The executive director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy underscored that in the absence of a cure education and women's empowerment are the world's best hope and men
do make a difference in the fight against the HIV\AIDS pandemic. In her message in connection with world Aids Day, to day the director said, the explosion of HIV\AIDS among women directly correlates to
pervasive gender inequality and discrimination which could well be redressed with active involvement and attitudal change of boys and men "we must socialize boys to end gender bias while they are while
in school." Bellamy stressed the need to Socialize and empower young girls to negotiate safe sex as they grow older.
Lessons on HIV\AIDS prevention are rendered useless, should women cannot protect
themselves from unwanted sex the Director said adding education programmes must incorporate ways of raising the status and value of women, which she said was beginning to happen.
The director said the
pandemic was "emerging with a startling twist and turns" with six young people under the age of 25 infected with in every minute.
Over 16 million women are infected with HIV and
female rate of infection is steadily rising with 1.3 million women having died of AIDS during this year.
***********
Top African Artists To Perform In Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa, December 1 -- Some of Africa's top musical artists are featuring at a musical extravaganza scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa the coming Wednesday.The concert, being sponsored
by the Economic Commission for Africa and the Sheraton Addis, will star Femi kuti, Ismael Lo, Hugh Masekela and other well-known musical personalities. Femi Kuti, currently Nigeria's most renowned singer,
lost his father to AIDS, and is an ardent campaigner in the African combat against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
"The aim of the performance is to take the African Development Forum's central message-the
need for leadership at all levels against HIV/AIDS-beyond the conference rooms, and to a wider group of Africans." the ECA communication team said.
Channel O, the 24hour music channel of the
Electronic Media Network (MNet), also one of the cosponsors, will rebroadcast the concert to a larger audience all over the continent.
In addition, three channel O VJs (Video Jockeys), who are well known
throughout Africa as youth icons, will endorse the ADF 2000 message on TV as well as in person during the concert. The concert is one among the several events to be conducted along the sidelines of the
second African Development Forum, which this year will take place under the theme "AIDS: The Greatest Leadership Challenge". The Forum, to be held from 3 to 7 December 2000, at the headquarters of
the ECA in Addis Ababa, will bring together four African Heads of State and Government, including the Presidents of Uganda and Senegal, two countries with exemplary work in combating HIV/AIDS.
Also
expected at the Forum are United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, and Ruwandese President Paul Kagame, as well as Peter Piot, Director of Jointed United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS
***************
Committee requests prompt return of Axum Obelisk
Addis Ababa, December 01 –
The National Committee for the Return of the Axum Obelisk has requested the government of Italy to promptly dismantle the Obelisk, where it is standing misplaced, in preparation for its quick return to Ethiopia, the rightful proprietor. The committee said, the time required to effect the return of the Obelisk to its homeland does not need to exceed the end of February 2001. Notifying the Italian Ambassador Marcello Ricoveri here yesterday the committee said, any continued presence of the Obelisk in Rome, after all the efforts deployed for its return to the real owners of the legacies of the rare monument, would only cause lingering grievances.
The committee, during its meeting yesterday, expressed its deep concern with the lack of substantial progress towards the implementation of agreements signed between Ethiopia and Italy for the return of
the Obelisk. "The Italian side is aware of the yearning of the Ethiopian people to see the priceless cultural heritage back in Axum," the committee indicated.
It recalled the meeting held in
September 2000 during, which detailed discussions took place on the dismantling, transportation and reerection of the Obelisk in Axum. It also provided to the Italian side detailed information about the
technical capacities of Axum Airport, as well as the identity of possible sources from where a cargo airplane could be secured.
However, despite the agreement to communicate fortnightly on progress made,
and the substantial measures within two months, there appears to be little movement in Rome to move fore ward expeditiously. Ambassador Marcello Ricoveri on his part admitted the delay of the return of the
Ethiopian monument.
He said there would be no administrative or judiciary obstacles to effect the agreement and pledged to put forth the committee's memorandum to his government. The 24-metre high Axum
Obelisk was removed by Mussolini's instruction in 1937 and erected at the Pizza di Porta Capena, Rome.
*************
