All African Council of Churches Statement on HIV/AIDS

27 November 2003
All Africa Conference of Churches Yaounde, Cameroon

Covenant 1: Life and HIV/AIDS Prevention
• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that, the Lord our God created

all people and all life and created life very good (Gen. 1-2) We shall, therefore,

seriously and effectively undertake HIV/AIDS prevention for all people Christians

and non-Christiana. married u,, s single, young and old, women and men, poor and

rich, black, white, yellow, all people everywhere-, for this disease destroys life

and it, goodness, thus violating God's creation and will.

Covenant 2: Love and HIV/AIDS Care

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that love is from God and

everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Those who say ‘I love God,' and

hate their sisters and brothers are liars, for unless you love your sisters and

brothers whom you see, you cannot love God whom you have never seen (I John 4:7-21).

We shall, therefore, do all that is necessary and within our power to encourage both

men and women to love, care, support and heal all those who are infected and

affected by HIV/AIDS in our communities, countries and continent.


Covenant 3: Treatment and HIV/AIDS Drugs

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the earth and everything in

it belongs to the Lord and that He has given it over to all human beings for

custodianship ( Psa . 24:1 &Gen. 1:29). We shall therefore, openly and persistently

undertake prophetic and advocacy role for all the infected who are denied access to

affordable HIV/AIDS drugs until anti- retrovirals are available to all who need

them.

Covenant 4: Compassion, HIV/AIDS Stigma & Discrimination

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, is a

compassionate God, who calls upon us to be compassionate, to suffer with those who

suffer, to enter their places and hearts of pain and to seek lasting change of their

suffering (Luke 6:36; Matt. 25:31-46). We shall therefore, have zero tolerance for

HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination and do all that is necessary to eliminate the

isolation, rejection, fear and oppression of the infected and affected in our

communities. We shall declare HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination an unacceptable sin

before God and all believers and in all our communities.

Covenant 5: Poverty and HIV/AIDS •

We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, who

created all the resources of the earth, blessed both women and men and gave them the

resources of the earth for their sustenance (Gen.1:28-29). We shall, therefore, work

to empower all the poor and denounce all the cultural, national and international

structures, laws and policies that have condemned billions to poverty thus denying

them their God given rights and, in the HIV/AIDS era, exposing them to infection and

denying them quality care and treatment

Covenant 6: Gender Inequalities and HIV/AIDS

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, created

humankind in his image. In his image, he created them mal and female, he blessed

them both and gave both of them leadership and resources in the earth; he made them

one in Christ (Gen. 1:27 -29; Gal. 3:28 -29). We shall, therefore, denounce gender

inequalities that lead boys and men to risky behaviour, domination and violence;

that deny girls and women leadership, decision making powers and property ownership

thus exposing them to violence, witchcraft accusation, widow dispossession, survival

sex – fuelling HIV/AIDS infection and lack of quality care and treatment.

Covenant 7: Children and HIV/AIDS

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that, Lord our God welcomes

children. He has given his kingdom to them and he is the father of all orphans (Mark

9:33 -37; 10:13 -16; Psa . 68:5 & Psa . 146:9). We shall, therefore, work to empower

and protect all children and denounce all the national and international structures,

cultures, policies, laws and practices that expose children to sexual abuse and

exploitation, HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, dispossession and poverty thus

exposing them to HIV/AIDS infection and lack of quality care.

Covenant 8: Church, PLWAs and HIV/AIDS

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that we are one body of Christ

and if one member suffers, we all suffer together with it; that the Lord our God

identifies with the suffering and marginalized and heals the sick (1 Cor . 14:26 ;

Matt. 25:31-46). We shall, therefore, become a community of compassion and healing,

a safe place for all PLWAs to live openly and productively with their status.

Covenant 9: Human Sexuality and HIV/AIDS

• We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, created

human sexuality and created it good (Gen. 2:18-25). We shall, therefore, test for

infection, denounce sexual violence, abstain before marriage, be faithful in

marriage and practice protected sex to avoid HIV/AIDS infection and plunder on life,

for all life is sacred and prevention should be seriously pursued to protect life.

Covenant 10: Justice and HIV/AIDS •

We shall remember, proclaim and act on the fact that the Lord our God, sees,

hears, knows the suffering of people and comes down to liberate them (Ex. 3:1-12;

Luke 4:16 -22). We shall, therefore, declare the jubilee and we shall proclaim

liberty throughout the land and to all its inhabitants (Lev. 25:10), for unless and

until justice is served to all people in the world, until justice rolls down like

waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, HIV/AIDS cannot be uprooted.