The government of Zimbabwe has commended the National AIDS Council for its consistent efforts to engage and collaborate with the media in strengthening the response to HIV.
During a sensitization workshop organized by the National AIDS Council for journalists from across the country, Kindness Paradza, the Deputy Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and Publicity Services, expressed high recognition for the council’s endeavors, which have significantly raised awareness about HIV nationwide.
“The media plays a crucial role in ensuring that the nation is well-informed and holding stakeholders accountable for their work. Information is a vital ingredient in personal and national decision-making processes,” stated Paradza.
He further emphasized the purpose of the workshop, which aimed to share information and updates on the progress made in the HIV response. The information obtained during the workshop is intended to be shared with media audiences, with the expectation of increased and extensive coverage of the HIV-related issues.
The Deputy Minister also expressed excitement over Zimbabwe hosting the upcoming International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa later this year.
“Once again, the media has a profound role to play in promoting, reporting, and reflecting upon this conference—before, during, and after. Zimbabwe has consistently been a safe business destination, and I urge the media to continue marketing the country and mobilizing both local and international attendees for the conference. This event will significantly contribute to employment creation and foreign currency generation,” he emphasized.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National AIDS Council acknowledged the media’s crucial role in ensuring that the nation is well-informed and empowered with knowledge to combat HIV and related challenges.
“The field of HIV and AIDS is ever-evolving, with rapid changes and advancements resulting from ongoing evidence generation and progress in the response. Despite the abundance of information in the public domain, challenges persist regarding access to current and accurate facts and figures, as well as their interpretation. Therefore, this workshop has been designed to provide information and updates on various ongoing interventions in areas such as social contracting, stigma, drug and substance abuse, HIV prevention models, and cancer, among others,” the CEO explained.
HIV remains a major developmental challenge for the nation, requiring continuous improvement of interventions in line with the NDS1 goals of health and wellbeing, as well as the SDG goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
