Statements and Webcast
Sudan
H. E. Mr. Majeed Youssif, Head of Delegation
9 June 2011
- Statement: English (Check against delivery)
Statement Summary
MAJEED YOUSSIF (Sudan) said his country had an HIV prevalence of about 2.6 per cent. But, the rate was reported to be over 3 per cent among pregnant women in Southern Sudan. With peace prevailing and mobility restored, Southern Sudan was likely to experience a rapid increase in HIV prevalence that could reach as high as 6 per cent by 2015. Sudan had achieved progress, however. It had developed a five-year national strategic framework and monitoring system, guidelines for treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission and for mainstreaming HIV treatment and issues into the line ministries. Those efforts aimed to reduce mother-to-child transmission from 30 per cent to 10 per cent and to increase care and support services for people living with HIV from 10 per cent to 30 per cent by 2014. Sudan was working to finalize a biological and behavioural survey to determine HIV prevalence accurately.
The Government was committed to fighting HIV/AIDS by ensuring universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support services, he said. To do that, it was developing an effective resource mobilization and utilization strategy, scaling up access to quality services, building national and local capacity to plan and coordinate a response to HIV, and developing sustained public awareness campaigns. The Global Fund currently was the only source of funding for antiretroviral therapy and HIV care services in Sudan. The multi-donor trust fund supported the capacity-building of relevant Government institutions and civil society organizations. The two sources of HIV funding in Southern Sudan would end in July, creating a huge gap in service delivery. He urged the international community to enhance capacity-building support to Sudan and other developing countries to ensure continuity of HIV/AIDS services to needy people.
Source: GA/11090