Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-17-Speech-4-112"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000217.4.4-112"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"The joint United Nations programme on AIDS estimated that by the end of 1998, there was a total of 33.4 million people in the world living with the HIV infection. Over 95% of all HIV infected individuals live in the developing countries and sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected region in the world. While only around 10% of the world’s population live in sub-Saharan Africa, 70% of all people who became infected with the AIDS virus in 1998 live there. 80% of the 13.9 million AIDS related deaths in the world have taken place in this region.
The AIDS problem in Africa is not only a private or public health issue but a development one. The effects of the AIDS pandemic mean that any progress in development matters in the sub-Saharan region is being neutralised or reversed. From the data which I am referring to today, it is evident that this disease is taking a disproportionate toll on the developing countries least capable of responding to its wide-ranging impact. It is clear that the spread of AIDS in the sub-Saharan African Continent is linked to poverty. AIDS treatments that may cost $18 000 per annum for one person are obviously not affordable by countries whose annual health budget may be less than $5 per capita.
It is incumbent on the European Union and the United Nations to address what is a social and fatal problem in a comprehensive and strategic manner. We must primarily ensure that the basic needs of the poorest people in the countries most affected by the AIDS disease are fully met. These countries include Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Prevention education should begin early in the primary school curriculum in these countries. Appropriate messages about the health effects of AIDS must be delivered to primary school children by teachers who are comfortable with the information that they are trying to communicate.
Health facilities and staff of NGOs need to be supported and resourced to deal effectively and appropriately with patients. It is essential that these groups are able to obtain the limited resources they require to be effective. At a more central level, there is a need for more effective co-ordination between government donors, international NGOs, indigenous NGOs and private sector initiatives so that scarce resources are not wasted.
Already weak economies are being further weakened in Africa by the AIDS virus. Already stretched resources are being further stretched. 50% or more of hospital beds are now occupied by someone suffering with an AIDS related disease in the countries where AIDS figures are highest.
On a separate matter altogether, I would like to support Cuba’s membership as an ACP country within the framework of the new Lomé Convention which will shortly be agreed between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. I know that this is somewhat controversial, particularly, because of the attitude of the United States Government towards the Castro regime. However, on this occasion, the European Union will be insisting on introducing political criteria into the Lomé Convention Accord. Good governance criteria broadly covering questions of refugees, corruption, human rights and democracy will be part of the finalised accord between the European Union and all countries signing the Lomé Convention from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific region."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples