unaids_lancet banquet statement

7/28/2019 UNAIDS_Lancet Banquet Statement

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WELCOME REMARKS

BY

HER EXCELLENCY DR JOYCE BANDA,

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI

AT

STATE DINNER ORGANISED IN HONOUR OF

THE UNAIDS-LANCET COMMISSION:FROM AIDS TO SUSTAINABLE HEALTH

AT

KAMUZU PALACE

LILONGWE, MALAWI

FRIDAY, 28 JUNE 2013

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Your Excellency Chief Justice Richard Banda, SC

(Rtd);

Your Excellency Festus Mogae, Former President of

Botswana;

Prof. Peter Piot, Director, London School of Hygiene

and Tropical Medicine and Co-Chair;

Madame Jeanette Kagame, First Lady of Rwanda;

Madame Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, First Lady of Gabon;

Dr Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS and

Convenor;

Dr Richard Harton, Editor of Lancet and Convenor;

Dr Mark Dybul, The Executive Director of The Global

Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria;

Dr Donald Kaberuka, President of the African

Development Bank;

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Dr Pascal Lamy, Director-General of World Trade

Organization;

Esteemed Commissioners;

Honorable Ministers and Deputy Ministers here

present;

The Secretary General and all National Executive

members of the Peoples Party;

Invited Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, My Team,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is with great joy and a sigh of relief that I welcome you to

Kamuzu Palace and to this dinner tonight. I am more than

delighted that despite your busy schedules and engagements,

you felt it important to honour my invitation to come to Malawi

and attend this important meeting, which has been tasked with

the objective of mapping the ways and means of attaining the

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three zeros: zero new infections, zero stigma and zero AIDS-

related deaths.

It is my deep pleasure to host this dinner and to commend your

immense contributions to the fight against this epidemic and its

related vices.

Personally and as a leader, I feel greatly inspired to be among

all of you; people full of passion and determination in the quest

to defeat AIDS. The spirit of unity of purpose so far

demonstrated by each of you cannot be taken for granted, and

so please be assured that you have a partner in me.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

A decade ago, our resolve to defeat this epidemic looked like a

pipedream but today we have traversed from despair to hope

because we know what works and what doesnt work.

Being a woman and a mother, as well as President, I believe I

have a role to make sure that this epidemic is defeated. The

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face of AIDS in Africa is overwhelmingly young and female.

The majority of the people living with the condition and

burdened with care are women. I therefore would like to invite

you all to join hands with us in seeing this disease arrested.

This will call for innovation, adequate resourcing and thinking

outside the box if we are to achieve our desired goal.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am greatly honoured to have been invited to Co-Chair the

Commission, together with Professor Peter Piot, Director of the

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Her

Excellency Dr Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union

Commission. Dr Dlamini-Zuma has been unable to join us for

this first meeting, and her presence has been missed. We look

forward to the benefit of her wisdom and experience at future

meetings.

I wish to thank the convenors of the Commission, Dr Michel

Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS and Richard Harton of

the Lancet, for their efforts and commitment to bring us

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together. Allow me also to acknowledge the efforts of the

UNAIDS team, as well as my team, led by the Chief Secretary,

Mrs Hawa Ndilowe and the National AIDS Commission, for

their hard work to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman:

I wish to once again welcome you all to Malawi and for coming

to Kamuzu Palace.

It is now my singular honour and privilege to invite you all

to toast to the defeat of HIV globally.

I thank you for your attention; enjoy the dinner and our

exchange tonight. God Bless You All.

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