OAU chief calls for action at AIDS summit

Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary-General for the Organization of African Unity

This week, African leaders have gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss the AIDS pandemic, which is affecting the continent. The summit was organized by the Organization of African Unity and the Nigerian government. CNN's Jim Clancy spoke to Salim Ahmed Salim, the OAU's secretary-general:

JIM CLANCY: What will you propose and what kinds of measures will you support at this conference?

SALIM AHMED SALIM: Well in the first place, the very holding of the summit is very significant because it's bringing together all African leaders to discuss a problem which is now recognized by everyone to be of particular importance to the continent. We hope that this summit will come out with some specific areas which involves first and foremost Africa's own program of action, which would be things that African countries need to do, in order to try to combat the pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

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And also ... we hope the international community will ... support Africa's effort. As far as Africa's effort is concerned, of course first and foremost is the question of prevention, the question of advocacy, the question of mobilization of our people to understand the magnitude and dimension of this crisis. A crisis that is really decimating our people, a crisis which is causing tremendous damage to our society and at the same time we, despite all our efforts that African countries can make, and I do hope that African leaders would come up from Abuja committed to reorient their budget plans to focus on HIV/AIDS.

The fact remains, given the economic situations of most of our countries, we will need international support and international solidarity for us to be able to cope with this problem, which really has global implications.

CLANCY: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared that $7 billion to 10 billion annually would be need to fight AIDS...do you agree?

SALIM: Well, I think the figure given by Secretary-General Annan seems to be more on the right side, because I heard a number of figures mentioned, some people have mentioned $4 billion to 5 billion, others have said $7 billion, but I really think $7 billion to $10 billion is the right estimation. We do need massive amount(s) of resources to be able to deal with this crisis, unfortunately, despite all the efforts being made by African countries, by friends of African countries [and] the international community at large, the crisis keeps increasing in magnitude and dimension.

CLANCY: There has been progress lowering drug prices and raising awareness ... but do African leaders need to see this for what it is and declare a state of emergency across the continent?

SALIM: Well, I think in the first place, if you compare the situation from two or three years ago, it is definitely an awareness on the continent, throughout the breadth and length of this continent we realize the crisis that we are facing now. There is also an awareness that we need to do more, we need to sensitize and mobilize our people to make people understand that this is a pandemic that so far has no cure. Yes it is something that we must struggle and strive to ensure that by the end of the day the appropriate vaccine is obtained, but in the meantime, there is no cure.

Clearly, African countries have been taking this issue very seriously, when I talk about African leaders, I'm not only talking about heads of state, but I'm talking [about] community leaders, I'm talking civil society ... I'm talking the media itself. So in Africa, there is now an awareness, I mean there was a time when this thing wasn't really taken seriously, there was a time when it was [taboo]. By [the] very nature of some of our societies, people are very shy to talk about a sexual transmission, but now everybody's open, heads of state have been going out the length and breadth of their respective countries telling people about the dangers of this pandemic.

Having said that, therefore it does not require any further education on the part of African leaders to understand the magnitude of this crisis; the state of emergency does prevail, there is recognition. What is important is to hold fast to ensure the proper coordination within Africa itself and with Africa's partners and also to get the necessary means, because this pandemic cannot be fought by the determination on the part of Africa, but also by the support of the international community.

CLANCY: The big question: what is the minimum concrete action that needs to be achieved at this conference to call it a success?

SALIM: Well, I think the minimum amount that can come out of this conference was a definite commitment on the part of the African leaders to put into action the many decisions, the many declarations which they have adopted before. Mind you, it is important to emphasize that the discussion and the consideration of the question of AIDS pandemic and what is to be done.

This is not the first time that African leaders are doing so: for the last decade or so, in different conferences and different forums. Now what we want Abuja to do is not to have just another summit. We want the summit to be a summit with a difference. A summit which can now set up specific goals and also set up the necessary machinery to follow up the implementation of those goals.

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Organisation of African Unity
UNAIDS
Nigerian Government

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