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| President Buhari addressing the 70th UN General Assembly (Image source: nairaland) |
On Friday, September 25th,
President Buhari addressed the 70th Session of the United Nations General
Assembly. The
President who was accompanied by the Governors of Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger
States, the National Security Adviser and the Permanent Secretaries in the
Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Health, Industry,
Trade and Investment left for New York on Tuesday.
GRAPHITTI
NEWS report continues:
He
is also scheduled to address the World Leaders Summit on Violent Extremism to
which he was personally invited by Mr. Ban Ki Moon during the
Secretary-General’s recent visit to Nigeria.
Also
on the President busy schedule in New York are a meeting of the African Union’s
Peace and Security Council, a High-Level Roundtable on South-South Cooperation
organised by President Xi Jinping of China and the United Nations, and
participation in the launching of an updated global health strategy for women
and children.
On
President Buhari’s schedule too are meetings with former President Bill Clinton
of the United States, Mr. Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
which is assisting Nigeria in several areas including polio eradication, and
former Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain, the United Nations Special Envoy
on Global Education who is one of the main drivers of the Safe Schools
Initiative.
The President will conclude
his visit to New York on Tuesday, September 29 and leave the city for Abuja on
the same day. |
| Image source: nairaland |
STATEMENT
BY: H.E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE
70TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNITED NATIONS HEADQUATERS, NEW YORK ON
25TH, SEPTEMBER 2015
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to this important event. Let me express
Nigeria's sincere appreciation to UN-AIDS for the support and collaboration in
organizing this event.
2. We are on the threshold of history as world leaders adopt the successor development agenda to the Millennium Development Goals. For over 30 years, HIV as a public health challenge has been causing havoc and untold hardship in virtually every part of the world. To date, several million children have been orphaned and some communities have been devastated, while economic activities have been disrupted.
2. We are on the threshold of history as world leaders adopt the successor development agenda to the Millennium Development Goals. For over 30 years, HIV as a public health challenge has been causing havoc and untold hardship in virtually every part of the world. To date, several million children have been orphaned and some communities have been devastated, while economic activities have been disrupted.
3.
Unfortunately, Sub -Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate burden of this
epidemic. The good news is that the effort of the global community has resulted
in greater control, less spread and better management.
4.
Furthermore, we have made significant progress towards the interception of
mother to child transmission of HIV. In 2014 alone, over 3million pregnant
women were tested for HIV and 63,000 of these tested women, accessed anti -
retroviral therapy. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
5. What is required in our continued fight against HIV/AIDS is improved health delivery system, education, and cheaper production of anti - retroviral drugs through technology exchange. Our countries should also look at the whole field of medicare and strengthen our partnership with all stakeholders including the civil society, inter- faith and cultural bodies for education and dissemination of information at all levels. Nigeria will also like to call upon all pharmaceutical companies for more cooperation and understanding in reducing the cost of anti - retroviral drugs through production of generic items. Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates.
5. What is required in our continued fight against HIV/AIDS is improved health delivery system, education, and cheaper production of anti - retroviral drugs through technology exchange. Our countries should also look at the whole field of medicare and strengthen our partnership with all stakeholders including the civil society, inter- faith and cultural bodies for education and dissemination of information at all levels. Nigeria will also like to call upon all pharmaceutical companies for more cooperation and understanding in reducing the cost of anti - retroviral drugs through production of generic items. Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates.
6.
Nigeria will continue to work with development partners and key stakeholders to
strengthen the means of implementation of the SDGs as elaborated in the Post-
2015 Development Agenda. At the continental level, Nigeria remains fully
committed to the outcome of the Abuja process as evident in the 2002
Declaration, the Action Framework on Roll – Back Malaria. In addition, the 2013
Abuja + 12 Declaration is a strong commitment towards eliminating HIV and AIDs
in Africa by 2030. Globally, the United Nations Political Declaration on HIV
and AIDS of 2011 is a major reference point for intensifying efforts to
eliminate the epidemic.
7.
Nigeria appreciates the support of our development partners for their support
and commitment to the total eradication of HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria
as well as other deadly communicable diseases, for example Ebola, when an
epidemic arises.
8. I
therefore encourage you to continue in your efforts to sustain the fight
against infant and maternal deaths, HIV and AIDs, Tuberculosis, Malaria and
other communicable diseases, high on the global development agenda.
9. Let
us work together to make HIV and AIDs history by 2030.
10. I thank you.
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