Support Zambia’s fight against HIV/AIDS, pleads diplomat
By Staff Reporter
Zambia has embarked on an aggressive campaign to combat the scourge of HIV and AIDS with an ambitious target of reaching zero infection rates by the year 2030, says Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Christine Kalamwina.
She informed a UN gathering that Zambia was deeply concerned about the high rate of new HIV infections among girls and women, particularly in Southern Africa.
Addressing the first 2018 regular session of Women Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in New York recently, Kalamwina said combating the scourge would not be successful without fully empowering women and girls who were often the most vulnerable.
“The Government of Zambia supports the efforts of the UN-Women and is fully committed in addressing the scourge of HIV and AIDS at national level so that we can reach zero infection rate by the year 2030 without leaving no woman or girl behind. Zambia has noted with great concern the high rates of new infections among girls and older women in Southern Africa but we commend the UN-Women for collaborating with other partners, particularly the UNAIDS in the fight against the scourge of HIV and AIDS among women and girls,” said Kalamwina.
“In 2016, Zambia effectively facilitated and negotiated a number of preparatory meetings that led to the adoption of the Political Declaration of the High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS at the United Nations.”
And United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN-Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has called for an evolution in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if progress of reducing inequality and poverty was to be made.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said gender inequalities were still found in every dimension of sustainable development and that there was need to close up gaps by maintaining human rights in the implementation of SDGs.
“The Agenda 2030 has provided the United Nations with an opportunity to place gender equality and the empowerment of women at the centre of international development agenda,” said Ngcuka.
“As the increasing violence, conflict and political breakdowns continue to have disproportionate effects on women and girls around the world, UN Women recognises the need for decisive action in reversing those negative trends, as well as the need for new ways of building peaceful and resilient societies by enhancing equality, rights and empowerment of women and girls.”
