President Goodluck Jonathan is hosting heads of states and governments from the African Union at the Abuja +12 special summit on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases.
Some of the AU heads of state and government arrived Nigeria on Sunday ahead of today’s meeting holding at the International Conference center Abuja.
The theme of the summit is ‘Ownership, Accountability and Sustainability of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria response in Africa: Past, Present and The Future’.
In 2001, the African Union organized a summit of its heads of state and government on HIV/AIDS which culminated in the Abuja declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS by which African leaders among others things, pledged to allocate 15 percent of their annual budgets to the improvement of the health sector.
12 years on, Monday’s summit will be taking stock and assessing the extent to which these commitments and targets have been achieved in order to chart a way forward.
Wanted Sudan’s Al-Bashir attends au summit
Meanwhile, Sudan’s indicted leader, Omar al-Bashir, is one of the African leaders attending the AU summit in Abuja.
Mr al-bashir arrived Abuja on Sunday, to a red carpet welcome and a full guard of honor despite demands from human rights activists that Nigeria arrest him to face trial for genocide in Darfur.
Minister of Police Affairs, Kenneth Olubolade was at the airport to meet the private presidential jet along with troops in ceremonial green and white uniforms and a military brass band.
Human Rights Watch says Nigeria is the first West African country to welcome ICC fugitive Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir adding that Nigeria’s welcome is “in stark contrast” to the stands taken by other African countries.
Only Chad and Djibouti have received al-Bashir in the past year.
The International Criminal Court in 2009 indicted al-Bashir for genocide and war crimes committed in Darfur.
He is the first sitting African head of state indicted by the court.