Speech by: W/o Netsanet Asfaw

State Minister of Information

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to be present today for the inauguration of the AIDS Resource Center.

The threat posed by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia is well known to all of us who have gathered here today. Clearly, with 7.3% of adults infected in Ethiopia, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is no longer only a health problem. We have watched AIDS claim the lives of our friends and family. As the epidemic has accelerated, we have also found that HIV/AIDS threatens our traditions, our family structures, our productivity, and our pride as a nation. We now know that we cannot ignore HIV/AIDS in the calculus of economic and social development. We have come here today as leaders from many different sectors of government, the health professions, the media, and NGOs with various missions. All of us have critical roles to play in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and we are acutely aware of all that we do not know, and how much remains to be done.

When he was visiting Addis Ababa on the eve of World AIDS Day last week, UNAIDS head Peter Piot said that “discrimination and stigma continue to stand as barriers. Stigma silences individuals and communities, diminishes their power, increases their vulnerability, isolates people, and deprives them of care and support.” Fear of stigma is silencing us, silencing our neighbors, and silencing our nation’s response to HIV/AIDS. The causes of stigma are simple ignorance and fear. Only where there is reliable information, and commitment to straightforward communication of this information, can ignorance and fear be erased. Up until this point, reliable information has been scarce and often difficult to locate in Ethiopia.

Today’s opening of the AIDS Resource Center is an historic event. Never before in Ethiopia has such a wide range of information and services on HIV/AIDS and related issues been accessible from one place. Never has there been such a powerful weapon against the ignorance that gives rise to stigma. It is my hope that the AIDS Resource Center will be the first destination of researchers looking for current scientific journal articles and clinical textbooks. It is my hope that the AIDS Resource Center will be a reference center and training hub for journalists striving to strike that elusive balance between promoting awareness and decreasing stigma. It is my hope that the AIDS Resource Center will house plentiful examples of best practices and effective approaches to guide the efforts of local organizations designing communication messages and intervention programs will find.

As President Girma Wolde Giorgis stated in his speech on World AIDS Day this year, “Let us unite to show our love to people living with HIV/AIDS and enable them resist the pain of the disease and live longer lives. It is then that we can reduce the number of children orphaned by AIDS and save the lives of many productive citizens.” Together, we must unite our material and human resources to stop the spread of HIV. The AIDS Resource Center offers us this opportunity. As a truly national hub of HIV/AIDS, STD, and TB information for Ethiopia, the AIDS Resource Center serves as a springboard for all HIV/AIDS activities in the country. With plans for a network of regional centers under development, I am comforted in knowing that the benefits of this AIDS Resource Center will extend beyond the people of Addis Ababa.

Thanks first to HAPCO for their support for this landmark initiative. As people discover the wealth of materials and services offered by the AIDS Resource Center, I am certain the AIDS Resource Center will become a great source of pride for HAPCO. I would also like to thank the US government, specifically the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for funding this project. I would also like to thank Johns Hopkins University and Analytical Sciences Incorporated for their technical expertise. These contributions helped to bring this much-needed AIDS Resource Center to fruition. The commitment of the US government to fight HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia through initiatives like the AIDS Resource Center is a clear sign of their friendship, for which we are grateful.