Benin
Benin to launch national AIDS programme by own means 

afrol News, 27 June - Beninese Prime Minister Bruno Amoussou yesterday told the United Nations General Assembly's special session on HIV/AIDS his government was set to "elaborate a National Strategic Plan to fight HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases for the period 2001-2005," using the poor country's own resources. Alt least 4 percent of the Beninese are infected by the virus.

Beninese PM, Bruno Amoussou, yesterday said Africa was giving the pandemic the high degree of attention that it warranted, but resources were needed to implement the continent's programmes to fight HIV/AIDS. He thus was in line with most African speakers at the UN special session - the first ever dedicated to one special disease.

Amoussou expressed support for Kofi Annan's initiative in creating a Global Fund to fight the scourge, which affected all regions of the world, particularly the poorest. "The people of Africa expect much of this special session," he said. "It is up to us to ensure that the end of this gathering should not mark the end of hope to live for millions of human beings."

Turning to developments in his own country, Amoussou informed that Benin, little affected by African standards but much by global standards, counted 4.1 percent of its estimated 6,200,000 inhabitants infected by HIV, the virus causing AIDS. "Benin registered its first seropositive case in 1985. The prevalence is multiplying by ten every 10 years. It had reached 0.36 percent by 1990 and 4.1 percent by year 2000, especially affecting the active and young parts of the population."

Taking notice of the threats to productivity, the rapid spread of the pandemic and the frightening example of countries waiting too long before taking action, Amoussou said his government was working on new programs to meet the threat. The new AIDS Programme was to be "an essential part of our strategy of development and of poverty eradication," Amoussou said, emphasising on the direct connection between poverty and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Reminding his audience that Benin is placed on the UN's list of 'Least Developed Countries', Amoussou noted the necessity of an international cooperation and funding to be able to answer this global threat. Together with other African countries, and in line with a recent OAU agreement, Benin is to spend at least 15 percent of its state expenditure on the health sector, thus indeed taking responsibility itself fighting HIV/AIDS nationally. Additional external funding however was needed.

- Within this framework, and in order to increase the national resources devoted to the fight against HIV/AIDS, Benin has decided to use a part of the means available following the debt release and encourage the creation of a Mutual Aid Fund for this purpose in cooperation the private sector, Amoussou stressed. "Additional resources amounting to approximately of US$ 3 millions were thus assigned to the activities of the National Program in 2001."

According to Solange Kouo Epa, head of the United Nations Theme Group on HIV/AIDS in Benin, the national government indeed has demonstrated its political engagement in coming to grips with the epidemic. "There is already great awareness in the country of the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, and we have worked hard to achieve this. The government has moved forward significantly," Epa recently stated. 

Sources: Based on UN sources and afrol archives

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