Assembly/AU/5 (X) Page 6 • Participated in other relevant activities of the AU Commission, Pan-African Parliament, a few RECs, UN and other partners, WGD, HIV/AIDS and Militaries CONSTRAINTS 13. Although AWA and AWA Secretariat have recorded some achievements, a lot more could have been done. Advocacy was inadequate, among others due to the inability to recruit the Special Envoy of the AUC Chairperson, for sustained advocacy as the voice of the Chairperson. The following constraints have been encountered by: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • - AWA Members: Limited interaction to plan and review actions, and share experiences; They usually meet during regular sessions of the AU Assembly with representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, whereas at national level, HIV/AIDS is coordinated by AIDS Councils and/or Ministries of Health. Follow-up has therefore been inadequate; Nigeria has chaired AWA since 2001; whereas the AU chairs rotates annually; AWA is comprised of only 8 Heads of State and Government whereas HIV/AIDS poses a developmental challenge to many African countries, and all countries have been affected by HIV/AIDS, but to varying degrees; The linkage of the role of AWA Members to the Abuja commitments of Heads of State and Government is not clear. - AWA Advisors: Limited interaction among the group Interest seems limited Seem not to have grasped what the role of AWA Members is and how they are supposed to coordinate this; Limited funding to bring them together - AWA Secretariat: Lack of human capacity: one person thus far although posts for two more officers for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria have been approved; Inadequate funding; Difficulty in coordinating AWA Members and their Advisors as there is hardly any feedback Support from partners is available; but the AU Commission does not have adequate capacity to avail this maximally Involvement in other activities of AU Department of Social Affairs overshadowing AWA and HIV/AIDS activities CONCLUSION 14. There is a lot to be done to ensure that AWA fully achieves its initial worthy objectives, as an advocacy platform for action and for mobilisation of resources. The