Nepali PM calls for national leadership to fight against HIV/AIDS
1/12/2008 16:09
Nepali Prime Minister Prachanda said today his government is fully
cognizant of the utter necessity of national leadership and ownership to fight a
campaign against HIV/AIDS.
In a message issued on the occasion of 20th World
AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Prachanda said that the state needs to develop leadership
from village to center to create social awareness to fight the
disease.
"Likewise, I want to state that it is also necessary to ensure
honorable participation of people infected with the disease in all sectors of
society," he said.
In a separate message, Health and Population Minister
Girirajmani Pokharel outlined the government's continued campaign to fight the
disease.
"If we develop our process, policy and action plan on the basis of
human rights, equality and social justice and remain committed to it, we can
attain our Millennium Development Goals in stopping the HIV/AIDS infection,"
Pokharel stated.
There are said to be around 70,000 HIV/AIDS patients in
Nepal.
In a statement delivered by UN Country Team, it is mentioned that the
HIV epidemic continues to have devastating impact on individuals, families,
societies and nations. "With an estimated 36 million people living with HIV
globally, it continues to be a major development problem, with the highest
incidence among sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men and
injecting drug users," the statement said.
The slogan of this year's World
AIDS Day is "Lead-Empower- Deliver."
"In Nepal, with the joint effort of the
government, civil society and international development partners, good progress
have been made in the last 5-6 years in bringing down HIV prevalence and the
rate of new infections in the groups most at risk. Our focus needs to be
sustained to deliver much-needed services to reduce HIV and AIDS through
coordination, collaboration and collective action," the statement
said.
Xinhua
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