U.S. leaders, AIDS activists gather in Washington to discuss 'shared responsibility' in tackling disease

Apr 23 2013

An article on the UNAIDS webpage reports on "a high-powered breakfast meeting that took place in Washington, D.C., on 18 April," which "brought together leaders in the response to AIDS with members of the United States Congress, the administration, the private sector and AIDS advocates to emphasize how the adoption of the 'shared responsibility' approach is translating joint efforts into real results." The article notes "[t]he event was co-hosted by the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, ONE, the United States Global Leadership Coalition, and UNAIDS" and quotes a number of attendees, including UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé; South Africa's Minister of Finance, Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan; Florida Mwesiga, family ambassador for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation; and South African film star, U.N. Messenger of Peace and founder of the Africa Outreach Project, Charlize Theron (4/19). "Born in South Africa, Theron noted that one in 10 people are living with HIV in her home country," Politico writes (McDevitt, 4/18). Theron "remarked that 'achieving the end of AIDS means we must all be responsible,' especially given the fact that AIDS is a preventable disease," ONE reports, adding, "She called on members of Congress and business leaders to 'push forward' toward a solution" (Aikens, 4/18).