Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Nations Development Programme (New York) - November 21, 2003
Participants included members of the Alliance of Mayors and Local Elected Officials against HIV/AIDS, government officials and representatives from civil society groups, the media and United Nations agencies.
They concurred that Mali needs to take stronger measures to counter the epidemic, improve cooperation among those carrying out anti-HIV/AIDS activities, and gather more data on its social and economic impact at the community level.
Nearly 2 per cent of those 15 to 45 are living with the virus, and there is concern that unless steps are taken to increase public awareness about the dangers and to discourage risky behaviour, the epidemic would spread rapidly.
Adelkader Sidib , president of the alliance and mayor of Commune III in Bamako district, said that the epidemic has long been considered a development problem, and a multi-sectoral approach is critical to containing it. "Together, the network of municipalities can mount the most effective local response," he said.
Jocelline Bazile-Finley, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, said that so far, the pace of activities in Mali has not been sufficient to ensure that the country can reach Millennium Development Goal 6, which calls for halting and then reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.
"A fruitful partnership is needed between local elected leaders, civil society, the private sector and grassroots groups to implement an effective multi-sectoral response," she said. She emphasized that UNDP will support pilot projects to carry out activities that the workshop endorsed.
Dr. Louis Ponzio, representing the Ministry of Health, strongly endorsed the local leaders' initiative, saying that the ravages of the disease pose a severe threat.
Mamadou Seydou Traor , Secretary-General of the Interior Ministry, called the epidemic an impediment to development and saluted the alliance's support for efforts to stem it. The Government's decentralization programme, putting more authority and resources in the hands of local authorities, will bolster their efforts, he said.
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