Dakar, Senegal – The event, held on December 6 in Dakar, featured prizes and awards in honor of the health expert, celebrating journalists who have significantly contributed to the health sector through their regular reportage. The journalists, under the banner of REMAPSEN, the African Media Network for the Promotion of Health and Environment, organized the award ceremony.
During this event, REMAPSEN paid a special tribute to Dr. Michel Sidibé by presenting him with a special recognition award. According to REMAPSEN Vice-President for Environmental Promotion and Awards Director, Journalist Line Renée Batongué of CRTV (Cameroon), this distinction was established not only to encourage African journalists to increase their engagement in promoting health, environment, human rights, and gender issues but also to honor a great servant of Africa in the health and environmental sectors, Dr. Michel Sidibé.
Dr. Sidibé served as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, UNAIDS Executive Director, and Mali’s Minister of Health and Social Affairs. He has dedicated over 44 years to global health, consistently emphasizing people-centered policies. Dr. Sidibé’s vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths inspired global action and redefined worldwide HIV response efforts. His 90-90-90 targets established a transformative framework, enabling more than 25 million people to access life-saving treatments under his leadership at UNAIDS.
Dr. Sidibé’s undying commitment to Africa’s health sovereignty remains central to his work. He has consistently advocated for local pharmaceutical production and improved access to high-quality medicines and vaccines. He continues to shape Africa’s health landscape by aligning strategies with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision, where he serves as Special Envoy for the African Medicines Agency (AMA). These revolutionary contributions and dedication have earned this health expert international recognition, including honorary doctorates and a seat on the Global Commission on Drug Policy. His mission is clear: advancing Africa’s health autonomy and dismantling global inequalities.
As a tireless advocate for health equity and African-led solutions, and in his role as African Union Special Envoy for the African Medicines Agency (AMA), Dr. Sidibé has driven the rapid ratification of the AMA Treaty, enabling its implementation in November 2021, surpassing all expectations.
The leadership of REMAPSEN terms it as befitting that it requested Dr. Sidibé to sponsor the REMAPSEN Awards, which annually recognize the continent’s best journalists in health and environmental sectors and the network’s top national coordinating bodies.
In remarks, the former UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr. Michel Sidibé, commended the African media for evolving from mere conveyors of information to builders of awareness and architects of change. Dr. Sidibé described African journalists as courageous individuals who risk everything to reveal truths that others prefer to silence.
“Their work connects decision-makers to the realities of the people,” he said. “It inspires action, saves lives, and gives a voice to those who are often unheard,” Dr. Sidibé noted while addressing journalists from across Africa at a program recognizing his achievements as a health giant on the continent.
