Premier Majaliwa To Grace National Observations Of This Year’s World Aids Day In Morogoro Region -

By Staff Writer

PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa is expected to grace
celebrations of this year’s World Aids Day which is observed at national level
in Morogoro Region this afternoon.

In her briefing yesterday pertaining to the preparations
ahead of today’s key event, the minister of State in the Prime Minister’s
Office (Policy, Parliament, and Coordination), Ms. Jenista Mhagama expressed
that all of the necessary preparations have been completed.

This year’s celebration of World AIDS Day takes
place under the slogan of “Society Leads the Eradication of AIDS”.

World AIDS Day is an opportunity to reflect on the
progress made to date, raise awareness about the challenges that remain to
achieve the goals of ending AIDS by 2030 and mobilize all stakeholders to
jointly redouble efforts to ensure the success of the HIV response.

LET
COMMUNITIES LEAD!

The world can end AIDS, with communities leading the
way. In 2022, an estimated 2.2 million people in the Western Pacific Region
were living with HIV. Each of these people, their families and the organizations
of communities living with, at risk of, or affected by the disease are shaping
the HIV response.

World AIDS Day 2023, under the theme, “Let
communities lead”, is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made to date,
to raise awareness about the challenges that remain to achieve the goals of
ending AIDS by 2030 and to mobilize all stakeholders to jointly redouble
efforts to ensure the success of the HIV response.

People living with HIV and community health workers
play pivotal roles in driving and enhancing the HIV response, as well as global
health at large – including the quick response to mpox. Communities connect
people with person-centred public health services, build trust, innovate,
monitor implementation of policies and services, and hold health providers
accountable.

Today, many of the communities are being held back
in their leadership due to funding shortages, policy and regulatory hurdles,
capacity constraints, and crackdowns on the human rights of marginalized
communities, among others. Fully funding community advocates and health workers
is essential to the ultimate goal of ending AIDS.

This World AIDS Day is more than a celebration of
the achievements of communities; it is a call to action to enable and support
communities in their leadership roles. 