President Addresses HIV Session At the UN

President J. A. Kufuor has acknowledged recent pledges of the United States, the European Union and other countries in fighting HIV/AIDS. He, however, hoped that existing multilateral structures would be used more efficiently in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

President Kufuor was addressing delegates at the United Nations High Level Plenary Session on HIV/AIDS in New York. He said, despite research findings indicating 45 million new cases of HIV/AIDS could be averted by 2010, if proven prevention strategies are vigorously pursued, Africa he regretted has fewer than one in five people having access to basic HIV prevention programs.

In addressing this problem, he said his government has taken the multi-sectoral approach in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In this regard, he made it known to the assembly the establishment of the Ghana Aids Commission, Ghana Aids Response Fund and governments efforts at empowering women in the bid to dramatically halt the spread of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. He further, outlined Ghana’s efforts at locally producing off-patent anti-retroviral drugs for the management of HIV/ADS.