Global perspective Human stories

Annan to address G-8 ministers on food security and HIV in Africa

Annan to address G-8 ministers on food security and HIV in Africa

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is set to address ministers from the Group of 8 most industrialized countries on the link between food security, HIV/AIDS and governance during a meeting Wednesday at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Mr. Annan’s presentation to the G-8 Contact Group is part of his efforts to gather support for the newly created Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, which he announced last month. The panel will look at the challenges to governance of the epidemic and design effective responses to the threats.

The G-8 meeting provides a timely opportunity for Mr. Annan to highlight the Commission, whose members will be selected from a number of eminent Africans and non-Africans, including political, academic and religious leaders, who have offered their leadership and weight to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Commission will meet four or five times in its 18-month life and operate through a secretariat and task teams -dealing with specific topics such as public services, food security and the family - based at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa.