Creation of the Steering Committee for programme on substandard and falsified medicines

Here's their message:

"We are extremely concerned about the effects of this trafficking on Africans. Fully committed in our previous roles to working for the long-term development of the continent, we now want to ensure that all Africans have access to safe medicines by introducing strict standards that fill the current gaps in criminal legislation.

The trafficking criminal trade in falsified medicines is a scourge that every country must now combat. It represents a considerable risk to public health, as it leads to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Africans every year. Our response to this threat requires the involvement of the entire international community. All the more so as this crisis is not limited to the health aspect.

Transnational criminal organisations, including the terrorist groups we have been fighting for decades, have always used this traffic to finance their operations. Beyond the health risk, trafficking in falsified medicines contributes to insecurity and instability throughout the African continent.

Six heads of state have decided to join forces to tackle the problem. The Lomé Initiative is a concrete response that will lead to the criminalization of this deadly trafficking .

What's more, the Lomé Initiative highlights the incredible vitality of African diplomacy, which is tackling a major health and security issue.

The agreement is also an opportunity to underline the personal commitment of six heads of state to peace and a more secure future for Africans.

We need to grasp the scale of the challenge and rise to it together.

This initiative will be the cornerstone of an ever more ambitious project, since we want to invite all African heads of state, and the international community as a whole, to join us in our action."