The 39th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 6 to 8 December.

During the opening session, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé gave an update on the progress made in the AIDS response and outlined the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Mr Sidibé spoke about the need to properly fund the AIDS response, especially civil society, in order to put the world on the Fast-Track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. He also stressed the need to focus on HIV prevention and to provide adequate HIV services to key populations at higher risk in order to leave no one behind.

The thematic segment of the meeting will take place on the last day and will focus on the state of the epidemic among people living with HIV and at risk of acquiring HIV aged 50 and above, the impact of ageing with HIV, including for key populations and women living with HIV, and identify areas of health and social sector responses for people aged 50 and above.

The 39th meeting of the UNAIDS Board is being chaired by Switzerland, with Ghana acting as Vice-Chair and Ecuador as rapporteur.