World AIDS Day commemorated in Namibia
On World Aids Day (1 December), the United States government through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) reaffirms its commitment to fight against HIV/AIDS and remembers the millions of people who have died of AIDS.In Namibia, PEPFAR works closely with the Namibian government to advance the health of the Namibian people through HIV prevention, care, and treatment programming.
“We are proud of the progress we have made through PEPFAR and our partner countries such as Namibia, and the millions of lives that have been saved,” said US Chargé d’Affaires, Jessica Long in her remarks at the World AIDS day commemoration in Ondangwa.
“PEPFAR work closely with partners to address health disparities among communities that continue to be left behind and have been disproportionately affected by multiple pandemics, which aligns with this year’s U.S. theme, ‘Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV’.
“With PEPFAR funding, we built on existing programs as well as introduced new and innovative approaches to address prevention, care, and treatment in the country all while working with the Namibian government.”
She added that the US government is committed to continuing collaboration with the Namibian government to erase barriers that prevent the provision of and access to equitable, inclusive, and accessible high-quality HIV services and threaten the human rights of individuals including the LGBTQI+ community, sex workers, women and girls.
Long said that PEPFAR will continue working with partner countries such as Namibia and communities to ensure people of all ages, genders and population groups have equitable access to life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services.
“As we celebrate how far we have come, we must continue our focus to close the gaps that remain and threaten the most vulnerable among us,” she said.
Ahead of its 20th anniversary in 2023, PEPFAR is reinvigorating the US global HIV/AIDS response to achieve the shared vision of ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030, while sustainably strengthening health systems. To sustain its gains in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, PEPFAR remains committed to ending the inequalities and service gaps that still stand in the way of disenfranchised communities.
The US government has been working together with the Namibian government since 2005. This remains the largest commitment by one country to address a single disease. For the year 2022, the PEPFAR Namibia programme received US$94 million (N$1.5 billion) to fight HIV in the country.