By Rhonda A. Spears
December 8, 2003

Conference President Hempstead (NY) Mayor James A. Garner joined Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and an 80-person delegation on a mission to sub'saharan Africa to mark World AIDS Day, December 1, and to observe the impact of HIV/AIDS in four countries. Garner was the only local elected official on the six-day mission. The delegation also included U.S. and international health officials, members of Congress and leaders from more than 40 faith-based organizations, private'sector groups and charitable organizations.

Garner said, "This mission will help us to educate American and African citizens on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. We remain committed to this cause and know this will be another significant step forward in forging partnerships as we continue with a sustainable effort to fight this wide'spread epidemic."

The delegation observed AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria treatment and prevention activities, both in urban and remote areas of four hard-hit nations: Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia, plus a stopover in Cameroon. In addition, the delegation visited sites supported by President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and by the Global Fund. The delegation also saw examples of existing public-private partnerships and discussed future plans for the private sector to engage in the fight against the diseases.

In August of this year, Garner led a delegation of nine mayors from the U.S. Conference of Mayors on a mission to four African nations: South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and Uganda to analyze the impact of HIV/AIDS on economic and youth development in African cities and nations. The mission was the largest undertaken in the 71-year history of the Conference of Mayors, and allowed U.S. mayors to share their experiences with African mayors and begin building collaborative partnerships between U.S. cities and African cities in response to the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.