Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has arrived in New York to attend the United Nations high-level meeting on HIV/Aids.
Motlanthe will participate in the UN Debate on HIV/Aids, which will be attended by several heads of state, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
He will also attend the Opening Plenary of the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting on the review of the progress achieved in realising the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/Aids.
The meeting happens at a time when the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) is in the process of reviewing progress on the implementation of the South African National Strategic Plan on HIV and Aids and STIs, building up to the formulation of the new plan for 2012-2016.
Motlanthe will give a national statement during the plenary discussions, which will cover the evolution of the national response, scale of the HIV/Aids problem in South Africa, success and challenges as well as the envisaged future strategies and policies in the fight against Aids in South Africa.
The statement will also speak to the role of South Africa in the global response to the HIV/Aids epidemic.
The Deputy President is accompanied by the Ministers of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini.
Dlamini, who is the co-chair of International Advisory Group (IAG), will be part of the group that will present feedback and recommendations on regional consultation aimed at fast tracking the implementation of the UN Declaration Commitment at country, regional and global levels.
At last month's IAG meeting held in Sandton, Dlamini stressed the importance of regional and global cooperation to combat the scourge of the pandemic.
The IAG is an independent advisory group composed of experts from various constituency and stakeholder groups including governments, civil society, donors and development agencies across the globe.
Dlamini was nominated as IAG co-chair in March this year during the Asia/Pacific Region consultation meeting held in Thailand.
