World AIDS Day 2010 Concept Note

"I AM RESPONSIBLE... WE ARE RESPONSIBLE... SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY..."

These three phrases, made up the theme of World AIDS Day 2009, and also provided the impetus to South Africa, to set sail on a journey towards the improvement of the health system and dedicated commitment to addressing the HIV epidemic that faced the country.

On December 1 2009 , President Zuma called on each South African to take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. President Zuma announced that government would put into place policies that will support the scale-up of anti-retroviral treatment to those in need. The policies became law on April 1 2010. Setting the example at the launch of the HCT campaign, President Zuma called on each and every South African to demonstrate that they are responsible by taking an HIV test. On April 25, 2010, the South African National AIDS Council, and the National Department of Health embarked on a massive HIV Counselling and testing Campaign. Its aim was to test 15 million South Africans in 15 months. Since then, more than 2,6 million South Africans have shown that "I AM RESPONSIBLE" by testing for HIV.

Eight months since the introduction of the policies, and the launch of the HCT campaign, some challenges are emerging. These include insufficient human capacity, a weakened health system and sectors of society that continue to show little change in their behaviour towards preventing HIV infections.

On December 1, 2010 – the 22nd commemoration World AIDS Day - South Africans will take the next step in the journey towards being responsible citizens whose rights are protected under the law. President Zuma will call on the nation to demonstrate how, collectively we can start to address and overcome the challenges of HIV. 2011 needs to be a year where South Africans take collective responsibility to ensure that year where South Africans take collective responsibility to ensure that

1. We support and influence people within our sphere of influence to reduce risky sexual behaviour in order to prevent the spread of HIV;
2. We continue to test and influence other to test for HIV and TB as a routine way of ensuring we make the correct healthy lifestyle choices - irrespective of status; and
3. We begin a dialogue amongst South Africans, in our homes, communities, workplaces and places of worship, to support a process that will assist the country in the development of the next National Strategy that will guide our response from 2012 – 2016; and
4. All sectors of society start to interrogate their role as sectors and communities in addressing the epidemic and show that WE ARE RESPONSIBLE for each other in ensuring a healthy society.

These dialogues will begin a process that will assist SANAC and the Department of Health to ensure that input from all sectors of society are considered when we develop the next HIV and AIDS, STi and TB Strategic Plan 2012 – 2016, the blueprint which will guide South Africa on the journey towards an AIDS free society. To this end, Government has embarked on a concerted effort to address emergent challenges, by ensuring a conducive policy environment; stable financial resources to support the response; increase in the number of sites providing treatment for HIV and by training additional staff to provide testing and counselling. But much still needs to be done.

With 14 months to go before the end of the current NSP, the process towards the development of the next HIV and AIDS, TB and STi National Strategic Plan 2012 – 2016 must be completed by the third quarter of 2011, in order to ensure that processes of budgeting and approvals are taken into account when the plan comes live in 2012.

Over the next year SANAC will embark on a process of consultation with all sectors of society to ensure that by December 1, 2012 , this nation demonstrates that SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY by presenting an NSP that has seen contributions from across the nation.

The WAC provides us with the opportunity to reinforce our commitment to the NSP and the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) Campaign and to show South Africans that commitment in practical terms – by taking the discussions to the people to listen to the wisdom emanating from the ground.

SANAC, in partnership with civil society, will ensure that support mechanisms are in place to enhance the dialogues thus ensuring that ordinary South Africans are able to contribute to the HIV and AIDS response by being heard in the development of the most critical strategy that will guide South Africa over the next 5 years.

World AIDS Day Campaign 2010-2011 Objectives

• To commemorate and celebrate WAD 2010 and 2011 by sharing with South Africans the developments towards the improvement of the health systems within the country since the previous WAD;
• To mobilize South Africans to increase uptake of the HCT campaign; and
• To begin a series of community dialogues that will ensure the effective consultation and input of all South Africans into the process of developing the NSP 2012 – 2016;

World AIDS Day Campaign Theme 2010 and 2011

• The theme for World AIDS Day 2009 addressed individual responsibility and accountability by mobilizing South Africans to know their health status and test for TB, HIV and other lifestyle diseases. "I am responsible"
• The theme for 2010, will address the collective responsibility of South Africans by enabling communities to dialogue on issues that affect their health and how this could be changed in next NSP. "We are responsible..."
• The theme for 2011 will demonstrate South Africa's responsibility towards HIV – "South Africa is taking Responsibility"

SANAC will request that the Single Theme of collective responsibility be incorporated into the existing World Aids Day planning of the 19 Sectors including functioning provincial structures, the private sector and partners.

World AIDS Day 2010

South Africans have heard from their leaders, and have taken on the responsibility of enhancing the healthy lifestyle approach. The individual South African has begun the journey towards a healthier citizen. However, without the support of partners, family, communities, government and other social support systems, the individuals’ endeavour to achieve a healthy lifestyle is challenged.

The commemorations on World AIDS Day 2010 will provide South Africa with an insight into the health system as well as hearing from the highest leadership, what South Africa intends doing in the year to come in response to HIV and AIDS. This will see President Jacob Zuma giving his second HIV and AIDS Address to the Nation, which will:

• Be a powerful statement demonstrating government's delivery on commitments made in 2009 - thus symbolizing South Africa's responsibility;
• Firmly communicate government's leadership in addressing HIV and AIDS through the HCT campaign; and
• Encouraging involvement in the World AIDS Day Campaign towards the development of the next NSP.