to improve effectiveness, streamline bureaucracy, reduce costs, and update business practices to improve the United Nations’ ability to meet its mandate to promote global peace and security, human rights and development.
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