United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, Dr. John Nkengasong, has assured that, in partnership with Nigeria, the Abuja Declaration will be achieved by 2030.

Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy leads implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is the U.S. government’s initiative to help save the lives of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS around the world.

Agreed upon in April 2001 when they met in Abuja, African Union (AU) member states committed to allocating 15 per cent of their governments’ health budgets to address pressing health challenges, including HIV/AIDS and malaria. It became a rallying point to mobilise more resources from government coffers for the health sector. Despite measured increases over the years to the country’s health budget and sector, Nigeria has yet to meet the target.

Speaking at the ongoing Foreign Press Centre (FPC) reporting tour for select African journalists in Washington D.C., yesterday, Nkengasong said PEPFAR had, over the last two decades, been working tirelessly to ensure the goal is met in due course.

According to him, by the date in question, they intend to ensure that at least 95 per cent of infected persons know their status, get the right treatment and ensure viral load suppression.

To achieve this lofty goal, he said, political and financial sustainability is needed, as well as collaboration with concerned agencies. Pointing out that the programme had, in the last two decades, supported thousands of laboratories, facilities and healthcare workers in Nigeria and across Africa, he said other infectious diseases like Ebola and COVID-19 had also been added to the programme and received support in terms of funding and knowledge exchange among others.

Former director of the Office of National AIDS Policy and Presidential Envoy on AIDS at the White House, Sandra Thurman, said stigmatisation has been the greatest barrier to infected people getting help. She revealed that in the past, there were non-violent protests against the government because the masses believed the authorities were not doing enough to find cure to the AIDS scourge.

She revealed that aside from the media, arts, journalism and good communication help to remove stigma and spur acceptance.

The disease, she said, has a destabilising political and security impact on any country, affects life expectancy and population growth as well as destroys the family structure.

She described PEPFAR, which was introduced by former President George Bush in 2003, as a game-changer for public health and infectious diseases. She worried that enacting harsh and punitive laws against sexual orientation further propagates discrimination and stigmatisation.

Nkengasong added that “good policies and public health practices plus implementation save lives,” noting that they saved 25 million people, while almost six million babies were born free of the disease.

“Sustained engagement and true partnership matter. HIV/AIDS is still a serious public health threat. It is affecting Nigeria and Africa’s young demographic and, believe it or not, it is a security threat for them, if we do not take decisive action now,” he said.