STATEMENT BY HON. DR. NAOMI N. SHABAN, EGH; MP, MINISTER OF STATE FOR SPECIAL PROGRAMMES DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE VISION FOR THE KENYA NATIONAL AIDS STRATEGIC PLAN, 2009/10 ¡V 2012/13 ON 24TH MARCH, 2009 AT KICC

Chairman National Aids Control Council
Director, National Aids Control Council
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to join you this morning in launching the Vision statement for the third Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS. I am pleased to inform the country that the Government jointly with stakeholders involved in the national HIV response is developing a new HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan that is expected to become operational from July 2009. This exercise comes after completion of a comprehensive review on the current strategy, also known as the Kenya National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2005/06 ¡V 2009/10 (KNASP II).

After a long representative process, the Vision Statement of the new Strategic Plan KNASP III will be ¡§An HIV and AIDS Free Society¡¨.

To achieve this Vision, KNASP III will have the following strategic goals:
„X HIV incidence reduced;
„X HIV-related morbidity and mortality reduced; and
„X Kenyans infected and affected have access to adequate and equitable social protection services.

The proposed name of the New Strategic Plan is Kenya National AIDS Strategic Plan, 2009/10 -2013 ¡V Delivering on Universal Access. As a matter of consensus, both the Vision and the Name of the Strategic Plan have been discussed by stakeholders and NACC Board and agreed upon.
The new Strategic Plan will aim to achieve Kenya¡¦s Universal Access targets for quality integrated services at all levels to prevent new HIV infections, reduce HIV-related illness and deaths and mitigate the effects of the epidemic on households and communities. Special attention will be given to preventing new HIV infections and securing an AIDS-competent Kenyan society in the long term.
The proposed strategic thrusts and approaches of the new Plan are:-

1. Provision of cost-effective services informed by an engendered Rights-Based Approach for Universal Access to prevention, treatment, care and support ¡V this means saving lives, averting more new infections and saving life-time medical care costs with available funds.

2. Targeted, community based programmes supporting universal access and social transformation for an AIDS-competent society supported in all communities
3. Long-term programmes addressing both the root causes and effects of HIV mainstreamed in key sectors and

4. All stakeholders operating within a nationally-owned harmonized and aligned framework at all levels supporting mutual accountability.

Development of the new Strategic Plan is on course and I am confident that the July deadline will be met.

Thank you.