We’re turning the tide against HIV – MMC Phalatse

From 31 October to 1 November 2018 a delegation from the AIDS Secretariat in the City of Johannesburg attended the Fast Track City (FTC) Network workshop in Sandton.
This meeting brought together local city representatives from 10 cities: Jakarta, Maputo, Windhoek, Lusaka, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Yaoundé, Kigali, eThekwini and Johannesburg, committed to Ending AIDS as an Epidemic.
MMC for Health and Social Development in the City of Johannesburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse, said the Fast Track Cities’ various mayors committed to the Paris Declaration to lead action towards achieving the 90-90-90 and other Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2020.
“This meeting represented an opportunity for all of us to share what we have done during the first year to contribute to the Fast Track targets, learn from each other and agree on next steps to Fast Track the HIV response in our cities,” said Phalatse.
“As cities we are at the frontline of turning the tide against HIV, TB and STI and the success of reaching epidemic control and ending the AIDS as an epidemic depends squarely on our shoulders. It is first our responsibility.”
Phalatse said stigma and discrimination remain a barrier to accessing services and that cities have an opportunity to overcome these if they engage law enforcement and provide inputs towards overcoming discriminatory laws and practices by advocating for access to quality health services for all.
She said the world will not achieve the set targets without the involvement of the broader community, particularly the key populations or groups at high risk.
The MMC committed that the City will lead from the front and support Fast Track Cities initiatives.