The Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe, called on the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this afternoon, at the Treasury Building in Port Louis.
In a statement, Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe explained that she is in Mauritius to meet and talk with the leaders, Ministers and various stakeholders regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 deadline, pertaining to end AIDS as a public health threat, which is fast approaching.
According to the UNAIDS Regional Director, Mauritius had performed exceptionally well and could be among the first countries to reach the end of AIDS. To attain this outcome, Ms Anne Githuku-Shongwe stated that there was the necessity to identify gaps and areas to address so as to move forward.
Speaking on her meeting with the Prime Minister, the UNAIDS Regional Director affirmed that the focus of discussion was, among others, the ways and means to reach the pockets of communities that were most vulnerable to AIDS, such as people who inject drugs or engage in transactional sex work. She stressed that the objective is to ensure that everybody get the health, protection, prevention and treatment services required.
