Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma stressed his commitment to increasing women’s participation in his government during an event on

UNAIDS Michel Sidibe & President Ernest Bai Koroma after the signing of the grant agreement

8th March 2013, celebrating International Women’s Day in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He said that the many appointments of women to high positions his government has sent “a clear message that discrimination against women no longer has a place in Sierra Leone”. He said, “My government will enact legislation for a 30% quota for women’s participation in governance pretty soon. Gender is not just a social issue but also a development issue. And so we recognize the fact that men and women have to work side by side to achieve sustainable development.”

Sierra Leone joined the global village to commemorate World AIDS Day with array of events started on Friday 30^th November to the 2^nd December 2018 with the theme “know your HIV Status, rise, test and be safe” This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first World AIDS Day. Thirty years of activism and solidarity under the banner of World AIDS Day. Thirty years of campaigning for universal access to life-saving services to treat and prevent HIV.

The National HIV/AIDS Secretariat together with its partners; AIDS Health Foundation (AHF), the Network of HIV Positives (NETHIPS), the UNAIDS in S/L and many more gathered in the City of Bo southern Sierra Leone to remember the millions of people who have lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses, many of whom died because they could not access HIV services, because of stigma, because of discrimination and because of criminalization of some key populations.