Speech made by H.E. Wzr/o Azeb Mesfin on the occasion of First Spouses on the Elimination of HIV in Children in New York, 8th June 2011

H.E. Wzr/o Azeb Mesfin
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Mrs. Ban Soon-tuk,
Dr Michel Sidibe,
Your Excellencies the First Ladies,
Distinguished Guests,
I am honored to be here today and would like to thank Dr. Sidibe for organizing this very important meeting.
Dr. Sidibe has been a tireless supporter of our organization and we, the First Ladies of Africa, are grateful for both the financial and moral support he has given us over the years.
Mrs. Ban Soon-tuk has given generously of her time and has addressed the OAFLA General Assembly on two occasions. Thank you, Mrs. Ban.
I am pleased to see so many First Ladies form around the world at this meeting.
Your attendance shows not only your concern for this issue but your readiness commit to achieving virtual elimination of mother-to- child transmission of HIV. As President of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS, the elimination of HIV in children is at the top of our agenda.
Let me begin by telling you a little bit about OAFLA. Nine years ago, 37 African First Ladies gathered in Geneva to mobilize ourselves in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As First Ladies, we had a responsibility to be a powerful voice for Africa's most vulnerable-women and children.
We created this organization-OAFLA-to advocate, mobilize resources, and create partnerships to help those infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. Since then, we have taken this idea and institutionalized our organization to fight against this powerful foe.
We believe that only by empowering women we can make sure that they have enough food, a decent place to live, are free from violence and disease, deliver their babies safely, and stand alongside men equally and confidently. Today, we are here at this UN High Level Meeting to recommit ourselves to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission by 2015. It is a goal within reach. How do we do this? How do we make a future where no woman dies while giving life and no child is born with HIV?
One thing we have learned is that the collective voice of women is powerful. And as First Ladies, we have the attention of not just our country but the international community at large. What can we do, then?
We can organize ourselves both regionally and internationally as a collective voice to eliminate HIV in children. On a global level, we can advocate on behalf of UNAIDS goal of eliminating new infections among children by 2015. On a national level, we can advocate to increase investment and spending on women's and children's health.
We can advocate to increase the number of health centers that provide free maternal, newborn and child health services. We can commit ourselves to supporting women living with the HIV virus as well as their families. We can encourage women to seek pre-natal care and deliver their babies at health centers or use skilled birth attendants. We can eliminate new infections of HIV in children by 2015.
At the same time, we can work together towards the goal of empowering women everywhere. We can take our rightful place alongside men in tackling the pressing issues that hold back the development of many countries in the world-poverty, hunger, inadequate education, gender inequality, child and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS and environmental degradation.

Your Excellencies the First Ladies,

Distinguished Guests, We have all traveled a long way to gather here in New York to pledge ourselves to reaching the goal of eliminating new infections of HIV in children. There can be no higher goal than to ensure that every child born is free of this deadly disease. This is achievable. In December 2011, the International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.The theme is, 'Own, scale up and sustain.'I would like to take this opportunity to invite you all to this regional conference. As First Ladies, as mothers, as grandmothers, as sisters, as daughters, we will face the challenge of eliminating HIV in children. If women around the world are not involved in facing this challenge, we cannot win. If we all play our part, we cannot fail. Thank you (source..waltainfo.com)