MOROCCO, March 7 - Morocco can be "proud of the significant progress that has been made" in the fight against AIDS, according to an approach of consultation, partnership and respect for equity and human rights, said, Friday, Khalid Ait Taleb, Minister of Health and Social Protection.

In a speech read on his behalf by the director of epidemiology and disease control at the Ministry of Health, Mohamed El Youbi, at the opening of an international conference on the fight against AIDS, the Minister also stressed that the Kingdom "can be proud to be the first country in the MENA region to have achieved the second and third 90-90-90 targets since 2019 and the three 90-90-90 for women in 2020, allowing us to take a serious and concrete option for the elimination of HIV by 2030".

Morocco is mobilized for the fight against AIDS since the beginning of the global epidemic, with a strong culture of partnership, involving government departments and civil society organizations, without forgetting the support of international financial and technical partners, Ait Taleb underlined, noting that this fight which benefits from a political commitment at the highest level is supported by various reforms and projects conducted under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

The Ministry of Health had established its National Program for the Fight against AIDS shortly after the detection of the first case in 1986, he noted, adding that since 2003, the fight was organized in the form of five national strategic plans, designed and implemented with all national and international partners.

The current strategic plan (2020-2023) aims to reduce new HIV infections and mortality by 50%, reduce stigma and discrimination related to HIV and strengthen governance and partnership for the acceleration and sustainability of the national response, he stressed.

MAP 04 March 2022