Speeches

Commemoration of World AIDS Day

VENUE: Tabora

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Remarks by Ambassador Mark Green (draft)

Mheshimiwa Rais Kikwete (Honorable President Kikwete)
Waheshimiwa Mawaziri (Honorable Ministers)
Waheshimiwa Mabalozi (Honorable Ambassadors)
Watu wa Tabora! (People of Musoma)
Asanteni sana kwa kuwa hapa leo. (Thank you for being here for today’s ceremony).

Habari! Before I begin my prepared remarks, I would like to take a few moments to discuss the importance of the universal fight against HIV. The battle against HIV is one that is being fought in every country around the world, including my own. It is a battle that is fought in every city, whether that city is Morogoro or Milwaukee.

Each of the donors that I represent today comes from a country that, like Tanzania, is also fighting HIV. World AIDS Day is just that, a day for the World to remember that our fight against this disease is global in nature.

As a former Parliamentarian, I have intimate knowledge of what the face of HIV looks like in America, in my home state of Wisconsin, and in my home district of Green Bay. I'd like to relate one anecdote to let you know that Tanzanians are not alone in fighting this scourge.

We all suffer from this dreaded disease and its effects. I know and understand the global significance of fighting HIV--at home in America--and in my new home here in Tanzania.

On behalf of the bilateral members of the Donor Partner Group on HIV and AIDS, it is an honor for me to join you here today to commemorate World AIDS Day. As we gather together, let us recognize the importance of all of our efforts to stop the spread of HIV, to treat those that are already infected and to care for those that are being impacted by this disease. Today provides us with the opportunity to review what we have already accomplished together, to acknowledge the challenges of today and to embrace our unified vision for tomorrow.

LEADERSHIP
Our vision is clear and has been reinforced by President Kikwete's statement: “Tanzania without AIDS is possible”. It is a vision made possible by our combined efforts that applies to every aspect of the work that we are doing as donors and the choices and actions that you, as an individual and citizen, are taking every day.

President Kikwete’s leadership is having an impact here throughout Tanzania, but his words are also being heard internationally. Recently, a news film crew from outside Tanzania came to Dar es Salaam to learn more about efforts to fight AIDS in Tanzania. While here, they had the opportunity to speak with a church elder that was getting tested as a part of the National Testing Campaign. When asked why she had come for testing she said it is so important to get tested. She said that for years she told the young women in her community that it is important to know their status, but she herself had never been tested and did not know her own status. She told the news crew that when she saw her country's President--and the President's wife--getting tested, she knew it was time to get tested too. Mr. President, you and Mama Kikwete provide the best example for couples' counseling and testing.

This woman who spoke to the news crew is only one of several thousands of Tanzanians that stepped forward to get tested as a result of the president’s National Testing Campaign. Mr. President, your leadership and commitment to the health of Tanzania's sons and daughters has given countless Tanzanian citizens the courage to seek life-changing knowledge about their health.

Strong leadership, as exemplified by the president, is essential if we are to overcome this dreaded scourge and successfully stop the spread of HIV. As leaders, we not only represent our fellow citizens, our districts, wards and villages; we speak to them as well. As leaders of Tanzania, each and every one of you is paving the way towards a nation without AIDS--again in President Kikwete's vision that Tanzania without AIDS is possible.

It is possible because you are laying the groundwork so that individuals impacted by the disease are cared for and those that are living free of HIV can remain that way.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE
With leadership comes responsibility. As leaders, we must together ensure that all HIV programming is transparent and that every committed individual working to fight HIV is being held accountable. There can be no greater disservice to the thousands of individuals living with-- and affected by HIV and AIDS-- than the bad actions of a few individuals coupled with a lack of accountability. We must all work together to strengthen anti-corruption efforts. We must work together to maximize the sustainability of what we are all working so hard to build together.

What we are building together is remarkable. It is making a difference. It is bringing us closer to the vision that Tanzania without AIDS is possible. In the short time that I have been in Tanzania, I have witnessed the outstanding compassion, the outstanding commitment and the outstanding expertise of individuals working to eliminate HIV throughout this country, from Arusha to Zanzibar. I have heard of the engagement and dedication on the part of the Regional Health Commissioners, the District Health Management Teams, and other local health authorities. I have seen how the coming together of donor partners, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has led to the successful implementation of treatment regionalization and the intention to expand that plan to other service areas. And I have seen, through the various funding mechanisms of donor partners, how Tanzania is able to respond to HIV in both an immediate and a long-term way.

COMPLEMENTARY NATURE OF DONOR INTERVENTIONS
Because HIV/AIDS is a disease of emergency, a varied approach is exactly what we need to take to make the most impact. We, as a global community working together in partnership, must come together to help people today – answering the demands at the service level, while simultaneously strengthening national health systems. Together, that is what we are doing. Through our complimentary funding mechanisms, we are able to not only care for those that need our help today, but also build transparent, sustainable, fully functioning Tanzanian health systems that can carry us into tomorrow and truly capture the possibility of our vision of a Tanzania without AIDS.

POLICY AND SERVICE INNOVATIONS
Standing before you today, I ask that we now take our efforts to the next level. Let us embrace the newest methods and innovations for fighting HIV. Let us push for innovation in services as articulated in the Tanzania Multi-sectoral Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS, especially ensuring the needed linkages between the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission and Reproductive and Child Health Services; using the best and easiest HIV testing methods, including finger-prick testing, and mobilizing a dynamic and energetic HIV prevention campaign that includes an emphasis on youth and most at risk populations and incorporates medical interventions like male circumcision. Let us best utilize the tools that we have in our hands to bring about the possibility of a Tanzania without AIDS.

GLOBAL FUND
In addition to the bilateral support Tanzania receives from all her partners, let us capitalize on the grant assistance offered through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. These performance based grants allow for the implementation and growth of sustainable programs, but as leaders we, and in particular the Government of Tanzania, must step forward and ensure that continued delays in Global Fund grants implementation are overcome and that these life-saving programs become high-performing and highly-accountable.

HIV/AIDS BILL
And, finally, let us support the increase of all legislation surrounding HIV policy. It is a true testament to this nation’s commitment to fighting HIV that the First Reading of the HIV/AIDS bill is imminent. As this landmark legislation moves forward, we encourage every citizen’s commitment and involvement in this review and we, as a donor group, stand ready to assist Tanzanians in any and every way possible.

In closing, I would like to congratulate all of you on your commitment, your dedication and your leadership. Each and every person here today is capable of making a difference. We truly believe we can come to have a Tanzania without AIDS and together we can make this vision a reality.

Asenteni sana!

Thank you.