Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Monday, Dec. 6, 1999
Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Writer
The United Nations kicked off a two-day meeting, attended by officials from Africa and U.N. agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
The aim of the meeting was to draw up a plan to reduce infection rates by 25 percent before 2005 among Africans aged 14 to 25.
"Our response so far has failed Africa," Annan said in an opening statement to the closed-door meeting. "From now on, let us resolve that failure is not an option."
Africa has been hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, with 60 percent of the world's AIDS-related deaths occurring on the continent.
Less than five percent of the world's population lives in Africa, yet it is home to more than 50 percent of HIV-infected people.
Annan said the toll was devastating African economies, with the country losing much of its work force and governments unable to care for the victims or their survivors.
Annan said the international community had to break the "conspiracy of silence" and stigma that surrounds the virus. He also said it was important to speed up vaccine development and make treatment affordable for Africans.
He applauded initiatives launched by Africans themselves, such as Lesotho's decision to double its AIDS budget, Namibia's cabinet approval for a national AIDS program, and Uganda's success in stabilizing levels of the infection with a massive information campaign.
But Annan said Africans alone cannot be held responsible for fighting the epidemic.
"This unprecedented crisis requires an unprecedented response," Annan said, "a response that makes humanity live up to its name."
The initiative was launched after the General Assembly in June set 2005 as the target to reduce infection rates by 25 percent among young Africans.
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