MALE SPEAKER: Well, good morning. Welcome to this special (MS?) on Botswana in Barcelona (MS?) on Sunday morning.

of course, it is my task to moderate this morning’s session. This meeting is sponsored by the African comprehensive HIV/AIDS partnerships, which collaborated efforts between the government of Botswana, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Merck Company Foundation and Merck and Co., Inc., (MS?) Company.

Living – having lived in Botswana in the last 18 months, it feels very much to be like in the epicenter of the global response to the epidemic. And in the next two hours, we’d like to share with you I think the three components that makes this program in Botswana, in our opinion, unique.

First of all, we’d like to share with you the way that Botswana people and the government of Botswana, and all the other partners, are a process of developing and implementing a truly comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy through a participating processes and mobilization of all sectors and stakeholders.

Secondly, Botswana took the position to implement advanced levels of HIV/AIDS care, including the introduction of antiretroviral therapy in the public sector. And the first, I think, unique component of the Botswana program is that they proactively, the government, (MS?) public, private partnerships that could serve as models for other countries affected by the HIV epidemic.

Our objective is not only to share information, but in addition, we invite your participation and response to what you will see and hear in the next two hours. The structure of the program this morning is that we will start with three presentations that will give you an overview of the current situation and response.

It will be followed by a panel of brief presentations on components of the national response. And then we conclude in a question and answer session where we will be looking forward to your contribution.

But before starting with the actual presentations, we’d like to show you some moving images, allowing to familiarize yourself with this beautiful country and its people.

[clip rolls]

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?) on the continent of Africa. But most of (MS?) in Africa (MS?). Although its population is 1.7 million and small, it has a huge heart. I am an AIDS orphan, who has great hope for the future.

I am (MS?). I live here in (MS?), the capital city of Botswana, a bustling and exciting place which is the most (MS?) fastest growing economies in the world. We live in peace here. Our government is fair and caring, and our future looks bright.

(MS?), there are wonderful tourist attractions. Wildlife, cattle farming, manufacturing, and most importantly, mining. We boast the largest diamond mine in the world. Sadly though, even the brightest of jewels may have some flaws, and we have a huge problem to deal with. It is a deadly virus, known as HIV/AIDS.

FEMALE SPEAKER: We have the highest percentage in the world.

MALE SPEAKER: Actually, that’s (MS?) 300,000 (MS?) infected.

FEMALE SPEAKER: We are faced with extinction.

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?).

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?).

MALE SPEAKER: I often come to this place. My mother is buried here. She died when I was just a baby. My father tested HIV positive. He died just before I was born. The official cause of death was given as tuberculosis, but it had actually been AIDS.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Stigma certainly hampers our efforts.

FEMALE SPEAKER: It is quite frightening.

MALE SPEAKER: We don’t want to talk about it.

MALE SPEAKER: No, I don’t know nothing about it.

MALE SPEAKER: Fortunately for me, my whole family realized the severity of my mother’s situation, as well as mine, because of my grandmother. Her older sister, who is now my guardian, insisted that she go for HIV testing. My uncle tells me that he was (MS?) to her. She was contacted before and after the test. Sadly, she tested HIV positive and lived only a few more months.

But in those last few months, grandmother had a great desire for me to live. She enrolled in the program for the prevention of multiple child transmission. The ARV drug and the drugs she was given saved my life. People like (MS?) and the (MS?)Care Program assisted my family. They helped my mother cope. And she died with dignity.

FEMALE SPEAKER: The ministry has got an HIV/AIDS management strategy.

MALE SPEAKER: The challenge is to try and get that same commitment at lower levels of government.

FEMALE SPEAKER: We are very fortunate. And we have many partnerships (MS?), in the United Nations family, the British International Development Agencies that will have a partnership, particularly for research and the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS partnership.

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?). And what were those contributions? I don’t (MS?) that are offering ARV therapy to the (MS?).

FEMALE SPEAKER: (MS?).

MALE SPEAKER: For all the reasons to know the status.

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?) HIV literature (MS?). And that in days to come, there will be millions of AIDS orphans in Africa. Despite our leader’s care and compassion for the people, what will it take to prevent this picture becoming this picture?

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?).

FEMALE SPEAKER: You should take care of yourself.

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?) HIV/AIDS. (MS?).

MALE SPEAKER: I am glad to be a citizen of a country where there will always be hope for tomorrow.

MALE SPEAKER: I think (MS?) in other communities (MS?) we have to try and work together.

MALE SPEAKER: (MS?) the most (MS?).

MALE SPEAKER: We have actually (MS?).

FEMALE SPEAKER: I’m convinced that we will make it (MS?) manageable disease.

FEMALE SPEAKER: But it’s an assessment challenge that we have got to overcome.

FEMALE SPEAKER: An entire village, (MS?).

MALE SPEAKER: Okay, I hope you enjoyed this.

(applause)

MALE SPEAKER: I hope you enjoyed this snapshot of life in Botswana. And it was produced and filmed by a local crew. And it’s now my honor and pleasure to introduce you to the Ministry of Health’s of Botswana, the honorable (MS?). Thank you.

(applause)

FEMALE SPEAKER: Thank you very much, Donald. Good evening or good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I beg your pardon.

I welcome you all to our symposium this morning. A global genocide of unprecedented proportions is unfolding around the world. Its scale and intensity has numbed many of our societies and bred denial, despair and ultimately submission.

The challenge is to turn this uncertainty and insecurity into an opportunity. You have just witnessed (MS?) story of hope, which begins with a promise of a new life. It begins with the defense of a precious and sacred right to growth, to development, and self-actualization that must be enjoyed by every human being from childhood to adulthood.

Being at the epicenter of the epidemic, Botswana has seen valued social economic gains, painstakingly acquired over decades of hard work and sacrifice decimated on the altar of disease and suffering. It has caught us by surprise.

Stealthily stalking against strike and swiftly at the heart, and deeply at the heart of the success of our nation, its people. No one can doubt that we in Botswana speak earnestly when we passionately call for aggressive, comprehensive global action.

The call is now beyond the moral imperatives of yesterday. It is a strident call for survival. Botswana is not standing idly by and allowing this assassin to squeeze our last breath out of us. With all the might and resolve at our disposal, we have gathered our forces. We have sought alliances with valued allies, who have the wisdom, the foresight, and the resources to beat the enemy back together with us.

And we have launched an all-out assault to stop this nightmare. We are here today to tell you our story, to share with you as learned partners and allies in the global war against HIV/AIDS our experience. And above all, to seek your counsel and support in vanquishing this most treacherous of all enemies facing humanity today.

My colleagues will detail our strenuous efforts to launch the most far-reaching, comprehensive prevention, treatment and care program that our country has ever seen. You will learn that our battle has only just begun. And that, like most wars in the history of mankind, victory will be hard won. You will hear that (MS?) with HIV/AIDS itself, our greatest enemy is time. It refuses to wait.

We have to act swiftly and as broadly as possible to launch and to blunt the devastation of this human tragedy. Our comprehensive strategy is still in its early stages. And the rate of infection still exceeds the pace of the rollout of our critical programs and initiatives, both in the private and the public sectors. You will hear that one of our greatest challenges as a nation, and indeed as a third world region, the Southern African Development Community is the coordination of our war against HIV/AIDS.

The sum of our individual efforts must be greater than the whole, if we are to overtake the rate of infection and make up for lost time. The political and social economic interdependence of the various countries in our region, together with the increased mobility of people sitting (MS?) opportunities from one country to another, necessitated the creation of the Southern African Development Community.

The same rationale dictates a coordinated assault on HIV/AIDS. You, friends, allies from the global community have the technical, economic, and human resources to win this war. I plead with you that we gently commit to a common resolve, to invest heavily in a united structured attack on all fronts: in the home, in the workplace, in the classroom, in the health service, in all sectors of our society, even in our places of worship, and in the broader global community, the engagement must be absolute.

It is my government’s fervent hope and prayer that the political commitment given to the global war against HIV/AIDS at the U.N. General Assembly in June last year will be transmitted into coordinated and concerted support and action at global, regional, and national levels.

We believe we have made an important and encouraging start at a national level in Botswana. But no, it is not enough. Grateful as we are for the generous contributions and support of our allies in the war against HIV/AIDS, we continue to seek ways and means of alleviating capacity constraints, particularly in respect of the recruitment of the healthcare professionals that are critical to fighting this war.

The developed economies could enhance the effectiveness of our interventions by filling this crippling vacuum. I was particularly pleased by the attention HIV/AIDS received at the recent World Economic Forum in Durban, South Africa. The NEPA [sp] initiative will need to make HIV/AIDS a priority to be (MS?) transmitted into concrete action, in order to achieve the social economic targets that are envisaged for Africa.

Please allow me to express our gratitude as a country to all of you in (MS?) allies in the war against this ravaging monster. We are all engaged in a fight to the death. It is a good fight for the survival of the human race and the protection of life as we know it. We have fight with – on our mind. Because it is HIV/AIDS that must die and not our people.

Botswana is an ally you can all count on. We shall not rest until the scourge is finally eradicated from within and from outside our borders. Failure is not an option for the world. Friends, listen well. We have an experience to share with you, and I thank you for your kind attention.

(applause)

MALE SPEAKER: Thank you, minister, for your inspiring words.