8 May 2014 - The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Guinea-Bissau (SRSG), José Ramos-Horta, has promised to intensify international contacts for campaigns against HIV/AIDS in the country at a meeting with the chairman of the National Secretariat for Fight Against HIV/AIDS (SNLS, Portuguese acronym).

"It will not be difficult to mobilize new supports", SRSG Ramos-Horta said, explaining that the Global Fund (Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria), the World Bank, UNICEF and other international organizations involved in combating HIV/AIDS would broaden the possibility of support.

Stressing that the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, is very aware of the problem, José Ramos-Horta called the attention on the need for Bissau-Guinean Government to articulate the management of prevention programs and the fight against AIDS with other partners, both national and international.

José Ramos-Horta also acknowledged that with the new government it will be easier for the United Nations to intensify its support to combat the scourge, believing that the next Prime Minister, Domingos Simões Pereira, will be sensitive to this issue.

For his part, SNLS's chairman, Anaximandro Menot, stated that international sanctions enacted after April 2012 coup have made it difficult to channel support to Guinea-Bissau: "There are no contacts anymore with the National Commission for the Fight against HIV/AIDS from Portugal. Moreover, the country stopped receiving donation of condoms from Brazil, Portugal and other bilateral partners", he underlined.

The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Guinea-Bissau affects women three times more than men, according to data revealed by the SNLS. In a population of about 1,6 million inhabitants, 2012 estimates indicated that about 100,000 Guineans carry the virus.

At this time, between 27% and 30% of infected patients are receiving antiretroviral treatment for free, far from the 80% target considered "acceptable minimum", making it necessary to rethink the objectives", emphasized Anaximandro Menot.

SNLS faces difficulties in implementing the fight against HIV/AIDS but is preparing a new plan in line with the UN's principles which are, among others, early diagnosis and treatment.