By Tom Easter and Crystal Swann
February 9, 2004

Conference President Hempstead (NY) Mayor James A. Garner convened the inaugural meeting of the Task Force on HIV/AIDS in Africa on January 22, offering a special welcome to the mayors that joined him on the September, 2003 four-nation Mission to Africa. "My time in Africa changed my life," said Garner. "Each of us [mayors] came away with a profound realization of the long-term and terrible devastation HIV/AIDS has brought upon the people and nations of Africa, and a strong commitment to work with our African partners to build a sustainable presence and partnership with them."

Mayors who participated in the mission included Richmond (CA) Mayor Irma Anderson, former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, Jackson (MS) Mayor Harvey Johnson, Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Macon (GA) Mayor C. Jack Ellis, Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, Gary Mayor Scott King, and Dearborn Mayor Michael Guido.

To begin the session, Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran briefed the mayors on the Conference's September 2003 mission to Africa, during which nine mayors traveled to the nations of South Africa, Namibia, Uganda and Swaziland. According to Cochran, the formation of the Task Force was a direct result of the mayors' experiences while in Africa, and their desire to provide support and technical assistance to their counterparts in Africa with their efforts to address the AIDS pandemic. For many African nations, AIDS poses a seemingly insurmountable challenge. In South Africa, for example, it's some estimates indicate that a full 20 percent of the nation's population are living with HIV; in Namibia, the number is 23 percent and in Swaziland it's an astonishing 40 percent.

"Dealing with AIDS in Africa is different than it is here, but if we work together, the fight can be won," said Cochran. "There is a great deal of interest among the citizens of the U.S. to try to assist our African friends in their struggle and we need to recognize the relationship that many of us have with Africa, especially among our African American population."

During the mission, the Conference signed an historic accord with AMICAALL (the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa), to work together in this fight. The mayors discussed at that time implementing an exchange program between U.S. and African mayors to share knowledge and best practices. "It is very important to let the African mayors know that they are not alone in this fight," said Cochran.

Next, Ambassador John E. Lange, Deputy to Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Randall Tobias gave a special presentation on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the African population, and outlined measures being taken by the U.S. federal government to provide assistance. A cornerstone of current U.S. efforts on this front is President Bush's proposed Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Africa, which would provide $15 billion, spread out over five years, for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in African nations. Lange, while noting that this was a significant level of support, stated that "fifty percent of contributions to Africa come from the United States." Lange stressed that additional resources would be needed, and that other governments and nations around the world would need to make commitments proportional commitments of resources.

Following the Ambassador's presentation, Macon (GA) Mayor C. Jack Ellis gave a report of his December 2003 trip to Yaounde, Cameroon for the Africities Summit. The Summit was the third meeting of African municipalities whose primary focus was to sanction the unification of the African municipal movement and its participation in the world municipal movement. The theme "Ensuring access to basic services in African local governments" fits in with the perspective of improving the living conditions of inhabitants and the participation of citizens. Ellis participated in special session on the local response to HIV/AIDS and city-to-city cooperation.

Garner then introduced a man from his own community — Dale Anthony, who spoke about his personal experiences living with AIDS. Anthony also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Garner, as well as Mayors across the country, in dealing with this epidemic.

Garner closed the meeting by thanking Cochran for his efforts to coordinate the Conference's work on this front, as well as Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson for inviting him on his tour of Africa in late November and the CDC for their continuing support of the U. S. Conference of Mayors.