There is a weighty link between health and the environment. Health outcomes are linked to environmental risks such as poor quality of air, exposure to hazardous waste and chemicals as well as climate change.

To successfully tackle health challenges, we must also address matters environment. For example, to defeat malaria and tuberculosis and many non-communicable diseases, we must address environmental issues that make mosquitoes thrive and address the challenge of pollution.

Plastic pollution has become a major development challenge across the world. In Ghana, statistics from UNDP show that the country generates about 1 million tons of plastic waste annually. Out of this, only 2-5% are recycled.

Young Awareness Advocates Ghana, groomed by Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a member of GFAN Africa focused on empowering women, children and youth have committed to help promote a sustainable environment by reducing the amount of waste they generate, both at home and in school.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle,” was the theme when advocates met the UNAIDS Ghana Country Director, Angela Trenton-Mbonde, in Accra, Ghana. The advocates took turns to make personal pledges to adopt better waste management practices in order to promote environmental sustainability.

“I commit to acquiring a personal reusable water bottle and to avoiding single-use plastic bottles. This, I believe, will safeguard the planet for everyone,” Pricilla Addo said.

Samuel Nyarko said “I pledge to personally ensure that waste generated in my household is well separated so that plastics can easily be collected and recycled. I will educate my schoolmates and community to do the same.”

Ms. Trenton-Mbonde encouraged the young people to ensure that their commitments to the planet are fulfilled. “For a sustainable environment, each of us must take personal responsibility and make one commitment, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem in the beginning, because in the end we are all connected: people and the planet,” she said.

UNAIDS Ghana Country Director, Angela Trenton-Mbonde speaks to meeting participants

Climate action advocates pose for a photo with the Executive Director of HFFG Ghana Ms. Cecilia Senoo (4^th from right)

On the 9^th of October AfNHi (Africa Free of New HIV Infections) organized and facilitated a research ethics webinar that introduced AfNHi members to the principles of research ethics in Africa with an in-depth look into the role of community and advocates. The aim of this online training was to fast-track the biomedical HIV prevention research agenda so as to end the HIV epidemic in Africa.

With the awareness created from the comprehensive dive into demystifying clinical trials, this initiative allows AfNHi members to meaningfully engage with the research process and knowledgeably inform and mobilize communities, researchers or policy makers. Studies have shown that clinical research is more likely to succeed when all stakeholders regard the research as relevant and the process as collaborative.

These ongoing series of research ethics webinars will continue to ensure that AfNHi members are in a better position to appreciate and understand clinical trials, and apply these to support research through their engagements with stakeholders during the entire life-cycle of a biomedical HIV prevention trial, and beyond.

#Accéléronslemouvement

September 19th 2019! Francophone African Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) joined forces and actively participated in a day of action set by GFAN AFRICA. Indeed, via the networks GFAN AFRICA & CS4ME, CSOs gathered the signatures of 110 CSOs colleagues from 14 francophone African countries on letters addressed to the Presidents of African countries, asking them to #stepupthefight and participate and contribute to the success of the replenishment of the Global Fund. Following the presidential letters, coordinated by Impact Santé Afrique, CSOs from Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Guinea, Gabon, Mali, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast held press conferences in their respective countries to push for increase of domestic contributions and highlight the importance of these funds for the end of the epidemics n of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

                                                                                                      Francophone African CSOs participate in a day of action

We  thank all the CSOs and mainly the coordinators in each country (ROAFEM, APDSP, OFIF ,Affirmative Action, PHIIC, AJEP, Club des Amis du Monde, POSSaV, RACOj, FENOS CI , ASAPSU, Dimension Humaine, RMAP+, RENAPS AJ, POLICIS, ONEN, SongES, FARHAN, MVS, plate-forme DES-ICI) whose efforts have contributed certainty to Africa’s strong participation in the Lyon Conference for the first time, an unprecedented record was set: the historic contribution of 24 African countries!