African leaders to meet in Zambia to discuss country responses to HIV/AIDS

Later this month, "[f]our former heads of state and other high-level African leaders who are the champions for a HIV/AIDS-free generation project" will travel to Zambia at the request of Zambian President Rupiah Banda for a meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the HIV/AIDS response in Africa, Times of Zambia/allAfrica.com reports.

The article names "Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano, Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa, Zambia's Kenneth Kaunda, former vice-president of Uganda Speciosa Wandira and Kenya's national AIDS control council chairperson, Miriam Were" as scheduled participants in the meetings, where leaders are expected to share how they are responding to HIV/AIDS in their respective countries.

National AIDS Council (NAC) spokesperson Justine Mwiinga "said during a media breakfast [last week] the champions would use the meeting to gain insight on progress and challenges towards the scaling up of HIV prevention initiatives in Zambia," according to the newspaper. Mwiinga "said the champions would further utilise the meeting to explore possible solutions to reduce new infections on HIV/AIDS."

Mwiinga "said in Lusaka [on Thursday] that current [NAC] chairperson, former Botswana president Festus Mogae would lead the delegation," the newspaper writes, noting that Zambia was selected for the site of the meeting "in order to encourage a renewed prevention drive towards a generation free of HIV/AIDS." The meeting will take place from October 19 through October 21 (10/1).