BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – The US government expressed positive feedback to how the Kingdom of Eswatini continues to handle the HIV epidemic. This happened during the opening of a PEPFAR Eswatini COP 2022 Strategic Planning Meeting.
The U.S. was represented by the U.S. Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeanne Maloney. Speaking during the opening of the meeting, the Ambassador said “We are here because we need government’s guidance & stakeholder input in this annual planning process to ensure that U.S. investments are strategically placed to both close the gaps that remain to controlling the epidemic, as well as position the country to protect and sustain the gains made for decades to come. I want to close by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini for their leadership and progress in the HIV response.”
Echoing the Ambassador’s sentiments, the U.S. Embassy Eswatini posted the following statement on their social media pages.
Speaking during the event, the Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said “We know some gaps persist across the cascade, especially in our first target: awareness of HIV status. These gaps are particularly conspicuous among men (compared to women) and young people (compared to older adults). Our HIV recent infection surveillance data show that our adolescent girls and young women remain at highest risk of new HIV infections.”
She added, “This COP planning exercise must address such gaps with innovative measures that can reach these groups and continue to address and break down outstanding barriers through an equitable and person-centred approach.”
The planning session for new HIV interventions Eswatini was held in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Eswatini.
