Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - November 8, 2006
Speaking in the capital, Mrs Blair was unveiling plans for the Four Nations' HIV/Aids Conference in Malawi.
The launch, which was held at the British Council Scotland offices on Wednesday, started the fund-raising campaign for the high-profile event.
The conference, in Lilongwe in October 2007, is aimed at helping people in central African countries.
The prime minister's wife, who is also a leading human rights lawyer, said her involvement as patron of the conference began after she met with organisers at last year's G8 summit in Gleneagles.
She said: "Aid agencies, donors and government representatives will be invited but the aim of this conference is for them to listen, learn and respond rather than to determine the agenda.
"Let me assure you that my husband Tony Blair has not forgotten Africa.
"He is very committed to Africa and the aims of the African commission, which he took up at the G8 summit.
"The world is talking, the world is paying attention and it is up to the world to listen to the people who are affected and that is what this conference is all about."
She said the aim was to "give a voice to the voiceless" by concentrating on those affected by the pandemic in Zambia, Uganda and the Democratic republic of Congo and Malawi.
It will be attended by those living with the infection, grandparent carers, child-headed households, orphans and young people.
Topics for discussion
The topics for discussion and format will be determined by HIV-affected people themselves, through local steering groups in each of the four countries over the next few months.
Policymakers and other key players, such as donors, programme co-ordinators and the World Health Organisation, will also be invited to attend, but will not be allowed to dominate discussions.
Mrs Blair was joined at the launch by Dr Francis Moto, High Commissioner of Malawi, who outlined his country's commitment to tackling the pandemic.
Among the other speakers at the British Council-hosted event are Dr Josephine Munthali, a Malawian living in Edinburgh, who has spearheaded the initiative.
She said: "The enthusiasm with which this idea has been taken up in Malawi and in the other countries has been enough to convince me that there is a real need for this kind of event.
"People who have lived with the life-and-death reality of HIV in Africa, and the frustration of dealing with top-down health-care systems, have a lot to say, yet they are the ones who are least often heard."
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