[Newscast] Naomi calls for fight against HIV in Mozambique

Mozambique: Actress Naomi Watts calls for fight against HIV (HIV/AIDS)

October 15, 2012

The Goodwill Ambassador of the UN joint programme on HIV/Aids, Unaids, Naomi Watts, has promised to advocate increased access to prevention and to the quality and care for women and children in Mozambique.

In the country, the anglo-Australian actress will play the role of Princess Diana in the film Caught in the Flight, inspired by writer Tina Brown titled "Diana Chronicles." The footage will also be made in Croatia and England.

Prevalence: The focus of contacts between Watts and the various entities, in Mozambique, will be the need to "redouble efforts to support both the country as the other 21 Nations most affected."

Mozambique has a prevalence rate of around 11.5% in adults. In 2008, 98 thousand women lacked a treatment to prevent the transmission of the virus to babies.

Slogan: For Watts, reduce to zero the number of infections, "this is a dream or a slogan but a reality possible."

In September, she participated in the Forum of women leaders in New York, along with entrepreneurs and several first ladies to reduce to zero the number of infections with the Aids virus.

*Continue with  [Feature Story] after the break

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Naomi Watts advocates for an HIV-free generation

05 October 2012

Actress and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Naomi Watts talked about her work in support of UNAIDS’ efforts towards an AIDS free generation while in Mozambique.

Mozambique is one of the settings of a new film about the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. It’s also where UNAIDS.org caught up with actress and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Naomi Watts. She talked about her work in support of UNAIDS efforts towards an AIDS free generation—ensuring no new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.

“In the United States and Europe there are virtually no new HIV infections in children and many African countries are moving steadily in that direction,” said Ms Watts. “We at UNAIDS call that ‘getting to zero’—zero babies born with HIV and zero mothers dying of AIDS-related causes. And for us, getting to zero is not a dream or a slogan but a doable reality,” she added.

The country she is filming in has one of the highest rates of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa—11.5% of the adult population is living with the virus. But is also one of the 22 countries that is making a concerted effort to stop new HIV infections among children as part of a Global Plan championed by UNAIDS and partners.

In 2011, 98 000 pregnant women living with HIV were in need of antiretroviral medicine to prevent transmission of HIV to their children in Mozambique—the third highest number after South Africa (241 000 women) and Nigeria (229 000 women).

Women need access to quality, life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services for themselves and their children and I know that together we can make this a reality