UN Statement on World AIDS Day 2023

Siyanivusela nonkhe, bekunene!

I am honoured to be among all of you here in Gilgal in the Lubombo Region and to deliver remarks on behalf of the United Nations Family in the Kingdom of Eswatini as we commemorate World AIDS Day. This day has been set aside to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, remember and honour those we have lost, review our progress and re-dedicate ourselves to continuing the fight against the disease.

As per the theme of this year’s commemoration – “Let communities lead in ending AIDS”, I note with delight that the Kingdom of Eswatini has long recognised that communities play a significant role in the response to HIV and AIDS.

For many years now, the commemoration of the World Aids Day in the regions and among communities is well entrenched and demonstrates the recognition of the important role they play in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Thus, one of the biggest milestones in the HIV response have been achieved in Southern Africa due to communities mobilizing and advocating for the rights of the infected and affected populations.

Eswatini represents a good example where leadership and guidance at the highest level meets with a positive and effective response by all actors – private, public, international, civil society and communities – to achieve some of the best results in the pushback against the disease.

I would therefore like to commend His Majesty King Mswati III for rallying the nation to the fight when it mattered; the Government, NERCHA, private sector, schools, international partners, civil society and the UN inter-agency programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) for placing communities at the centre of the drive against the disease, with great results. 

The results of this approach have been, among other things, Eswatini’s achievement of the UNAIDS treatment and suppression targets of 95-95-95 in 2020, way ahead of other countries.

The next target now is to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. This can however only be done if we stop the troubling and stubborn new infections!

We need to turn the tide and, as the saying goes, it is pointless to continue to mop the floor while the water tap is still open.

Sadly, data shows that this very community where we have gathered today is among those with the highest new HIV infections amongst key and priority populations.

Even more disturbing, national statistics show that adolescent girls and young women are disproportionately affected by HIV. Out of the 4,800 new infections recorded in 2021, a total of 1,600 new infections were among adolescent girls and young women, making up more than 33% of the new infections.

Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Hon. Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to suggest four areas of action to help speed up the ending of HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.

Number 1: Let’s protect adolescent girls from sexual predation and exploitation by keeping them in school. Data also shows that completion of primary, secondary and tertiary education protects against HIV, with drops in new HIV cases particularly among adolescent girls and young women by as much as one-third to one half in some countries.

Evidence also confirms that girls and their communities reap multiple social and economic benefits from their completion of secondary school, which include reduced vulnerability to acquiring HIV and to becoming teenage mothers, while increasing their prospects for securing jobs and higher incomes as adult women, among others.

However, we must be mindful of the boy-child too, as emerging evidence suggests that a focus exclusively on girls could be counter-productive.

Number 2: Let’s end violence against women and girls. The scourge of Gender-Based Violence in Eswatini is a persistent challenge that is directly linked to new HIV infections, especially among young girls aged 15-24 years. It has long been established that women who are abused are more vulnerable to HIV infection.

Having our women battered at home and our girls drop out of school and taken advantage of by older men deter our efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

Last week, the Hon. Deputy Prime Minister launched the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in the wake of gruesome killings of and violence against innocent women.

As I noted last week, despite the horror we have witnessed in the recent past and continuing almost every day, I am encouraged by the strong condemnation of violence against women by His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, ministers, and civil society and private sector leaders. This raising of voices and call to action must now mirror the collective effort of EmaSwati when they were threatened by HIV/AIDS. Above all, we need our communities to lead in ending GBV in our homes.

Number 3: Let’s bring men fully onboard, at all levels, in the fight against HIV/AIDS and GBV: Data shows that a large frontier of the new infections is due to elderly men and men of means preying on girls and young women. We must educate young boys at early age about harmful attitudes that perpetuate gender inequalities that result in gender-based violence.

I would like to acknowledge the incredible work done by Kwakha Indvodza, Men Engage and other organisations that are encouraging men and boys to take full responsibility for their well-being and are reducing toxic masculinity and gender-based violence, which are some of the drivers of HIV.

I also applaud efforts by NERCHA, UNAIDS and the Public Service Ministry for engaging men on HIV/AIDS.

Lastly, we need to mobilise our cultural and administrative institutions at all levels to defeat both HIV/AIDS and the underlying causes such as GBV. We need to use every opportunity, including our cultural institutions, events and spaces, chiefdoms and Bobabe Tikhulu, the Tinkhundla centres, etc., to encourage a new culture among men – men who are protectors and not predators; men who are lovers and not killers; men who are responsible for their health and protect the health and wellbeing of others.

We can never forget the role of communities during the early days of the response when everyone else was in denial. It was communities who stood up to speak against the silence and stigma. Communities were in the forefront in the fight against discrimination. Communities advocated for increased access to antiretroviral therapy and care, ensuring that no one was left behind. Today, we need our communities to lead in building better men.

We all must be actors in transforming our communities for the better. We men must take the responsibility to educate and discourage older men from marrying young girls, at times forcing them to drop out of school.

Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

Before I conclude kindly allow me to read the message of the UN Secretary-General for today’s commemoration:

“World AIDS Day arrives at a defining moment.

AIDS-related deaths have fallen by almost 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and new HIV infections are at the lowest point since the 1980s.

But AIDS still takes a life every minute.

We can — and must — end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Reaching this goal means heeding this year’s theme: Let Communities Lead.

The path to ending AIDS runs through communities.

From connecting people to the treatment, services and support they need — to the grassroots activism pushing for action so all people can realize their right to health.

Supporting those on the frontlines of the battle against AIDS is how we win.

That means placing community leadership at the centre of HIV plans, programmes, budgets and monitoring efforts. 

We must also remove barriers to community leadership and ensure space for local civil society groups to take forward their vital work.

Above all, we need funding.

The AIDS response in low and middle-income countries needs over 8 billion dollars more per year to be fully funded.

This must include scaled-up funding for local programmes led by people living with HIV, and prevention initiatives led by communities.

AIDS is beatable.

Let’s finish the job by supporting communities to end this scourge in their neighbourhoods, their countries and around the world.”

Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished guest,

Please allow me to conclude by applauding, again, the great partnerships that have led to Eswatini’s success in the pushback against HIV/AIDS. It has taken many hands, and a lot of resources, to get us here. I want to commend all international partners that have invested heavily in the fight against HIV and AIDS, including the United States Government through PEPFAR.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of community-led support groups such as the Swaziland AIDS Support Organisation (SASO) who have been instrumental in ensuring that everyone living with HIV is supported to access treatment, good nutrition and have critical information on general healthy living.

I acknowledge that more ground must be covered to address the gaps that still exist. Moving forward, we must prioritize innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable strategies to reach those at risk of being left behind.

Siyabonga Kakhulu!