Date: 07/06/2003
Source: Department of Labour
Title: Mdladlana: Growth and Development Summit
SPEECH BY MINISTER MMS MDLADLANA ON THE OCCASION OF THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT, Gallagher Estate, Midrand, 7 June 2003
Comrade President
Cabinet colleagues
Premiers
MECs
Leaders of constituencies
Executive Director of Nedlac
Members of the media
Constituency representatives and friends
It is with great pleasure that I address you in this auspicious occasion.
Mr. President, there must have been times when Sibusiso Vilane and his fellow climbers wondered whether or not they would make the top of Everest! Just imagine those chill winds, the hostile surface of the mountain and the discouraging and daunting length of the journey to the summit of the mountain. Imagine the expectations raised not by him but by the nature of the project he undertook. The concern that the object of the journey may not be achieved. Similar hardships and concerns had haunted us in our journey to prepare for the Growth and Development Summit. There was a time when it seemed as though the Growth and Development Summit shall remain a figment of imagination - never to be realised. As evident from position papers exchanged by different stakeholders, the differences were wide-ranging, challenges daunting and a list of priorities so intimidating that it could have led the process to a state of paralysis. In short, the road to today's summit was pregnant with obstacles. But, like Sibusiso, we believed in the dictum once made by Henry Ford that, "obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal". Like Sibusiso, we remained focused and today we have made it to the Summit together with all our partners.
Mr. President, when you addressed Parliament you said, that the Growth and Development Summit would seek to, and I quote "...address the urgent challenges facing us in the economy and build an enduring partnership in which all of us can lend a hand building a prosperous South Africa." Indeed so important a statement has this proved to be, that it was translated into the agreed objectives for this Summit - objectives whose essence is that we are here to build partnerships, prioritise those things that are the most urgent and important and to identify what contribution we can each make towards the implementation of the tasks that need to be done through active participation.
Partnership, prioritisation and active participation - I want to stress these important words - because they spell out not only what we set out to do, but also what we did not set out to do. And let me get out of the way, right at the beginning, some of the things we did not set out to do:
* We did not set out to talk about everything. We set ourselves the task of planning to do the do-able, together. We could of course have planned to do more - but frankly what would have been the point?
* We also did not set out to talk exclusively about government and its role. No, we deliberately set out to frame our agenda in such a way that we fore grounded those areas where all of the constituencies have a role to play towards a set of specific, measurable goals - in some cases working together and in other cases aligning our efforts to enhance their complimentarity.
And, importantly, we did not try to resolve every difference of view about 'strategy and tactics' on the bigger canvass. Democracy is a process - our democracy began with extremely sharp differences of view and slowly we are chipping away at those differences through social dialogue. We are building a 'people's compact' This is also a process, elements of which are getting clearer as the gaps are narrowed.
One of the challenges social partners have prioritised but decided to be followed up, as part of the post GDS processes is the challenge of HIV/AIDS. This decision was informed by the fact that a task team has already been set up consisting of Nedlac social partners to engage on this matter in order to find a collaborative approach to deal with this challenge. A lot of ground has been covered by this task team; which is scheduled to reconvene by the end of this month.
HIV/AIDS is a challenge for all of us, one that we can overcome by working together in the Partnership Against AIDS.
The fight against the epidemic takes pace on many fronts, mostly out of the public eye. And so we need from time to time to bring together all that is being done so that all of us can know both that we are making an impact and that we must continue to intensify the campaign.
IS THERE A NATIONAL PLAN FOR COMBATING HIV AND AIDS?
Our country has comprehensive five-year HIV, AIDS and STI strategy that addresses prevention, treatment and care, research and human rights aspects. It is founded on the premise that HIV causes AIDS and was formulated in consultation with major stakeholders.
The Government' policy on HIV and AIDS was set out in the five-year strategic plan adopted in 2002, and is further set out in two more recent documents, the Cabinet statements on 17 April 2002 and 9 October 2002.
Because HIV/AIDS represents a challenge to all of us and success depends on close collaboration, the national action system is defined as a Partnership Against Aids. The Partnership was formalised in October 1998 in a national launch by then Deputy President Mbeki, and is now represented by the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), which has contributed substantially to co-ordinating various sectors at the highest level.
Government's commitment to intensify implementation of the plan is backed by very large budget for the HIV/AIDS programme. In 2002/03 Government provided large additional allocations for an Enhanced Response to HIV, AIDS and TB. These allocations, estimated at above R1 billion for 2002/03 are again strengthened in the 2003 Budget. Additional allocations of R3, 4 billion for the next three financial years strengthen key national programmes (such as condom distribution) as well as bolster provincial budget to extend prevention programmes and treatment. Dedicated funding for HIV/AIDS (that is, excluding allocation from the provincial equitable shares) is set to increase somewhat more than 10-fold-from R342 million in 2001/02 to R3, 6 billion in 2005.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RELATION TO HIV PREVENTION
Since there is no known cure for AIDS, prevention of HIV infection remains critical. Government's prevention strategy is to promote public awareness, to make condoms widely available and to develop the life skills of young people to deal with the challenges of world in which AIDS is prevalent. Government also has an expanding programme to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV through intensified efforts towards universal access to Nevirapine, already the largest on the African continent.
In April last year, Government re-affirmed the position that anti-retroviral treatment could improve the health of people living with AIDS if administered at an appropriate stage in the progression of the condition in accordance with international standards.
It was stated at the time that Government would continue to address the barriers to introducing anti-retroviral therapy - for example, high drug prices, weaknesses in health infrastructure and concerns around treatment compliance.
Thereafter, a key process was mandated by Cabinet. I cantered on a joint technical team from the Department of Health and National Treasury that was tasked to look into the resource implications of an expanded response to HIV/AIDS, including the comprehensive costs - and benefits - of various AIDS treatment options. These options include anti-retroviral treatment. The work of the Team is nearing completion, and Cabinet will be considering the findings.
Today we are re-affirming our shared vision for this country and are committing ourselves to work together on a range of critically important ventures to achieve it. Would our critics have us 'lock horns' where we cannot yet agree and ignore the wide range of areas in which we have so much common cause? That would surely be na
Source: Department of Labour
Title: Mdladlana: Growth and Development Summit
SPEECH BY MINISTER MMS MDLADLANA ON THE OCCASION OF THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT, Gallagher Estate, Midrand, 7 June 2003
Comrade President
Cabinet colleagues
Premiers
MECs
Leaders of constituencies
Executive Director of Nedlac
Members of the media
Constituency representatives and friends
It is with great pleasure that I address you in this auspicious occasion.
Mr. President, there must have been times when Sibusiso Vilane and his fellow climbers wondered whether or not they would make the top of Everest! Just imagine those chill winds, the hostile surface of the mountain and the discouraging and daunting length of the journey to the summit of the mountain. Imagine the expectations raised not by him but by the nature of the project he undertook. The concern that the object of the journey may not be achieved. Similar hardships and concerns had haunted us in our journey to prepare for the Growth and Development Summit. There was a time when it seemed as though the Growth and Development Summit shall remain a figment of imagination - never to be realised. As evident from position papers exchanged by different stakeholders, the differences were wide-ranging, challenges daunting and a list of priorities so intimidating that it could have led the process to a state of paralysis. In short, the road to today's summit was pregnant with obstacles. But, like Sibusiso, we believed in the dictum once made by Henry Ford that, "obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal". Like Sibusiso, we remained focused and today we have made it to the Summit together with all our partners.
Mr. President, when you addressed Parliament you said, that the Growth and Development Summit would seek to, and I quote "...address the urgent challenges facing us in the economy and build an enduring partnership in which all of us can lend a hand building a prosperous South Africa." Indeed so important a statement has this proved to be, that it was translated into the agreed objectives for this Summit - objectives whose essence is that we are here to build partnerships, prioritise those things that are the most urgent and important and to identify what contribution we can each make towards the implementation of the tasks that need to be done through active participation.
Partnership, prioritisation and active participation - I want to stress these important words - because they spell out not only what we set out to do, but also what we did not set out to do. And let me get out of the way, right at the beginning, some of the things we did not set out to do:
* We did not set out to talk about everything. We set ourselves the task of planning to do the do-able, together. We could of course have planned to do more - but frankly what would have been the point?
* We also did not set out to talk exclusively about government and its role. No, we deliberately set out to frame our agenda in such a way that we fore grounded those areas where all of the constituencies have a role to play towards a set of specific, measurable goals - in some cases working together and in other cases aligning our efforts to enhance their complimentarity.
And, importantly, we did not try to resolve every difference of view about 'strategy and tactics' on the bigger canvass. Democracy is a process - our democracy began with extremely sharp differences of view and slowly we are chipping away at those differences through social dialogue. We are building a 'people's compact' This is also a process, elements of which are getting clearer as the gaps are narrowed.
One of the challenges social partners have prioritised but decided to be followed up, as part of the post GDS processes is the challenge of HIV/AIDS. This decision was informed by the fact that a task team has already been set up consisting of Nedlac social partners to engage on this matter in order to find a collaborative approach to deal with this challenge. A lot of ground has been covered by this task team; which is scheduled to reconvene by the end of this month.
HIV/AIDS is a challenge for all of us, one that we can overcome by working together in the Partnership Against AIDS.
The fight against the epidemic takes pace on many fronts, mostly out of the public eye. And so we need from time to time to bring together all that is being done so that all of us can know both that we are making an impact and that we must continue to intensify the campaign.
IS THERE A NATIONAL PLAN FOR COMBATING HIV AND AIDS?
Our country has comprehensive five-year HIV, AIDS and STI strategy that addresses prevention, treatment and care, research and human rights aspects. It is founded on the premise that HIV causes AIDS and was formulated in consultation with major stakeholders.
The Government' policy on HIV and AIDS was set out in the five-year strategic plan adopted in 2002, and is further set out in two more recent documents, the Cabinet statements on 17 April 2002 and 9 October 2002.
Because HIV/AIDS represents a challenge to all of us and success depends on close collaboration, the national action system is defined as a Partnership Against Aids. The Partnership was formalised in October 1998 in a national launch by then Deputy President Mbeki, and is now represented by the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), which has contributed substantially to co-ordinating various sectors at the highest level.
Government's commitment to intensify implementation of the plan is backed by very large budget for the HIV/AIDS programme. In 2002/03 Government provided large additional allocations for an Enhanced Response to HIV, AIDS and TB. These allocations, estimated at above R1 billion for 2002/03 are again strengthened in the 2003 Budget. Additional allocations of R3, 4 billion for the next three financial years strengthen key national programmes (such as condom distribution) as well as bolster provincial budget to extend prevention programmes and treatment. Dedicated funding for HIV/AIDS (that is, excluding allocation from the provincial equitable shares) is set to increase somewhat more than 10-fold-from R342 million in 2001/02 to R3, 6 billion in 2005.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RELATION TO HIV PREVENTION
Since there is no known cure for AIDS, prevention of HIV infection remains critical. Government's prevention strategy is to promote public awareness, to make condoms widely available and to develop the life skills of young people to deal with the challenges of world in which AIDS is prevalent. Government also has an expanding programme to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV through intensified efforts towards universal access to Nevirapine, already the largest on the African continent.
In April last year, Government re-affirmed the position that anti-retroviral treatment could improve the health of people living with AIDS if administered at an appropriate stage in the progression of the condition in accordance with international standards.
It was stated at the time that Government would continue to address the barriers to introducing anti-retroviral therapy - for example, high drug prices, weaknesses in health infrastructure and concerns around treatment compliance.
Thereafter, a key process was mandated by Cabinet. I cantered on a joint technical team from the Department of Health and National Treasury that was tasked to look into the resource implications of an expanded response to HIV/AIDS, including the comprehensive costs - and benefits - of various AIDS treatment options. These options include anti-retroviral treatment. The work of the Team is nearing completion, and Cabinet will be considering the findings.
Today we are re-affirming our shared vision for this country and are committing ourselves to work together on a range of critically important ventures to achieve it. Would our critics have us 'lock horns' where we cannot yet agree and ignore the wide range of areas in which we have so much common cause? That would surely be na
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