OAFLA reaffirms commitment to gender equality
The Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) has reaffirmed its commitment to continue to advocate gender equality and the empowerment of adolescent girls and young women to end gender-based violence.
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The members of OAFLA recognised that without programmes addressing specific vulnerabilities of adolescent girls and young women millions of girls will continue to be trapped in a cycle of poverty and inequality. In connection with this, they pledged to support intersectoral, multilevel and multicomponent actions to meet adolescent and young people’s health and wellbeing.
In that respect, the organisation pledged to advocate increasing domestic investment for adolescents and youth, ensure that sexual and reproductive health services are free from discrimination and promote comprehensive sexuality education, including making gender equality accessible to all youth.
OAFLA session
Members of OAFLA made the statement at a side event organised at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS in New York, USA, recently.
Renewed leadership
The first ladies acknowledged the renewed leadership and commitment of the United Nations member states, including organisations of women living with HIV and partners, in ensuring a fast-track response to HIV and pledged to leave no one behind in the next five years to achieve set targets.
“We the first ladies of Africa, together with first ladies from Latin America and Asia Pacific, will work with and for adolescent girls and young women to provide opportunities for equal rights in order to realise their full potential and create a safe and prosperous environment for their wellbeing and good health. Together, we will see to the end of the AIDS epidemic in 2030, and the promise of the SDG Agenda,” they stated, and added: “Furthermore, our fast-track mode for the AIDS response, over the next five years, provides compelling justification to focus on adolescent girls by maintaining HIV firmly on the political agenda and allowing our young people to guide the way for concrete action.
The first ladies also pledged to be concerned with the continued lack of engagement of adolescent girls and young women whose generation is at risk due to HIV.
New infections
The first ladies lamented that while great progress has been made in achieving the objective of universal services for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, new infections among adolescents were rather increasing. Globally, new HIV infections have declined by 38 per cent over the last 15 years but every hour in Africa, 26 adolescents aged 10-19 years are infected with HIV; leading to an estimated 250,000 new HIV infections in Africa alone, with adolescent girls and young women, aged 15 to 24, being most vulnerable.
OAFLA continues to work to empower and raise healthy, educated, confident and productive adolescents across the continent of Africa and beyond.
HIV campaign
Earlier this year, in February 2016, OAFLA launched “A United Continental “ALL-IN” Adolescent HIV Campaign” during the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health & Rights, in Accra, Ghana.
The campaign called for intensified efforts to prevent HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among adolescents through the concerted advocacy of African First Ladies and a vibrant and focused leadership of adolescents.
