News release
12 August 2004

Speech by Dr Tim Tucker, Director of SAAVI, at the launch of the SAAVI/Nelson Mandela Foundation partnership

Good evening distinguished guests, colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen.

You will recall that ex-president Bill Clinton spoke at Mr Mandela's birthday party last year. In his speech, he outlined the various gifts he would have liked, but was not able, to give to Mr Mandela. Topping the list was something not yet developed - an HIV vaccine. We are here today to announce the combined commitment of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) to the development of an HIV vaccine.

HIV/AIDS is the greatest health crisis in human history and the biggest challenge facing our nation.

We know from past experience that the only way to successfully tackle an epidemic of this proportion is to undertake a co-ordinated, long-term prevention, treatment, care and support programme at all levels of society. Prevention and treatment do not compete, but rather are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. It is imperative that we investigate all the possible ways of preventing HIV infection and of keeping the over 80% of our population who are not HIV infected that way. In particular, we need to protect our youth and future generations.

Vaccination has led to the global eradication and control of other viral diseases like smallpox and polio. Smallpox used to maim or kill 10 million people per year in the 1960s. Through a global vaccination strategy, we no longer have smallpox anywhere on the globe. Polio eradication is also within reach and other infectious diseases are being controlled systematically through vaccination.

We know that current HIV interventions are critically important, but can only control the spread - not eradicate HIV. An HIV vaccine is our best hope to eradicate HIV from the globe.

The South African government, through the Department of Health and the Department of Science & Technology, along with Eskom, have shown significant leadership and commitment to the development of an HIV vaccine by establishing and funding SAAVI and housing it at the Medical Research Council. Eskom has made the largest financial commitment to HIV vaccines in the world among non-pharmaceutical companies, amounting to over R100 million, while government has committed in excess of this amount and has offered superb support. Government, Eskom and the MRC should be congratulated on their commitment, support and vision in this area of HIV vaccine development. SAAVI is now the largest HIV vaccine consortium in the developing world. It is a unique community-based biotechnology initiative involving over 200 people and representing a vast array of skills and disciplines. The mandate handed down from Cabinet is to ensure the development of an affordable, effective and locally relevant preventative HIV vaccine for SA. All activities are underpinned by a sound human rights approach. SAAVI is a body owned by all South Africans which collaborates with many strategic local and international partners to achieve its goal. This is a daunting challenge and one that cannot be achieved without true, sustainable partnerships.

Some of the volunteers already involved in the clinical trials are in the video you are about to see - these are true South African heroes.

The partnership announced today with the Nelson Mandela Foundation is an important step forward and we welcome the commitment of the Foundation and the personal support of Mr Mandela for SAAVI. This is a partnership, and SAAVI today also commits its support to the Foundation's activities.

Both organisations have youth as one of their key constituencies. As a result, the focus of this partnership between SAAVI and the Nelson Mandela Foundation will be the expansion of our adolescent-friendly HIV vaccine community activities and the responsible, ethical involvement of adolescents in HIV vaccine trials. AIDS, tragically, is a young person's disease. Infection rates are far too high in our adolescents and, in particular, in young girls and women. SAAVI is therefore committed to the long-term involvement of fully informed adolescents in HIV vaccine research and development, and in the eventual speedy roll out of a successful vaccine to this target group. A successful HIV vaccine that is effective in adolescents would be a huge step forward in protecting future generations.

Both SAAVI and the Nelson Mandela Foundation are committed to developing strategic alliances and partnerships nationally and globally in the field of HIV prevention and treatment, to foster community engagement, community ownership and, ultimately, community benefit.

The development of an HIV vaccine will take many years - more than a decade of laboratory and clinical development work is still required to achieve our goal.

We know that this partnership will assist us in expanding our important work, and to find additional ways to accelerate our shared goal of an AIDS-free nation. That is the greatest contribution we can offer to the future of our country and in particular our youth. We are very grateful to you, the NMF, for your bold move to support SAAVI and HIV vaccines.

Let us bear in mind: an HIV vaccine is our best hope to eradicate HIV from the globe. Let us work together and imagine a world without AIDS.

Thank you.