Assembly/AU/Decl.6 (II) Page 1 MAPUTO DECLARATION ON MALARIA, HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS, AND OTHER RELATED INFECTIOUS DISEASES We, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at the Second Ordinary Session of our Assembly in Maputo, Mozambique, 10 -12 July 2003, devoted a special session to review and debate the current status of the HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria and Other Related Infectious Diseases (ORID) in our continent. We held a Video Conference with relevant experts and international agencies concerned with the prevention and fight against these diseases, to exchange views and discuss further concrete actions which should be taken to curtail their spread in our countries, in this regard, WE: Remain Deeply Concerned about the continuing spread of HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and ORID, despite the efforts that Member States have exerted to operationalise the commitments made at the Abuja Summits on Roll Back Malaria (April 2000) and on HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID (April 2001); Commend the role being played by the African Union (AU), in collaboration with UNAIDS and its co-sponsoring UN Agencies, the ECA and other international institutions in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of these Declarations and Plans of Action. We urge that these efforts be further developed and strengthened until the scourges are brought under effective control; Have Analysed the progress achieved so far in the prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and ORID, which are the major causes of morbidity and mortality and constrain the socio-economic development of our region, accentuating poverty, disrupting family and social fabric and putting millions of our people in despair. We acknowledge the successes achieved in some sub-regions in reducing HIV incidence. We note that this was possible because of political commitment, resource mobilization, collective social action and a high level of awareness among our citizens in face of these threats. We urge that these positive steps and measures be intensified in all our States to achieve greater success against these diseases; Note that the majority of those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS in our continent are women, children and young people; especially the poor who have limited access to effective care and support. This reflects their vulnerability particularly in societies marked by gender inequality, where the burden of care for the sick and for the children orphaned by AIDS falls overwhelmingly on women. In this connection, we recognise the need to redouble efforts in giving particular attention to women and young people’s participation and access to information, life skills and services; Also Recognise the inclusion of the HIV/AIDS as a cross-cutting issue in the New Partnership of Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and the establishment of other initiatives such as AIDS Watch Africa (AWA), the Commission for HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA) and the Millennium Development Goals, all of which represent milestones of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We acknowledge the progress made in some of our countries in mainstreaming HIV/AIDS into relevant development frameworks such as Poverty Reduction Strategies Papers (PRSPs). We urge that these efforts be sustained, strengthened and extended to all countries; Note that many Member States have mobilized internal resources and taken bold leadership steps to confront HIV/AIDS and other health challenges. We also acknowledge the response by the international community to the efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and ORID. The establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), provided a renewed impetus to the programmes and interventions that Member States designed to combat these diseases. However considering the gravity of the impact of these diseases which have together already been declared an emergency, we note that in a relatively short period of time the