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Accra, Ghana—The United States, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), joined the government of Ghana in commemorating World AIDS Day 2020. Both nations highlighted the positive progress made toward reaching the goal of one generation HIV-free under the theme “Stay Safe, End AIDS by 2030.”
On November 30, PEPFAR hosted an online event to review the progress of its joint multi-stakeholder strategy to achieve control of the HIV epidemic in the Western region and highlight lessons learned and best practices. The event was attended by representatives of PEPFAR, Ghanaian government officials at the national and regional levels, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. The United States Agency for International Development Strengthening Continuity of Care Project, together with the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Ghana Health Service launched the joint strategy in 2019 in the Western Region to significantly decrease transmitting HIV and providing life-saving drugs for HIV-positive people. Through a variety of interventions across the HIV / AIDS service continuum, from outreach and case finding to retention of treatment and suppression of viral load, the partnership has yielded impressive results and is on track to achieve control of the epidemic in the western region by October 2021.
On December 1, the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan, spoke during the World AIDS Day 2020 Virtual Forum organized by the Ghana AIDS Commission. During her remarks, Ambassador Sullivan highlighted the proud and enduring partnership with the Government of Ghana to improve the health and well-being of Ghanaians. He also noted the continuing need to end stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, saying: “When people living with HIV feel safe and have uninterrupted access to HIV treatment, we are helping to keep them They, as well as ourselves and our communities safe elastic. ”Ambassador Sullivan was joined by representatives from UNAIDS, the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the National AIDS Control Program.
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About USAID
USAID is the lead agency of the United States government working to end extreme global poverty and enable democratic and resilient societies to realize their potential. USAID’s activities and strategic alliances support Ghana’s path to self-reliance and promote an integrated approach to development. It promotes accountability, sustainable systems and inclusive development.
World AIDS Day 2020
Theme: Global solidarity, shared responsibility; “Stay safe, let’s end AIDS by 2030”
Written Comments for the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan
Video transcript
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Greetings. My name is Stephanie Sullivan and I am the United States Ambassador to Ghana. I am pleased to join you virtually in commemorating World AIDS Day 2020.
The United States Government has a long and proud relationship with the Government of Ghana to improve the health and well-being of Ghanaians. We have worked closely with the Ghanaian government, civil society and other partners for decades to combat the spread of HIV. Who can forget the 1999 social marketing campaign “If it’s not on, it’s not on”? Efforts intensified with the introduction of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (known as PEPFAR) in Ghana in 2008.
PEPFAR is the largest commitment of any nation in history to combat a single disease. Launched in 2003, PEPFAR has transformed HIV infection from a death sentence to a disease that we can treat and manage effectively. Through our collaboration with governments and partners in more than 50 countries, we have changed the narrative around the HIV / AIDS epidemic from a global health crisis to global action to achieve control and elimination of the HIV epidemic. HIV.
To date, the United States has invested more than $ 85 billion in the global response to HIV / AIDS through PEPFAR and is the largest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Countries around the world, including Ghana, have benefited significantly from this long-term partnership.
Since 2008, through PEPFAR, the American people have provided approximately $ 140 million to help Ghana prevent the spread of HIV and ensure the sustained health of those living with the virus through effective treatment. Today, people infected with HIV can lead healthy and productive lives as long as they know their positive status and start and continue receiving treatment. The good news is that treatment that suppresses the amount of virus detected in a patient’s blood actually prevents the transmission of the HIV virus to other people. Undetectable equals untransmittable. Remember: U = U!
But effective treatment is only part of the solution. Stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV often cause people to avoid getting tested, disclosing their status, seeking treatment and continuing to take the medicine that saves lives and will also stop the spread of the disease to others . When a member of our community is stigmatized or unable to access services, it threatens their livelihood, the health of their families, and the community at large. We must continue to end stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. They are our relatives, neighbors and friends.
Together with our partners, we support the Government of Ghana’s response to HIV / AIDS to ensure that Ghanaians overcome stigma and discrimination and have access to quality HIV testing and treatment services. During the last 12 months, PEPFAR supported the Government of Ghana to test 121,332 people; diagnose 5,321 HIV positive people; and start antiretroviral therapy for 4,502 people.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility” and Ghana has embraced the theme: “Stay Safe, End AIDS by 2030”. These two issues essentially mean that no one is safe until everyone is safe and that we must all work together to end HIV / AIDS. When people living with HIV feel safe and have uninterrupted access to HIV treatment, we are helping to keep them, as well as ourselves and our communities, safe.
We look forward to continuing our work together to ensure that Ghana achieves its vision of ending AIDS by 2030.
Thank you.
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