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American Emergency Plan Conference Offers New Strategies for Winning the War Against AIDS in Cote d’Ivoire (06/15/06)

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The joint American-Ivoirian delegation to one of the world’s largest conferences on HIV/AIDS is returning to Cote d’Ivoire with new ideas for defeating the disease, after attending the annual meeting of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (American Emergency Plan) in Durban, South Africa.  The conference, attended by 1,200 delegates from across the globe, presented the latest developments in global efforts to treat people living with AIDS, provide care for those affected by AIDS, and to prevent a new generation from becoming infected with the devastating disease.  The delegates to the meeting said they looked forward to putting in place many of the innovative ideas they learned about at the conference, which hold the promise of helping to rid Cote d’Ivoire of this scourge.

“We have learned about cutting-edge work being used to fight AIDS around the world and now we hope to put these new practices into place in our programs throughout Cote d’Ivoire,” said Dr. Monica Nolan, Technical Coordinator for the American Emergency Plan in Cote d’Ivoire, who was attending the conference in Durban.  “The success of the American Emergency Plan has been its ability to bring together disparate actors who have individually been working against the spread of HIV/AIDS in their communities and now can join forces with new resources.  This conference exemplifies this objective of building strong bridges of communication and partnership, in order that together, we can prevent new HIV infections, while providing desperately needed care and support to those living with HIV/AIDS in Cote d’Ivoire.”

The American Emergency Plan spent 23 billion CFA last year to support the efforts of the Ivoirian government, local organizations, and religious groups to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Cote d’Ivoire.  This is the largest initiative of its kind ever undertaken by any country.  Fifteen representatives from the Ivoirian Ministries of Health, the Fight Against AIDS, and Education, along with non-governmental organizations joined American Ambassador Aubrey Hooks and embassy officials at the conference in Durban.  The Ambassador will announce in the coming weeks the American Emergency Plan’s bilateral aid to fight AIDS in Cote d’Ivoire for 2006, said U.S. Embassy Spokesman Brett Bruen from the conference in South Africa.  This substantial support comes in addition to the 33% of the budget the United States provides to the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, making America the global leader in the fight against AIDS.