[Salutations]
Distinguished Delegates,

1. Let me begin by extending a warm welcome to you all. I am
particularly delighted to welcome those of you who traveled long distances
to be with us today. Let me also express my appreciation for the enduring
friendship and partnership between AWEPA and the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region.

2. I recall with gratitude the important role that AWEPA played in the
struggle to eliminate apartheid and racial oppression in Southern Africa.
We welcome the recognition by European Parliamentarians that the objective
of building a non-racial, democratic and just society in Southern Africa
was not going to be achieved overnight with the legal end of apartheid.
It is therefore appropriate that we continue to work together in the noble
task of building a more just and equitable Southern Africa.

3. We thank you for your solidarity and for ensuring that Africa
remains on the agenda of governments in Europe and the international
community. There are many challenges that face the African continent but
none is as vicious as the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I am, therefore, pleased
that your theme for this International Human Rights Conference is
Political Will for Health and Development: "What can Parliament Do"?

4. I fully agree with the theme for the Conference. First, I agree
that HIV/AIDS is a human rights issue. It poses a serious threat to the
most basic and fundamental of human rights, the right to life. The fight
against HIV/AIDS is therefore a war to protect and promote human life.

5. I also share the view that HIV/AIDS is as much a health issue as it
is a development issue. It cuts across everything that we do in the field
of socio-economic development. The epidemic affects agricultural out,
productivity in industries, good performance in educational institutions
and efficiency in the public service. In other words, HIV/AIDS can halt
and reverse any socio-economic achievements and pose a threat to life on
earth.

6. Parliament can do a lot in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Political
leadership is crucial in the information, education and communication
campaign. We have examples of best practices in combating the spread of
the epidemic in a country such as Uganda where infection rates have been
substantially reduced. As representatives of the people you are better
placed to play the role of agents of change particularly in changing
attitudes and behaviour. You can also play a key role as advocates and
participants in programmes such as home-based care.

7. Parliaments as the repositories of the will of the people have a
duty and responsibility to respond and do something about the danger posed
to the lives of people they represent. It is Parliaments that approve
development plans, programmes and projects. They allocate resources on
the basis of national priorities. In circumstances in which the very
lives of the electorates are in grave danger, there can be no doubt as to
what the priorities should be.

8. Next year, a number of countries in Southern Africa will be holding
general elections. The reality of the dreadful nature of the epidemic
will manifest itself in the form of hundreds of registered voters being
unable to cast their ballots because they are very sick, and voter's rolls
with many registered voters who are dead. Others may be unable to vote
because they have to take care of a very sick member of the family. It
is abundantly clear, therefore, that the epidemic can and does have a
direct impact on the democratic process and the institutions of
governance.

9. It is for all these reasons that this international conference has
special significance. It brings together representatives of countries
with different experiences in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It recognizes
the epidemic as a global challenge to humanity and hence the urgent need
for a united approach to combating it. During the course of the three
days, you will share experiences and information on the magnitude of the
problem and solutions that have really made a difference in other
countries. It is my hope that at the end of the conference, delegates
will have made, or will be determined to continue, their lifelong
commitment to the struggle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The war against
the epidemic demands a commitment to undertake practical activities on an
ongoing basis. We cannot hope to bring the epidemic under control, and
eventually eradicate it, if we treat it only as a conference issue and
forget about it the moment we board our planes to return home.

10. It is also my hope that the conference will benefit from human
rights experts in addressing the human rights aspects of those living with
the virus. One of the major challenges, which we all face, is how to deal
with stigma and discrimination. We are constantly searching for workable
solutions on how we can end stigma so that more people can willingly come
forward to get help. We are also challenged to find answers to questions
on how we can balance the rights of the individual and those of the rest
of society. In other words, how do you protect the human rights of an
individual person living with the virus in a manner that guarantees that
the rights of others are also protected.

11. Distinguished delegates, we are all familiar with the gravity of the
HIV/AIDS situation in Africa particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. In December
2002, UNAIDS/WHO recorded that the number of people in the world living
with HIV/AIDS was 42 million, and of this number 29 million, that is,
three quarters are in Africa. Africa was very slow in responding to the
epidemic. At the beginning there was what is sometimes referred to as the
"conspiracy of silence". However, I am pleased that the battle against
the epidemic has been joined in earnest and there is recognition that
there is no option to fighting the epidemic. On the occasion of the
African Union Summit held in Maputo, Mozambique in July 2003, a special
session was devoted to a World Forum on Health and Development. This was
an interactive session that enabled African leaders to discuss the
challenges and possible solutions with global partners.

12. One of the interesting aspects of the Report on the follow-up on the
implementation of the Abuja Declaration and Framework Plan of Action on
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other Related Infectious Diseases was a
Leadership Response Assessment (RPA) Matrix. The Matrix provides
information on countries that have established National AIDS Councils with
Secretariat, Allocation of 15% of Annual Budget to the Health Sector,
Legislation Against Stigma, and Social discrimination, National AIDS
Policy, National Strategic Framework and percentage of HIV prevalence.
The Matrix provides useful information on the tools that any country needs
to combat HIV/AIDS. In other words, the Matrix is a mirror on the wall
and it challenges us to see our appearance.

13. One of the major challenges that Africa faces is lack of resources.
For instance, in the Abuja Declaration we committed ourselves to "set a
target of allocating 15% of our annual budget to the improvement of the
health sector". But it was evident in Maputo that 3 years after the
adoption of the Abuja Declaration no country has so far been able to
allocate 15% of its budget to the health sector. It is important and
encouraging to note, however, that several African countries have made
contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

14. The Southern African Development Community held an emergency Summit
on 4 July 2003 devoted to fighting HIV/AIDS. These meetings are important
because they underscore the importance, which the leadership attaches to
the threats posed by HIV/AIDS as a disease that knows no borders. The
success of any one country in combating this epidemic will depend to a
very large extend on the efforts being made by other countries. Our
common future can only be guaranteed if we unite our efforts. The coming
together of parliamentarians from the north and south to undertake a
comprehensive review of issues concerning HIV/AIDS constitutes a crucial
part of the much-needed global partnership.

15. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in Botswana we attach the utmost
importance to the role of leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Leadership has a vital role at all levels. Issues which will be discussed
during your Working Group Sessions such as Gender Equality and Education,
Safe Motherhood and Child Mortality, Safe Water and Nutrition and Global
Partnerships for Africa's Development all need leadership at the local,
national, regional and international levels. The success of programmes
such as the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS
for instance requires leadership and support at the family level. An
expectant mother who tests HIV positive must count on the support and
understanding of her spouse or partner to enroll and remain in the
programme in order to save the child.

16. Botswana appreciates the commitment and goodwill that exist in the
world to assist African countries to fight the epidemic. We are in
receipt of generous support from the United Nations family led by UNAIDS.
We continue to receive extensive support from both the United States
Government and private corporations such as the Harvard AIDS Institute,
Bristol Myers Squibb and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Merck
Company Foundation. We are witnessing the benefits of global partnerships
in combating HIV/AIDS because not only are we collaborating with partners
on a bilateral basis, but we also experience situations where our
co-operating partners have established alliances in order to work with us.

17. Distinguished delegates, let me conclude by wishing you success in
your deliberations. You have been brought together by a common desire to
join hands in confronting a challenge to humanity. I must therefore call
upon you to use your best endeavours to ensure that the voice for prompt
and assured support for HIV/AIDS programmes especially in developing
countries, is heard loud and clear. Together you can ensure that
HIV/AIDS occupies centre stage in the political agendas of not only the
most severely affected countries but also those of countries that have the
resources and the technological capability to provide assistance and
support. We must do all we can to ensure that future generations can be
proud of our actions to safe them from the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

18. On that note, it gives me great pleasure to declare this
International Human Rights Conference on Political Will for Health and
Development officially open!