WAD 2024: ‘Follow the path of rights’.

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Extract from the article: La Journée mondiale de lutte contre le sida (JMS) a été célébrée le 1er décembre 2024 dans le monde entier. Au Togo, le secrétariat permanent du Conseil National de Lutte contre le Sida (SP/CNLS-IST) a animé une conférence de presse le vendredi 29 no

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World AIDS Day (WAD) was celebrated around the world on 1 December 2024. In Togo, the permanent secretariat of the Conseil National de Lutte contre le Sida (SP/CNLS-IST) held a press conference on Friday 29 November 2024 in Lomé to announce the event, whose theme this year was ‘Follow the path of rights’. The overall aim is to strengthen the promotion of human rights in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Togo. Togo is commemorating the day under the banner of this global theme, which sends out a strong message about promoting human rights in order to put an end to AIDS by 2030, as clearly emphasised by UNAIDS in its report ‘The Path that Ends AIDS’ 2024.

Respect for everyone's rights is an essential part of any effective response to HIV. By putting human rights at the heart of our concerns and putting communities at the heart of our actions, the world can end AIDS as a threat to public health by 2030.The considerable progress made in the fight against HIV is directly linked to the progress made in the protection of human rights.Prof. Vincent Pitché, National Coordinator of SP/CNLS-IST, pointed out that Togo was one of the first countries to adopt a law protecting people living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2005, which was improved in 2010.This legislation prohibits discrimination based on HIV status, whether in access to employment, civil status or administrative documents such as passports. 

This World AIDS Day is a call to action to protect the health of all by protecting the rights of all. Leaders must take the path of rights.Togo has already adopted this approach in its 2023-2026 national strategic plan to combat AIDS.Strategic axis 3 of this plan calls for the acceleration of the elimination of gender- and human rights-related obstacles to access and continued use of HIV services.  This provision is in line with the national priorities set out in the National Development Plan (NDP), Axis 3 of which aims to ‘consolidate social development and strengthen mechanisms for inclusion’. 

For Dr Kaaga Laconi, Programme Officer for HIV, Tuberculosis and Viral Hepatitis at WHO Togo, and representative of the United Nations System, the theme chosen is motivated by four (4) fundamental elements, including equitable access to health rights and the reduction of inequalities. «Inequalities must be eliminated to achieve the desired objectives... The other reason for this theme is to encourage a rights-based approach. The theme is therefore a call to adopt a holistic approach in the fight against AIDS», explained Kaaga Laconi.

Activities on the WDD 2024 programme

The celebrations will include a football match at the municipal stadium, followed by the Togo PEPFAR Awards ceremony, which rewards the health centres, associations and NGOs working to combat HIV/AIDS in Togo. The PEPFAR programme is the Presidential Emergency Plan to Combat AIDS.It is an international initiative of the US government to improve and save the lives of people infected with or at risk of HIV infection. 

‘This year, we will be talking about the triple elimination (HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis). Our aim is to raise awareness of AIDS. To do this, we plan to broadcast radio programmes and distribute female and male condoms’, said Simplice Anato, National President of the Platform of CSOs HIV-Health Togo. As a result, 82 structures will be mobilised to raise awareness among 210,000 people, distribute more than two (2) million condoms and screen 3,600 people for various diseases.

In 2023, HIV prevalence in Togo was 1.6%. Of the 105,000 people living with HIV, 90,239 had access to antiretroviral treatment.Prevention of mother-to-child transmission coverage was 85%.Progress has also been made in terms of mortality, with AIDS-related deaths falling from 6,600 in 2010 to 2,300 in 2023.

William O.