SPEECH BY HIS MAJESTY KING LETSIE III AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE SADC EXTRA-ORDINARY SUMMIT ON HIV/AIDS FRIDAY 4 JULY, 2003 – NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE, MASERU - LESOTHO |
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YOUR EXCELLENCY THE
CHAIRPERSON OF SADC,
YOUR EXCELLENCIES HEADS OF
STATE AND GOVERNMENT AND FIRST LADIES,
THE RIGHT HON. THE PRIME
MINISTER AND ‘M’E MATHATO,
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE,
SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY,
CHIEF JUSTICE,
HON. DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER,
HONOURABLE MINISTERS,
YOUR EXCELLENCIES HEADS OF
DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS,
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
ON BEHALF OF MY GOVERNMENT AND THE
PEOPLE OF LESOTHO, AND ON MY OWN BEHALF, I GREET YOU AND
I HOPE THAT YOU WILL FIND
THE FACILITIES WE HAVE PUT AT YOUR DISPOSAL SUFFICIENTLY ADEQUATE TO ENABLE
YOU TO HOLD FRUITFUL DISCUSSIONS AND SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDE YOUR WORK. YOUR EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT JOSÉ EDUARDO DOS SANTOS, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE GRATITUDE FOR YOUR CONSTANT CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE AND WELL-BEING OF OUR REGION AND THE PRUDENCE YOU HAVE SHOWN IN EVERY DIFFICULT CHALLENGE THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS HAD TO FACE SINCE YOUR ASSUMPTION OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES,
WE ARE HUMBLED BY THE
OPPORTUNITY GIVEN TO LESOTHO TO HOST THIS IMPORTANT SADC SUMMIT ON
HIV/AIDS. OUR COUNTRY IS ONE OF THOSE WORST HIT BY THE HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC IN
THE REGION WITH AN ESTIMATED HIV PREVALENCE RATE APPROACHING 30%.
THIS IMPORTANT SUMMIT IS
BEING HELD AT A TIME WHEN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, AND SOUTHERN AFRICA IN
PARTICULAR, IS BEING THREATENED BY THE MENACING DARK CLOUDS OF HIV/AIDS.
THIS DISEASE HAS ALREADY UNDONE SOME OF OUR PAST SOCIO-ECONOMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS, AND NOW THREATENS TO WIPE OUT ALL THE GAINS WE MAY MAKE IN THE
FUTURE. WE ARE GATHERED HERE BECAUSE WE REALISE THAT THE DEVASTATING NATURE
OF HIV/AIDS REQUIRES URGENT AND COLLECTIVE ACTION ON OUR PART TO CONFRONT
THE ENORMOUS CHALLENGES POSED BY THIS DISEASE. STATISCTICS REVEAL THAT, OF THE 47.3 MILLION PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED, WORLDWIDE, SINCE THE EPIDEMIC BEGAN TWO DECADES AGO, NEARLY 14 MILLION HAVE ALREADY DIED. 95% OF THESE DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AND OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. REGRETTABLY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE DEATHS ARE CONCENTRATED AMONG THE PRIME AGE ADULTS WHO ARE USUALLY AT THE PEAK OF THEIR ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY AND ARE OFTEN HEADS OF FAMILIES AND SOLE BREADWINNERS.
THE DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF
THIS PATTERN IS THAT MILLIONS OF CHILDREN ARE BEING ORPHANED, LIFE
EXPECTANCY DRASTICALLY REDUCED, FOOD SECURITY THREATENED, DECLINING
PRODUCTIVITY – A COMBINATION OF WHICH MAY JEOPARDISE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL
SECURITY. AIDS HURTS THE INDIVIDUAL FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD FIRST, BUT ITS
IMPACT REACHES THROUGH TO THE MACRO-ECONOMIC LEVEL. EXPERTS CLAIM THAT AIDS
HAS CREATED A LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT DISASTER ON A SCALE NEVER
WITNESSED
BEFORE. THUS, OUR EFFORTS AIMED AT ACHIEVING THE UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM
DEVELOPMENT GOAL TO HALVE GLOBAL POVERTY BY 2015 ARE BEING SERIOUSLY
UNDERMINED BY THE SCOURGE OF HIV/AIDS.
AS LEADERS OF OUR REGION, WE
ARE DUTY BOUND TO FORMULATE A MULTI-SECTORAL AND MULTI-FACETED RESPONSE TO
THE CHALLENGES POSED BY HIV/AIDS. IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, THIS RESPONSE
SHOULD INCLUDE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INTENSIFICATION OF TARGETED PREVENTION
AND EDUCATION PROGRAMMES, BETTER TREATMENT INCLUDING PROVISION OF ANTI-RETROVIRALS,
BETTER AND MORE HUMANE CARE AND SUPPORT FOR ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE GROUPS
AND SCALING UP THE FIGHT AGAINST STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES,
HIV/AIDS KNOWS NO NATIONAL
BOUNDARIES AND THEREFORE DICTATES THAT THERE SHOULD BE MORE REGIONAL
COLLABORATION IF WE ARE TO EFFECTIVELY KEEP IT AT BAY. WE HAVE TO REVIEW
OUR COUNTRIES’ AND REGIONAL PROGRAMMES ON HIV/AIDS WITHIN SADC FOR PURPOSES
OF SHARING LESSONS AND EXPERIENCES OF BEST PRACTICES IN NATIONAL HIV/AIDS
RESPONSE INITIATIVES. SOME OF OUR MEMBER STATES HAVE BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL
IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS AND WE STAND TO BENEFIT FROM THEIR
EXPERIENCE IF ONLY WE SERIOUSLY COLLABORATE WITH THEM. IN THIS WAY, AS A
REGION, WE SHALL HAVE SET THE BEST EXAMPLE OF REGIONAL COOPERATION. INDEED,
EVEN OUR REGIONAL ORGANISATION’S SLOGAN SAYS IT ALL WHEN IT SAYS “TOWARDS
A COMMON FUTURE”. THIS MUST BE A FUTURE OF PROSPERITY AND NOT OF
HARDSHIPS BROUGHT BY HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES,
IN CONCLUSION, I WISH TO
REPEAT THAT HIV/AIDS IS OUR REGION’S NUMBER ONE ENEMY. BECAUSE OF HIV/AIDS,
MANY COUNTRIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA ARE FACING THE MOST DEVASTATING LONG-TERM
DEVELOPMENT CRISIS OF ALL TIME. IF WE FAIL IN OUR EFFORTS TO BRING IT
UNDER CONTROL, THE MAJORITY OF OUR PEOPLE WILL HAVE NO FUTURE.
YOUR EXCELLENCIES,
OUR PEOPLE’S HOPES AND
FUTURE ARE IN OUR HANDS. LET US TODAY, TAKE CARE OF THEIR FUTURE AND
DEMONSTRATE TO THEM THAT THEIR HOPES ARE NOT MISPLACED. LET THE PUBLIC
PRONOUNCEMENTS THAT WE WILL MAKE AT THE END OF THIS SUMMIT BE PRACTICAL,
REALISTIC AND BE FOLLOWED-UP BY IMPLEMENTATION.
WITH THESE FEW REMARKS, I WISH
YOUR EXCELLENCIES SUCCESSFUL DELIBERATIONS AND IT IS NOW MY HONOUR AND
PRIVILEGE TO DECLARE THE SADC EXTRA-ORDINARY SUMMIT ON HIV/AIDS OFFICIALLY
OPENED. I THANK YOU. 4th July 2003 |
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| SOURCE: HIS MAJESTY'S OFFICE |