Kenya to chair 54th UNAIDAS

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha.[Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Kenya has been selected to chair the next 54th Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDAS).

The election was held during the 53rd meeting of UNAIDS' Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) concluded on December 14 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The 54th meeting is scheduled to be held in June 2024, where Kenya will be chairing, with Brazil serving as Vice-Chair and the Netherlands as Rapporteur.

The just concluded 53rd meeting of the PCB was chaired by Germany, with Kenya serving as the Vice-Chair and Brazil as Rapporteur.

The UNAIDS PCB is the premier UN and global forum on HIV, bringing together civil society, co-sponsors and member states to help chart the co-creation of the future of the response to HIV, including the development of the next Global AIDS Strategy, the vision for 2030 and beyond.

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha lauded the country for preserving the opportunity noting that the country must redouble efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

"This decision puts Kenya on the driver's seat on important decision-making on both local and international levels due to our capacity to respond to HIV/AIDS," CS Nakhumicha said.

"As we embrace the responsibility to drive this impactful change, we will intensify prevention efforts, expand access to treatment, activate awareness and sensitization campaigns as well as champion inclusively as we focus on building a future where HIV/AIDs is not a threat to our communities."

Nakhumicha said that the country should put deliberate prevention efforts and address social and structural barriers that continue to increase the vulnerability of HIV infections among the population, especially adolescent girls and young women.