• Your Excellency Ambassador Laura Gil Savastano, Ambassador of Colombia to Austria and Chair, Group of Friends of HIV Prevention Among People Who Use Drugs and People in Prison Settings,
• Your Excellency Mrs. Luisa Fragoso, Ambassador of Portugal to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,
• Excellencies, Representatives of Embassies of African Union Member States in Ethiopia and Permanent Missions to the African Union,
• Ms Fariba Soltani, Chief, HIV/AIDS Section & Global Coordinator for HIV/AIDS, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
• The Representative of the African Development Bank
• Development Partners
• Civil Society Representatives
• Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good afternoon.
Allow me first to extend my apologies for not being with you from the very beginning. I was attending the opening of our 4th Annual African Girls’ Summit, which is taking place concurrently. Yet I am deeply honoured to now join this High-Level Meeting on Scaling Up HIV Harm Reduction and Prison Programmes, co-organised by the African Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Your presence here today is a powerful testament to our shared resolve: to protect the health, dignity and wellbeing of all people across our continent.

We face an urgent reality. HIV and Hepatitis C infections are rising among people who inject drugs and among those in prison settings. These communities are too often unseen, underserved and left behind. This dialogue is, therefore, not only timely, it is essential. It speaks to the very social, economic and moral fabric of our societies.

HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs remains alarmingly high, while access to harm reduction services is far too limited. In 2023, Eastern and Southern Africa alone accounted for more than half of all new infections globally. These figures are sobering, and they demand bold, immediate action.

Excellencies,
Our continent has set forth a transformative vision under Agenda 2063—The Africa We Want. At its heart lies a commitment to health security, social justice and inclusion. True development cannot be achieved when any segment of our population is marginalised, criminalised or forgotten.

This vision is reinforced by our continental frameworks:
• the African Union Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2019–2025), now being revised for 2026–2030;
• the Africa Health Strategy (2016–2030);
• the 2019 Cairo Declaration on Viral Hepatitis in Africa; and
• the 2023 Lusaka High-Level Declaration on substance use and mental health challenges among youth, women and children.

Together, these frameworks remind us that health is a collective responsibility—one for all, all for one.

Behind every statistic is a human life:
• a mother struggling with addiction,
• a father living with HIV,
• a young person in prison facing isolation and stigma.

They are not numbers. They are our brothers, our sisters, our parents and our children. They deserve dignity, care and hope.

Excellencies,
This is why harm reduction is not optional—it is indispensable.

The African Union’s comprehensive harm reduction package includes:
• Needle and syringe programmes;
• Opioid substitution therapy;
• HIV testing and counselling;
• Antiretroviral therapy;
• Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections;
• Condom distribution;
• Targeted information and education;
• Vaccination, diagnosis and treatment for viral hepatitis and tuberculosis.

These interventions save lives, reduce transmission, restore dignity and provide hope. Let me underscore: investing in harm reduction pays off—medically, socially and economically.

But scaling up requires more than goodwill or good intentions. It requires stronger policies, clear political will and increased domestic investment. It requires improving prison health systems—where overcrowding, poor conditions and limited medical services fuel the spread of infectious diseases. And it requires ensuring that harm reduction services are accessible, affordable and stigma-free.

As global funding declines, coordination becomes even more critical—to safeguard continuity, maximise impact and sustain progress.

The capacity-building initiative jointly developed by the African Union and UNODC in Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe provides a practical platform for accelerated action where the needs are most urgent.

This is a call to all partners: harm reduction is non-negotiable. Our commitment must extend to every Member State. The African Union stands ready—because every life truly matters.
Distinguished Delegates,

This is more than a policy discussion – it is a plea.
A plea for action.
A plea for compassion.
A plea for solidarity.

Renewing commitments is not enough. What is needed now is deliberate, targeted and sustained implementation. Time is not on our side.

In closing, let us scale up harm reduction and prison programmes with courage, evidence, empathy and determination. Let us remember, those affected are not “others”—they are us. And ultimately, none of us is truly free until all of us are free.

I thank you.