Malala Mwondela, Executive Director of the Zambia AIDS Law Research and Advocacy Network (ZARAN), said that World AIDS Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the successes scored and reflect on the failures of the current AIDS response.

She said the theme of leadership was very appropriate because leadership was central to the response and echoed the need to hold governments accountable for their commitments.

On the very day in which the theme should have encouraged strong displays of public leadership there was an obvious lack of it by some of Zambia’s top political leaders. Minister of Health, Dr. Brian Chituwo delayed the flagging off of a march past because he was seeing off the President at the airport. The march, organised and led by the National AIDS Council, took place in Lusaka from Northmead to the show grounds. Various civil society organisations, including AfyaMzuri, ZARAN, TALC and the Zambia Interfaith Networking Groups, were present as well as members of the business community.

In addition, Republican President Dr. Levey, who has said on many occasions that he is committed to the AIDS fight, missed the World AIDS Day Interfaith candle service on the eve of World AIDS Day and was not even in Zambia on 1 December.

“Political leaders are failing to demonstrate practical leadership. That a simple thing such as flagging off a march past can fail to take off because the ‘leaders’ are at the airport seeing off the Head of State while thousands of people, most of whom are living with HIV, are left standing in the sun for hours, is very disappointing.” Mrs Mwondela said.

Amos Mwale of Youth Vision Zambia, also a member of the Zambia AIDS Campaign, said the theme of leadership challenges leaders to take a more proactive role. He bemoaned the lack of creativity in the commemorations and stressed the need of civil society and government to involve communities in their World AIDS Day activities as opposed to a march past, which has become monotonous.

Mulenga Fube, board member of the Youth Alive Zambia another Zambia AIDS Campaign member, said leadership should be narrowed down to community –level organisations.
Members of the Zambia AIDS Campaign, TALC and ZARAN, challenged the government to demonstrate leadership in honouring its commitments made at various international fora. The organisations said the government should strive to improve the current legal and policy environment and play visible roles in addressing the issues that have impacted negatively on efforts to stop AIDS.

They prodded government to place keen emphasis on matters of human rights in relation to HIV and AIDS and hence the need to deal with the legal and policy framework of the country.