Alexander Lukashenko and Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, UN Under-Secretary-General, have discussed Belarus’ major successes in fighting HIV.
The UNAIDS, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, was established in 1994. This meeting is the first high-level visit in the history of Belarus - UNAIDS cooperation. It is this cooperation that has helped the progress of the Belarusian medicine in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS.
Alexander Lukashenko awarded Michel Sidibé with the honorary Medal of the Order of Francysk Skaryna for his contribution to healthcare in Belarus. Thanks to UNAIDS, Belarus has received more than 70 million dollars for implementing a wide range of medical projects. The money was used for buying the necessary medicine, laboratory equipment, as well as for setting up a HIV/AIDS prevention system.
Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, UN Under-Secretary: “Belarus has made a major breakthrough in fighting HIV/AIDS not only due to the help of UNAIDS, but also due to your wise leadership. For me, it is a great honour to receive this award presented to me by the President. Your country is among the first countries that have achieved great results in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Belarus is an example of a country where the next generation may not be affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS. We have walked a long way and we have dreamt a lot about this moment.”
International experts estimate, Belarus can become the first country in Eastern Europe and Central Asia that can achieve the UN goals to eliminate new HIV infections and substantially reduce AIDS-related deaths by 2020.
Since 2000, more than 4,000 new HIV infections and 2,000 AIDS-related deaths have been prevented in Belarus. Cases of HIV/AIDS in young people have fallen by more than half.
