GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR VISITS LESOTHO; WANTS INCREASED USG

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000418

SIPDIS

AIDAC

STATE FOR OGAC AND AF/S

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV SOCI TBIO PREL LT HIV
SUBJECT: GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR VISITS LESOTHO; WANTS INCREASED USG
EFFORT TO FIGHT AIDS

MASERU 00000418 001.2 OF 002



1. SUMMARY. Chief of the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS
Coordinator, Ambassador Randall Tobias, visited Maseru on July
22 to observe HIV/AIDS programs supported by the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and managed by the U.S.
Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease
Control and by the U.S. Embassy, followed by a visit on July 23
to Swaziland. Ambassador Tobias was accompanied by his advisors,
as well as by staff from the USAID Regional HIV/AIDS Program
(RHAP) and CDC Regional teams. Lesotho suffers from the third
highest HIV prevalence rates in the world and faces multiple and
urgent challenges. While support from the United States for
HIV/AIDS has increased nearly five-fold in the last two years,
Lesotho remains one of the poorest countries in Southern Africa
with extremely limited capacity to mitigate the impact of
HIV/AIDS. Ambassador Tobias met with senior government
officials and visited U.S.-supported HIV/AIDS programs in the
central government referral hospital and several community-based
NGO's. He was impressed by efforts underway, but raised serious
concerns about the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS problem in Lesotho.
Ambassador Tobias invited the USG team to strategize bold and
creative approaches to further assist the Government of Lesotho
to strengthen their HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care and
support response. END SUMMARY


2. Ambassador Tobias met with a wide range of prominent
government and non-government officials including the First
Lady, Minister of Health, the Principal Secretary of Finance
and Development Planning, Principal Secretary
of Health, CEO of the National AIDS Secretariat, Ambassador of
Lesotho to the United States, and Prince Seeiso. He was briefed
by Ambassador Perry and the USG team and held a lunch meeting
with key health sector and other government officials,
multilateral donors, international organizations and civil
society leaders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.


3. To gain a first-hand view of the health care system,
Ambassador Tobias was guided by the Minister of Health Phooko
through a tour of Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, the country's
central referral hospital, where he observed activities and
met with program staff from the Prevention of Mother to Child
Transmission (PMTCT) program and the pediatric ward; the
Anti-Retroviral Therapy clinic; and services for TB/HIV
co-infection, supported by PEPFAR. In addition, he visited a
mobile voluntary HIV counseling and testing unit (VCT) managed
by a USG implementing partner. The Ambassador and his team
visited a neighborhood NGO that receives assistance from the
First Lady of Lesotho, a popular champion for HIV/AIDS in her
country. The volunteer group works with community members to
raise funds and provide care and support for families affected
by HIV. The Ambassador and his team also visited the Lesotho
Child Counseling Unit (LCCU),a NGO working with victimized
children and orphans supported by the Ambassador's Special
Self-Help fund and the Peace Corps. During his site visits,
Ambassador Tobias spent time talking with local Basotho people,
orphans, caregivers and people living with HIV/AIDS.


4. The briefings with the USG Team, government officials and
other donor partners revealed a number of critical issues facing
the country. Lesotho suffers from serious human resource
deficits, including a health work force that is understaffed,
often attracted to employment outside of the country , and which
is equally affected by HIV infection like the general population
they serve. The magnitude of the country's epidemic poses a
tremendous economic burden on the public health sector in
particular. Basic drugs, equipment, other material resources and
infrastructural support are in desperately short supply and/or
disrepair. In addition, the needs of women and children who are
suffering most from the impact of HIV/AIDS in Lesotho tend to be
overlooked. The USG response to these and other critical
challenges to-date includes USG-funded programs, as well as
leadership from Ambassador Perry. Ambassador Perry co-chairs
the United Nations Expanded Theme Group on HIV/AIDS, chairs the
USG Task Force Steering Committee and convenes regular HIV/AIDS
Task Force meetings with the USG, Lesotho government, and other
implementing partners to strengthen and coordinate the further
development of USG support and response.


5. Ambassador Tobias and his staff were seriously concerned by
the gravity of the HIV problem in Lesotho and troubled by the
devastating current and future consequences for every single
sector; from health, to social, to economic, and political.
Before his departure for the U.S., Ambassador Tobias discussed
his impressions with the USG Southern Africa team, stating his
visits to both Lesotho and Swaziland were among the most
eye-opening and well-organized of his field visits to-date.
Recognizing the crisis situation in both countries, Ambassador
Tobias expressed that 'business as usual' would not be
sufficient to address the severe prevention, treatment and care
and support challenges in both countries. He asked the USG
Southern Africa team to 'think out of the box' and to strategize

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bold and creative approaches for building and expanding the
national HIV/AIDS response with USG support. Finally, Ambassador
Tobias designated his Senior Advisor, Nazanin Samari-Kermani, as
the focal person from the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS
Coordinator who will ensure follow-up and continued commitment
from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief for Lesotho
and Swaziland.


6. Media coverage of the visit was extensive. Post sent press
releases to media organizations prior to the visit. Television,
radio and print covered Ambassador Tobias' visit at a press
event at LCCU. LTV, the only domestic
television station broadcast the visit of Ambassador Tobias on
the evening news. Radio stations, Radio Lesotho, Catholic
radio, and Joy FM repeated the story over a three-day period.
Public Eye, the most widely read domestic
newspaper, and the Mirror , also with a high readership,
published columns quoting from Ambassador Tobias' speech and
information provided in Embassy press kits.
.

7. Comment: Ambassador Tobias' visit to Lesotho emphasized the
US commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS and reinforced
mission activities with key factors in the fight against
HIV/AIDS. The visit highlighted the collaborative work of the
USG and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The Minister
of Health stated that having such senior-level US government
visitors to Lesotho to discuss the issue of HIV/AIDS has
highlighted the work of his Ministry and reinforced his
Ministry's work at the health facilities, in the communities and
with other government departments. End Comment.


8. This cable was cleared by OGAC, RHAP-Pretoria, and
CDC-Pretoria.










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