The Quezon City government was cited by the International Association of Providers of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Care (IAPAC) for its excellent and effective Covid-19 response in the city during the Fast Track Cities 2022 conference held in Sevilla, Spain on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance (CESU) Chief Dr. Rolly Cruz received the “Circle of Excellence Award” plaque from the IAPAC.
The city government said Quezon City was chosen by the IAPAC and the Fast Track Cities Institute as one of the cities in the world to receive the award after a thorough process of nomination, deliberation, and consultation.
It added that aside from Quezon City, the other cities that received the award were Amsterdam, New York, Kingston, Johannesburg, and Lagos.
”Ang tagumpay na ito ay tagumpay ng bawat QCitizen, higit lalo ng mga frontiners na nagsakripisyo ng kanilang buhay para sa kapakanan ng bawat QCitizen (This victory is the victory of every QCitizen, especially the frontiners who sacrificed their lives for the sake of every QCitizen),” Belmonte said in a Facebook post.
Belmonte also signed the “Sevilla Declaration on the Centrality of Communities in Urban HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), TB (Tubercolosis), and Viral Hepatitis Responses” that unites different cities in the world in ending the diseases by the year 2030.
The IAPAC aims to improve access and quality of prevention, care, treatment, and support services delivered to people living with and affected by HIV and comorbid diseases, including TB and viral hepatitis, according to www.iapac.org. It has around 30,000 members from over 150 countries working to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The Fast-Track Cities, launched in December 2014, is a global partnership of more than 380 cities and municipalities in the world, along with other partners, that are committed to accelerate their local HIV, TB, and viral hepatitis responses.
The Fast Track Cities 2022 conference was held in Spain from Oct. 11-13.