We must work collaboratively with African leaders to determine the priorities for their people and nations. Second, we need long-term commitments. The solutions to this epidemic will only come through long-term committed partnerships between people and organizations in Africa and elsewhere. Finally, any efforts must abide by good public health practice. The Institute is based at the Harvard School of Public Health, and we remain steadfast in responding to the AIDS crisis as a public health issue around the world.
Participants listen to a panel discussion at the summit.
This landmark declaration, submitted as a draft for discussion by participants at the summit itself, summarized what planners in Africa and at the Institute saw as key points for the summit. Prevention works, but it needs the support of data to get the critical support of the political community. Finally, nations must improve their monitoring and enforcement of successful behavioral interventions. These centers would serve as foci for African partnerships in building infrastructure, would contribute to the sustainability of multinational programs to confront public health crises, and would provide fertile ground in which equal partnerships between researchers from the United States and Africa could grow. As outlined by participants, comprehensive HIV and AIDS care must include palliative care, psychosocial support, and management services for sexually transmitted diseases.