December 8, 2003

Mayor Jack Ellis of Macon, Georgia, represented the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the 2003 Africities Summit in Cameroon, Africa, December 2-6, 2003. The only U.S. mayor attending the conference, Mayor Ellis was a guest speaker on the world's AIDS epidemic and its devastating affect on economic development.

Ellis said, "While resources in Africa are sorely needed for improving the economic health and quality of life for its citizens, significant funding must instead be diverted to HIV/AIDS treatment. If we can strengthen support for local governments to provide preventative services to limit the spread of the virus, then vital resources can be used to improve services in many other areas."

The HIV/AIDS crisis impacts all development sectors and threatens the future of Africa. Close to 30 million African women, men and children and living with HIV/AIDS; millions of children have lost their parents to AIDS and hundreds of millions are experiencing the impact of the epidemic on a daily basis — in schools, health facilities, businesses and public services.

In August of this year, Ellis was one 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 invitation to attend the Africities Summit in Cameroon was a result of the relationship established between U.S. mayors and African mayors while visiting Namibia in August.