Advocacy


















Press Release
69th World Health Assembly: speakers at high-level side event call for a Fast-Track response to end the AIDS epidemic among women and adolescent girls
23 May 2016 23 May 2016The First Lady of Panama, Lorena Castillo de Varela, said that accelerating the AIDS response and empowering women and girls is key to ending the AIDS epidemic
GENEVA, 23 May 2016—At a high-level side event held during the 69th session of the World Health Assembly, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, delegates have urged countries to end gender inequity in the response to HIV by putting women and adolescent girls on the Fast-Track to ending the AIDS epidemic. Lorena Castillo de Varela, First Lady of Panama and UNAIDS Special Ambassador for AIDS in Latin America, hosted the event. Ms Castillo de Varela stressed the importance of women assuming leadership roles to ensure the development of programmes and policies fitting to their needs.
“Limited access to health care and education, coupled with systems and policies that do not address the needs of young people, are obstacles that block adolescent girls and young women from being able to protect themselves against HIV, particularly as they transition into adulthood,” said Ms Castillo de Varela. “To reduce HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, we must advance gender equality, women’s empowerment and autonomy to ensure that girls and young women make independent decisions about their own health and are able to live free from all forms of violence.”
The high-level side event focused on three topics, the elimination of new HIV infections among children, HIV prevention in adolescent girls and young women and access to HIV treatment for all.
The engagement and empowerment of women as leaders, policy makers, implementers and peer supporters combined with increased access to effective HIV treatment and prevention has proved essential in the success of global efforts to eliminate new HIV infections among children, which have decreased by more than half, from 520 000 a year in 2000 to 220 000 in 2014. This comprehensive and inclusive approach now has to be widened to include all people living with HIV, including young women and girls.
“We need a combined, holistic approach and interventions that support adolescent girls and women,” said HIV activist of the Salamander Trust, Angelina Namiba. “It is crucial that women living with HIV are meaningfully involved at all stages of these interventions right from design to delivery.”
Globally, AIDS remains the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. In 2014, there were around 220 000 new HIV infections worldwide among adolescents (aged 15 to 19 years), with adolescent girls accounting for 62% of new HIV infections among this age group. In 2014, AIDS was the leading cause of death in adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.
Gender-based violence, gender inequity, harmful gender norms, stigma and discrimination often prevent women and girls from knowing their HIV status and accessing appropriate HIV prevention and treatment services. It is estimated that of 670 000 adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 living with HIV, only one in five knows she is HIV-positive.
The UNAIDS Fast-Track approach focuses on ensuring that at least 90% of adolescents and young women and men (as well as other groups at higher risk of HIV infection) have access to combination HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health and rights services and that they are empowered with the skills, knowledge and capability to protect themselves from HIV by 2020.
In addition to scaling up HIV prevention, the roll-out of access to HIV treatment is critical. The World Health Organization’s global health sector strategy on HIV, 2016–2021, being discussed at this week’s World Health Assembly reiterates UNAIDS’ 90–90–90 treatment target. This will require that 90% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status are accessing antiretroviral treatment and 90% of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads. To achieve this, innovative models of service delivery will be critical to ensuring that adolescents and young people are diagnosed early, rapidly linked to treatment services, helped to adhere to treatment and retained in care to make sure they stay healthy. These services must be accessible, affordable and sensitive to the needs of women and girls. Other Fast-Track targets include achieving fewer than 500 000 new HIV infections a year by 2020 and reaching zero discrimination.
Switzerland and Zambia, who were among the sponsors of the event in Geneva, are co-facilitators of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS. As co-facilitators they will take forward the summary outcomes of this World Health Assembly side event to help inform discussions at the High-Level Meeting, which will take place in New York, United States of America, from 8 to 10 June 2016.
Quotes
“Limited access to health care and education, coupled with systems and policies that do not address the needs of young people, are obstacles that block adolescent girls and young women from being able to protect themselves against HIV, particularly as they transition into adulthood. To reduce HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, we must advance gender equality, women’s empowerment and autonomy to ensure that girls and young women make independent decisions about their own health and are able to live free from all forms of violence.”
“We need a combined, holistic approach and interventions that support women beyond pregnancy. It is crucial that women living with HIV are meaningfully involved at all stages of these interventions right from design to delivery.”
“Besides attending health services to seek care for themselves, many Brazilian women also seek care for their children or other family members. There is in this regard an interconnection between taking care of oneself and caring for others, with women playing a role of caregivers to their family and community.”
“As long as men are not involved, as long as men refuse to not join women in the process, we will not reach our goals of zero new HIV infections. We are determined to end HIV/AIDS and this is why in our last annual meeting on AIDS, the President himself decided to increase funding for the HIV response in a very substantial way.”
“This is a future that we must create, not a reality that we must await.”
“We have reduced the number of HIV cases, we have reduced mortality, we have increased free coverage of antiretroviral therapy, and we have reduced mother-to-child transmission of HIV. All of this we have done in a strategy to combine public resources with community responses.”
“From the outset Panama has conducted epidemiological supervision of HIV. With the leadership of the First Lady we have revitalized our fight against HIV.”
“What must change is guaranteeing access to all forms of prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment for all, especially regarding young women and the most vulnerable populations.”
“Before we implemented the prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme we had 70 000 infections in infants – this has reduced to less than 7 000. Despite this decrease the work is still incomplete – we must get as close to zero infections as possible and we are working hard to achieve this.”
“We express our hope that 2016 will mark an historic change in the response to AIDS: this year must reflect a major turning point in the response towards the end of the epidemic.”
“I’m sure you all agree that adolescence is a precarious period in a girl’s life, when significant physical, emotional and social changes shape her future. But adolescence is also an ideal point to leverage development and diplomacy efforts, to break the cycles of poverty and violence, to keep girls in school, to invest in their future. I am confident we can put women and girls on the Fast Track to ending the AIDS epidemic in the very near future.”
“It is an injustice that women and girls are prevented from reaching information and services that could keep them free from HIV and give them access to treatment. If we are to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the world must adopt a people-centred approach that enshrines the right of women and girls to make informed decisions about their health and well-being, including their sexual health and rights.”
"This is an extremely important side event. It’s all about ending the AIDS epidemic and working on a very important group – adolescents. If we neglect this age group, we will not be able to achieve our objective of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. I congratulate you for working not only on this issue, but also on the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV. This will be decisive to ending AIDS."
“HIV and TB are somewhat unique diseases. Not just infectious diseases but diseases of society. And we need to understand that. We have to use not only data but also some good common sense. Medical interventions are not enough. They will not address the fundamental aspects of inequality. Data tell us that both health and education together are key. Keeping girls in school is vital. Adolescent girls and young women are not just an issue we need to address but an investment that we absolutely must make."
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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Documents
69th World Health Assembly high-level side event
At a high-level side event held during the 69th session of the World Health Assembly, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, delegates have urged countries to end gender inequity in the response to HIV by putting women and adolescent girls on the Fast-Track to ending the AIDS epidemic.
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Update
Marathon runners commemorate International AIDS Candlelight Memorial in Kazan, Russian Federation
16 May 2016
16 May 2016 16 May 2016The Kazan Marathon, which commemorates the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, took place on 15 May in Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Under the slogan “Test yourself!”, more than 9000 people had the opportunity to test their endurance and learn about their HIV status.
With support from the Government of Tatarstan, the Republican AIDS Centre and the New Century nongovernmental organization, runners accessed voluntary, rapid HIV testing at the marathon site.
For the first time in the Russian Federation, a large-scale sporting event was dedicated to HIV. The President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, was tested for HIV and called on all the marathon participants to follow his example. Gennady Onishchenko, Assistant to the Russian Prime Minister, Anna Popova, Head of Rospotrebnadzor, Sergey Kraevoi, Deputy Minister of Health, and Sergey Pospelov, Head of Rosmolodezh, came to Kazan from Moscow to support the event.
UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Vera Brezhneva ran 3 kilometres of the marathon route together with other participants, including more than 50 people living with HIV.
Quotes
“Today we remember those who have passed away due to AIDS-related illnesses. To date, over one million people in the Russian Federation have been diagnosed with HIV. Together we must ensure they can live normal lives.”
“I am grateful to the President of Tatarstan for his support to make the Kazan Marathon an annual event. Like a marathon, we cannot end AIDS with one step—this is a long road we have ahead of us, but we will get there by running together."
“HIV is no longer a death sentence. Today, people living with HIV can live a full and healthy life, if we diagnosed HIV early. But the first step is to get tested for HIV and to know your status.”
“The Kazan Marathon is living proof that if people living with HIV know their status, access quality HIV treatment and take care of their health, they can reach any milestone in life and in sport.”
“The Kazan Marathon is shining example of the power of partnership between government, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, the sports community and people living with HIV in Tatarstan.”
“Tatarstan has always been a leader among Russian regions, and is at the forefront of the HIV response. The Kazan Marathon is the start of the Fast-Track response to ending AIDS in the city of Kazan.”
Region/country
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Update
Women Deliver: young women and adolescent girls crucial to ending the AIDS epidemic
16 May 2016
16 May 2016 16 May 2016At the Women Deliver youth pre-conference, taking place on 15 and 16 May in Copenhagen, Denmark, UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway underlined the central role to be played by young women and adolescent girls in ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Her Royal Highness stressed the need for young women and adolescent girls to take leadership roles in the AIDS response so that programmes and services could be developed to meet their specific needs and to ensure that their sexual and reproductive health and rights were respected.
Young women and girls remain disproportionately affected by HIV. In 2014, there were around 220 000 new HIV infections worldwide among adolescents aged 10 to 19, with adolescent girls accounting for 62% of new infections among this age group. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls aged 10 to 19 made up 72% of total new infections among this age group.
The Women Deliver youth pre-conference is a crucial opportunity for young activists in the HIV response to make their voices heard in the lead-up to the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, which will take place in New York, United States of America, from 8 to 10 June. It is also a chance for hundreds of young activist to take stock of programmes such as the All In initiative to #EndadolescentAIDS and to outline ways forward to ensure a greater youth participation in development.
The Crown Princess has been involved in the AIDS response since 2003 and is a powerful advocate for youth engagement and the empowerment of women. The Crown Princess recently visited the United Republic of Tanzania to assess progress made in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to see how young people were engaging in the AIDS response.
Quotes
“I truly believe engaged youth is key. Key to managing and resolving the challenges we face in relation to HIV. But moreover, the voice of youth is key to understanding and resolving most of the challenges we are facing in the world today. Your tenacity, your knowledge and your world view is needed, and deserve to be heard loudly in the corridors of power.”
“Ensuring that women and girls are empowered to protect themselves from HIV, to make decisions about their own health and to live free of violence, including violence related to their HIV status, will be crucial to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”


Update
UNAIDS fundraising gala to increase access to HIV services for women and children
04 May 2016
04 May 2016 04 May 2016UNAIDS, in collaboration with the Hotel InterContinental Geneva, Cartier and Design Miami, is organizing a fundraising gala to take place on 13 June during the Art Basel week in Basel, Switzerland.
The gala will aim to raise funds to increase access to HIV prevention and treatment services for women and children worldwide. Hosted by Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York, Caroline Rupert, Kweku Mandela and Ndaba Mandela, the event will honor H.E. Kofi Annan.
This year’s gala will feature a live performance by Duran Duran and an exclusive design auction—a first for Art Basel—boasting one-of-a-kind contributions by the world’s best designers. It will be led and curated by Simon de Pury and Design Miami, who have enlisted a roll call of who’s who in the design world in support of UNAIDS. The dinner will be punctuated by a special reading of “Shadows” by Keanu Reeves, based on his collaboration with artist Alexandra Grant.
Tickets to participate can be purchased here.
In 2015, the UNAIDS gala in Geneva raised funds to stop new HIV infections among children through donations from people in attendance and a live auction of fine jewellery and art. The event was part of the UNAIDS and Hotel InterContinental Geneva “Where history is made” public–private partnership, which started in 2013 to advance global efforts to ensure that all children are born free from HIV, that their mothers have access to life-saving medicines and that all children living with HIV can lead healthy lives.
UNAIDS GALA 2016
Where history is made
Monday, 13 June 2016
Basel, Switzerland, during Art Basel week
Hosts
Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York
Caroline Rupert
Ndaba Mandela
Kweku Mandela
Honouring
Kofi Annan
Live performance
Duran Duran
Underwriters
Craig Robins, René Kamm
Event chairs Diane Ackerman, Alia Al-Senussi, Robbie Antonio, Criselda Breene, Vera Brezhneva, Barbara Bulletti Newman, Naomi Campbell, Becca Cason Thrash, Andrea Crane, Silvia Cubiñá, Alexandra Grant, Patricia Kamp, Samallie Kiyingi, Ekaterina Luki, JJ Martin, Olivier Martinez, Jennifer McCrea, John Melick, Yossi Milo, Karline Moeller, Martina Mondadori, Mon Muellerschoen, Rodman Primack, Keanu Reeves, Thabo Sefolosha, Tatiana Silva, Franca Sozzani, Swoon, Jamie Tisch, Marlies Verhoeven Reijtenbagh
Honorary chairs Thorsten Albertz, Timea Bacsinszky, Victoria Beckham, Klaus Biesenbach, Peter and Stephanie Brant, Mr. Brainwash, James Chau, Eva Chow, Michael Chow, Francisco Costa, Wade Guyton, Lenny Kravitz, Doutzen Kroes, Jude Law, Vik Muniz, Behati Prinsloo, Nico & Vinz, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aby Rosen, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Patrick Stewart, Charlize Theron, Francesco Vezzoli, Naomi Watts
Auctioneer
Simon de Pury
Time
19:30: exclusive Design Miami vernissage exhibition, cocktails and red carpet
21:00: dinner, design auction and special musical performance
22:30: after-party
Location
Halle 1.2, Messe Basel, Switzerland
Made Possible by Cartier
With the support of Design Miami
In partnership with InterContinental Hotel Genève
TABLES/TICKETS
Click here to purchase tickets online
CONTACT FOR EVENT INFORMATION, TICKETS AND TABLE INQUIRIES
Josh Wood Productions at +1 646 652 5814 or gala@unaids.org
CONTACT FOR PRESS INQUIRIES Blue Medium at +1 212 675 1800 or mathilde@bluemedium.com


Update
Alejandra Oraa appointed as UNAIDS Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean
08 April 2016
08 April 2016 08 April 2016UNAIDS has appointed CNN news anchor Alejandra Oraa as a UNAIDS Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean. The announcement was made on the occasion of World Health Day 2016.
In her new role, Ms Oraa will work towards promoting an integral approach to HIV based on human rights, as part of the health agenda for women and youth, and will raise public awareness and understanding of gender inequality.
During the coming year, Ms Oraa will visit several countries in the region, where she will have the opportunity to hear about best practices and lessons learned from the HIV response, especially with regard to women and girls.
Alejandra Oraa, born in Vargas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is anchor of Café CNN, a morning news programme on CNN in Spanish broadcast from Atlanta, United States of America, and Destinos CNN, a weekly TV programme on the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
Quotes
“I have always believed in the power of changing our reality. And this need for change motivates me to use my vocation as a journalist to advocate for a just and equal world.”
“With her charisma and dedication, Alejandra will help to strengthen the HIV response in Latin America and the Caribbean with the aim of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”
Region/country




Update
Kyiv commits to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030
06 April 2016
06 April 2016 06 April 2016Ahead of a Fast-Track cities event to take place in June at the 2016 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has committed the city to the UNAIDS Fast-Track approach to end the AIDS epidemic.
The Fast-Track cities event in New York, United States of America, on 6 June will highlight the leadership role of cities in the AIDS response and showcase urban innovations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including the target of ending the AIDS epidemic.
There are around 223 000 people living with HIV in Ukraine, with about 14 000 new HIV infections in 2014. Around one in five adults living with HIV has access to antiretroviral therapy.
Participants at the event at which the commitment to the Fast-Track approach was made included Ukraine’s Minister of Health, Alexander Kvitashvili, the United States’ Ambassador, Geoffrey R. Pyatt, France’s Ambassador, Isabelle Dumont, and the Executive Director of the Kyiv Network of People Living with HIV, Lada Bulah.
Quotes
“We should bear our full responsibility to the people of Kyiv and join hands with the city and international partners to prevent the spread of the disease and do everything to end AIDS.”
"Mr Klitschko is sending a strong signal of support for Kyiv’s commitment to the UNAIDS Fast-Track approach, the 90–90–90 treatment target and the zero discrimination campaign. This level of commitment and leadership allows us to believe that ending AIDS by 2030 is possible.”
Region/country
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Feature Story
Investing in community advocacy and services to end the AIDS epidemic
04 April 2016
04 April 2016 04 April 2016Since the start of the AIDS epidemic civil society has been at the forefront of the response to HIV—demanding access to treatment and HIV services, calling for the respect of human rights and supporting community-led HIV services.
Today the role of civil society remains more relevant than ever as the success of community efforts in providing HIV services, particularly to key populations, is becoming more widely recognized as essential to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Community efforts have proven critical in overcoming many of the major challenges in the AIDS response, including reaching people most affected by HIV with life-changing HIV services, providing support for adherence to treatment and other essential health services. Civil society engagement has also been critical in advocating for new resources, improving HIV programming, and moving progress forwards on human rights issues.
Despite the wide recognition of the important role communities play in responding effectively to HIV, community organizations are facing severe financial challenges and many are closing their doors.
A total of 40% of organizations responding to a recent UNAIDS survey reported that their funding had decreased since 2013. Two thirds expected flat or reduced funding in the future. The decline in funding is resulting in a decline in community services—89% of those who reported a decrease in funding also reported they had to scale down their services as a result.
Greater investment in civil society and community-based service delivery is critical to the Fast-Track approach. Outreach to key populations in low- and middle-income countries should grow to about 7.2% of total investments by 2020, and the estimated resource needs for community-based delivery of antiretroviral therapy should grow to about 3.8% of total investment.
By 2020, investment in community mobilization should increase three-fold to 3% of total resources in low- and middle-income countries to help civil society represent the interests of communities affected by HIV, and to drive ambition, financing and equity in the AIDS response. Social enablers—including advocacy, political mobilization, law and policy reform, human rights, public communications and stigma reduction—should reach 6% of total expenditure by 2020.
UNAIDS has issued two new reports highlighting the importance of investing in community action. Invest in Advocacy details important contributions by community based advocates and points to the need to increase investment to drive an accelerated and more equitable response to HIV. It also notes that a report from the UNAIDS-Lancet Commission on Ending the AIDS Epidemic described advocacy as a “global public good” deserving of support commensurate with its importance.
Stronger Together provides details of the evidence base for community-provided services achieving scale, delivering quality services, and producing results. The report notes guidance from the World Health Organization and others calling for increased engagement of communities to provide a range of HIV and other health-related services.*
In order for community-led services to continue it is essential that international organizations, development partners, governments, private funders and other partners increase investment in community advocacy and services in order to continue and scale up HIV services.
The crucial role of community responses will be among the issues highlighted at the Civil Society Hearing taking place on 6 April in New York. The Hearing is part of the lead up to the United Nations High Level Meeting on Ending AIDS which will take place from 8 to 10 June at the UN headquarters in New York. At the hearing, civil society representatives from around the world will speak to UN Member States about major issues in the AIDS response, including the need for increased financing, leaving no one behind, integration, innovation, and partnering between governments, the private sector and communities.
* The new reports build on other recent publications, Communities deliver and Community-based ART delivery which include more details on the success of community responses.
Webcast
Watch the civil society hearing live on Wednesday 6 April from 10:00 EDT on webtv.un.org/
Related



Update
UNAIDS and Russian Olympic Committee join forces to raise awareness about HIV
24 March 2016
24 March 2016 24 March 2016UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and the President of the Russian Olympic Committee and First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Alexander Zhukov, signed an agreement on 23 March to join forces to accelerate the global goal of ending the AIDS epidemic. The memorandum of understanding was signed on the sidelines of the fifth Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference, being held in Moscow, Russian Federation.
The memorandum of understanding commits UNAIDS and the Russian Olympic Committee to work together to raise HIV awareness among athletes and sports fans, promote access to HIV treatment and reduce the health, social and economic impact of the AIDS epidemic. The programme will also involve addressing stigma and discrimination affecting people living with HIV, including athletes.
UNAIDS and the Russian Olympic Committee will exchange and share know-how and will involve athletes, sports associations and nongovernmental organizations in HIV prevention and awareness efforts at the national and community levels. They will also cooperate in running media campaigns and other HIV-related programmes with athletes, coaches and other opinion leaders from the sports community in the Russian Federation and internationally, particularly in eastern Europe and central Asia.
UNAIDS has been working in partnership with the International Olympic Committee on AIDS awareness and HIV prevention since 2004.
Quotes
“The Russian Olympic Committee is the first in Europe to join with UNAIDS to advance our goal of ending the AIDS epidemic. Given the Russian Federation’s love of sport and dedication to ending the AIDS epidemic, this innovative partnership will have a positive impact in the country and around the world.”
“Sport events give everyone an excellent opportunity to enjoy a healthy life and build confidence, get adequate information about HIV and combat discrimination against people living with HIV. I firmly believe that together with UNAIDS we will achieve considerable success in this area. This is extremely important in order to build a productive and healthy society.”
Region/country
Related


Update
Annie Lennox awarded prestigious Livingstone Medal
21 March 2016
21 March 2016 21 March 2016At a special event at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox has been awarded the prestigious Livingstone Medal for her outstanding contribution to humanitarian work, including her work in the response to HIV.
For more than two decades, Ms Lennox has used her platform to respond to the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV, spoken out for the most vulnerable people in society and been a powerful voice for the empowerment of women and girls. She has undertaken numerous visits to affected communities in Africa and supports many nongovernmental organizations, such as mothers2mothers, which campaigns to end HIV among children. Ms Lennox has been an International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS since 2010.
Awarded since 1901 and named after the nineteenth century British explorer David Livingstone, former recipients of the Livingstone Medal include the American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and the former Irish President and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson.
Quotes
“I’m truly honoured to receive such a significant and historical award as the Livingstone Medal. There have been numerous social and medical transformations since David Livingstone’s lifetime, yet there is still so much more to do before we can see the end of the AIDS epidemic, which has affected the lives of millions of men, women and children across every region of sub-Saharan Africa. My contribution has been small, but my dream would be to see the end of AIDS in the not too distant future.”
“I congratulate my dear sister Annie on this well-deserved recognition. I am proud that her crucial work has been recognized in this way. Annie's voice and activism have contributed so much to the AIDS response and to the results we are seeing today, including the Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.”