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of the concerns raised and the commitments made during meetings in:
• Yaoundé, 18 January 2001 on the topic "promoting the development of generations of young Africans in the face of the permanent threat of AIDS";
• Marrackech,
20-22 April 2001 on "The girl child: a global movement";
• Bamako,
7 -8 May 2001 on "Curbing maternal and neonatal mortality in West and Central Africa";
• Libreville , 17-19 May 2001 on "The role of First Ladies in the face of persistent conflicts in Africa";
• Kigali,
20 - 22 May 2001 on "Children and AIDS prevention";
- Mindful of the international partnership framework of action against AIDS in Africa, the action plan of the OAU Heads of State and Government Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other infection diseases held in Abuja, Nigeria in April 2001 and the commitment declaration on HIV/AIDS of the 26th Special Session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/ AIDS, New York, June 2001;
- Considering the objectives of the Millennium Summit Declaration and of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in September 2002;
- Considering the fundamental concerns of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD);
- Considering the scope of the crisis caused by the alarming and inexorable spread of the AIDS epidemic and the risk of total collapse that it entails for African societies;
- Considering the consequences of social crises, the aggravation of poverty and all the suffering that they cause;
- Conscious of our respective roles as parents, educators and leaders;
- Convinced that there can be no sustainable development without the real and active involvement of women and the elite in general;
- Determined to contribute to the total development of our peoples and to the preservation and promotion of African cultures;
- Desirous of strengthening the spirit of co-operation, partnership and collaboration among stakeholders at national, regional and international level through a new approach of more active solidarity;
- Aware of the need to have a more conscious audience among our partners and our peoples;
- Determined to contribute effectively to the fight against all types of scourges plaguing Africa's development, in particular, HIV/AIDS and poverty;
- Desirous of pooling our efforts for more concerted and concrete action in order to alleviate suffering and effectively combat HIV/AIDS; |
