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Tinomuda Chakanyuka and Paidamoyo Chipunza, Senior Reporters
ZIMBABWE will be taking a leading role in the global HIV prevention agenda following its successful HIV programming, which emphasises more on prevention, among other strategies.

Zimbabwe has been leading this agenda in the East and Southern African (ESA) region since its launch last July during the International Aids Conference, which took place in Durban, South Africa.

Addressing journalists at a press conference soon after the official opening of the ESA expert meeting on HIV prevention revitalisation meeting in Victoria Falls, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said prevention was key to curbing HIV and Aids.

“For us to win the HIV/Aids fight let us close the tap of new infections. We want to look at what we have not been doing. Collectively we can catalyse this process,” he said.

He said Zimbabwe had witnessed notable achievements in its fight against HIV since the country’s first HIV case was detected in 1985.

Dr Parirenyatwa attributed Zimbabwe’s successes in HIV programming to strong political will and leadership led by President Mugabe, who is also the patron of the National Aids Council.

UNAids deputy director and assistant secretary general Dr Luiz Loures called on the world to rally behind the prevention agenda to defeat Aids.

“This to me is the main task. We need the African Union mobilised, we need the United Nations General Assembly mobilised we need all the Ministers of Health not only in Africa but globally mobilised behind the goal that Minister David (Parirenyatwa) is talking about. That is our priority at the moment, to put our services towards Zimbabwe to bring this agenda forward,” he said.

Dr Loures said the world was beginning to recognise that Zimbabwe had been right all along when the country emphasised on prevention as key in its fight against HIV.

“We need a shift, it is not a technical issue anymore and that is why as UNAids our job today is to mobilise the rest of the world behind the goal of Zimbabwe. We need to mobilise everybody because this is an international issue of interest to all of us.”

Dr Loures said the world needed about $1,7 billion to effectively move the prevention agenda forward yet at the moment only $700 million was available.

He said while treatment was important, countries must also prioritise prevention programmes to curb new infections which threatened to reverse the gains already made in current programming.

Speaking at the same occasion, The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria chief of staff in the office of the Executive Director Ms Marijke Wijnroks described Zimbabwe’s HIV fight as a success story.

“Zimbabwe clearly is a success story globally in fighting HIV. Zimbabwe has demonstrated the leadership and commitment to mitigate this epidemic. It was the first country to introduce HIV tax (the Aids Levy), so Zimbabwe is really a best practice when it comes to HIV,” said Ms Wijnroks.

She said the Global Fund was in support of the UNAIDS’s call for countries to rally behind Zimbabwe in HIV the prevention agenda.

Ms Wijnroks said in terms of funding from the Global Fund, Zimbabwe could apply for additional funding through another process known as the catalytic funding to fund its prevention agenda.

UNAids regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Professor Sheila Tlou, urged countries to consider Zimbabwe’s initiative on domestic funding mobilisation through the Aids Levy for sustainable programming.

“As regional director, the Zimbabwe example is a best practice. I have actually been able to sponsor countries in my region to come to Zimbabwe to learn about the Aids Levy so that they will be able to implement it because in the ultimately with the economic environment that we are in, we need more countries to have that sustainable financing,” she said.

Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Cde Cain Mathema, in his opening remarks, called for a paradigm shift in the fight against HIV if the set targets were to be met.

Over 21 countries from the ESA region are participating in the two day meeting which was also attended by researchers, scientists and academics from across the globe.