France

The Gallery Marie de Holmsky, in the heart of Paris, recently hosted the ArtPositive exhibition, an artistic project by visual artists living with HIV. The initiative aimed to use art as a tool to tackle the stigma, discrimination and isolation that people living with HIV still face.

ArtPositive featured works by visual artists Boré Ivanoff, Adrienne Seed and Nacho Hernandez Alvarez and by photographer Philipp Spiegel.

“We want to remind the world that AIDS is not a thing of the past. We want to remind everyone that all people living with HIV, even though thanks to advances in science they are not as threatened by death as they used to be years ago, today still face extremely cruel and unfair stigma, isolation and even discrimination,” said Mr Ivanoff. “I am convinced that art is the best way to overcome any stigma, isolation and discrimination based on differences and health status.”

About two years ago, after Mr Ivanoff, a Bulgarian-born Parisian artist, decided to make his HIV status public he received many messages of solidarity and support, but some close friends distanced themselves from him. “But this fact convinced me even more that I must continue to fight to open people’s eyes and to overcome this hypocritical way of thinking and treating people who have dared to reveal their HIV status,” he said. He emphasized that along with the creation of art, advocacy and activism are the only things that keep him in some psychological stability and give some existential impulse and a sense of doing something really important and useful for the good of humanity.

Adrienne Seed, an artist, writer, sculptor and HIV activist from Manchester, United Kingdom, who has been living with HIV for almost 10 years, recalled, “Back then, there were very few women speaking openly about living with HIV. I began to speak out via my website, via the media and, of course, via my art.”

“People living with HIV also live with stigma. We are judged by society and we are seemed to deserve some kind of punishment,” said José Manuel González Peeters, an artist living with HIV from Barcelona, Spain.

Philipp Spiegel, a photographer living with HIV from Vienna, Austria, explained that his work is part of a long-term project entitled The Privilege of Intimacy. “My HIV diagnosis stripped me of my feeling of intimacy for a long time; something that was once so natural to me had been taken away, after which I had to embark on a journey to rediscover what intimacy means to me, and to learn to appreciate it even more,” he said. “Reflecting upon this, I realized the absence of intimacy is more widespread than I had thought. Not only people living with HIV, but all people who live in fear of being ostracized or stigmatized for a wide range of reasons. Single mothers, LGBTQ+ people in certain environments or anyone who feels they need to hide out of societal reasons.”

“We, the artists living with HIV would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our official partners and all media around the world who have helped us popularize our cause, the fight against HIV stigma and the awareness that AIDS is not over yet,” said Mr Ivanoff, speaking on behalf of all the participants of ArtPositive.

“Stigma and discrimination results in people being treated differently, excluded from essential services or being subject to undue restrictions on how they live their lives, simply because of who they are. It is great to see how a community of artists living with HIV uses art as a medium to raise awareness and to challenge the drivers of stigma and discrimination among the wider public,” said Laurel Sprague, UNAIDS Special Adviser for Community Mobilization.

GENEVA, 26 September 2019—UNAIDS is deeply saddened by the death of the former President of France, Jacques Chirac, an early champion of the AIDS response.

Speaking in 1997 at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on AIDS in Africa (ICASA) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, he denounced a response to HIV that was on two tracks, where HIV treatment was only available in the Global North but people living with HIV were disproportionally living in the Global South.

In 1997, he announced the creation of the International Therapeutic Solidarity Fund, which funded access to antiretroviral therapy, including in the least developed countries. The fund was a precursor to the establishment in 2002 of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2006, Mr Chirac established the solidarity tax on aeroplane tickets, dubbed the Chirac Tax, which today is still an important source of financing for the AIDS response.

In 2008, after leaving the Presidency, he established the Fondation Chirac, which continues to work for access to health and quality medicines globally.

“It is thanks to leaders such as Jacques Chirac, who took responsibility and acted with principle, that today more than 23 million people globally have access to HIV treatment. I pay tribute to Mr Chirac’s leadership,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i.

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.

On 4 April, Bordeaux became the latest city to sign up to the Paris Declaration to end the AIDS epidemic in cities. The Mayor of Bordeaux and former French Prime Minister Alain Juppé signed the declaration alongside UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé at the opening of AFRAVIH, the international francophone HIV and hepatitis conference being held in Bordeaux, France, from 4 to 7 April.

In signing the Paris Declaration, mayors commit to putting their cities on the Fast-Track to ending the AIDS epidemic. Mr Juppé committed to achieving the 90–90–90 targets—whereby 90% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status are accessing treatment and 90% of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads—in Bordeaux in the next two years. He also committed to eliminating stigma and discrimination and developing a people-centred approach to the AIDS response. In addition, he said, it was crucial to educate young people on HIV, citing a lack of knowledge among French young people.

Since its launch on 1 December 2014, more than 250 cities and municipalities have signed the Paris Declaration. Leaders in those cities have recognized that their strategies for responding to the AIDS epidemic also offer them a platform to address the need for social inclusion, protection, safety and health.

With more than half of the world’s population currently living in cities and urban areas accounting for a large and growing proportion of people living with HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases, cities will play an essential role in ending AIDS. The risk of contracting, and vulnerability to, HIV and TB is often higher in urban areas compared to rural areas, owing to a number of reasons, including migration, unemployment and social and economic inequalities.

The AFRAVIH conference will focus on the 90–90–90 targets as well as innovations on HIV treatment and prevention and on scientific advances.

On World AIDS Day, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, led by example by taking a HIV test.

Mr Macron and the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, visited a hospital in Saint Denis in northern Paris that caters to people in vulnerable situations, including migrants. Speaking after taking the HIV test, Mr Macron said, “We have not won the battle against AIDS. We need to protect ourselves, get tested, get treated and accept those in society who have HIV.”

Globally today, 40% of people living with HIV don’t know their HIV status. In France, one in five people living with HIV do not know their HIV status. The majority of new HIV infections in the country occur among gay men and other men who have sex with men.

“Emmanuel Macron is showing leadership in action. By publicly taking an HIV test, he has demonstrated French leadership on the right to health,” said Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director. “France is a valued partner of UNAIDS.”

Earlier, on 28 November, Mr Macron renewed his commitment to the global AIDS response during a speech to young students at the University in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

France has played a critical role in ensuring access to medicines globally through its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to which it has donated more than US$ 4.8 billion. France also supported the creation of UNITAID in 2006.  

These investments have yielded substantial results. Through global solidarity today nearly 21 million people have access to HIV treatment. In 2016, 53% of people living with HIV were on treatment. 

Prévenir, dépister, continuer à soigner. #WorldAIDSDay pic.twitter.com/y2VTZitiOY

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 1, 2017

During a visit to Paris, UNAIDS Executive Director met with France's First Lady at the Elysée Palace to discuss the links between education and HIV.

Mr Sidibé explained that in sub-Saharan Africa, three in four new HIV infections in 15-19 year olds are among girls. And HIV is the third leading cause of death among young women aged 15-29 globally.

The causes vary but lower access to education along with gender inequalities erode women and girls' ability to negotiate safe sex and have control over their bodies. In addition, most young people lack the knowledge to protect themselves from HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, surveys from 35 countries showed that only 36% of young men and 30% of young women correctly identified the ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV.

Mr Sidibé stressed that when girls stay in school they are less vulnerable to HIV. He also emphasized that age-appropriate comprehensive sex education for girls and boys is a cornerstone to end the AIDS epidemic. 

Acknowledging Mrs Macron's vast experience in education as a teacher and educator, Mr Sidibé offered support to organize an event on girls’ education on the sidelines of the Dakar financing conference of the Global Partnership for Education in February 2018. Senegal and France are co-hosting the event to raise funds for teachers' trainings and to promote scientific and computer education in schools. 

UNAIDS has invited the First Lady of France at its Geneva headquarters in the coming year and to join the First Ladies of Africa at next year's General Assembly in New York. 

The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, emphasized the importance of cities in ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 during a speech to the Council of Paris on 4 July, highlighting that cities can use their HIV responses as a transformative force for society.

In his address, Mr Sidibé also spoke of the challenges faced in western and central Africa, where three out of four people living with HIV do not have access to HIV treatment. The African Union has endorsed an emergency catch-up for western and central Africa that sets a target of an additional 1.2 million people on treatment over the next 18 months. The emergency plan places a focus on cities and challenges mayors to take the lead. Mr Sidibé noted that support from Paris can assist western and central African countries to bridge the gaps and reach their goals.

Mr Sidibé finished his address with a call for unity across city borders and country boundaries. “Let us tackle inequalities together. We must not lose focus. Rather, let us continue to fully fund the response in Paris, but also support partners in Africa to tackle inequalities and fragilities.”

Following his address, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, invited Mr Sidibé to join the Let’s Make Paris the City of Love without AIDS! (#FaisonslAmour) campaign. #FaisonslAmour channels the spirit of Paris, uniting Parisians around the target of ending AIDS while raising awareness around the HIV treatment and prevention options available. #FaisonslAmour aims to inform people about the need to know their HIV status and seek treatment early, and to raise awareness about the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Six Parisians are profiled in the campaign, who reflect the reality of the epidemic within an inclusive city, proud of its diversity. One of the profiles highlights the efficacy of treatment as prevention. The campaign is the first in France to state that a person living with HIV adhering to an effective antiretroviral regime will not pass on the virus. Speaking about the radical campaign, Ms Hidalgo said, “Together, we must mobilize and be vigilant, but, above all, we must act to prevent new infections by delivering just and appropriate messages.”

The #FaisonslAmour campaign is a significant step towards ending AIDS in Paris and demonstrates that Paris is providing leadership in the response to HIV. The campaign is co-chaired by the City of Paris and the Vers Paris sans SIDA association, with the support of the MAC AIDS Fund, and produced by Agence Australie. The posters will be displayed across Paris from 28 June to 25 July.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé delivered keynote remarks at the opening of the World Cancer Congress in Paris, France, on 31 October. This year more than 3500 leaders, cancer experts and activists gathered together under the theme “Mobilize action—inspire change”.

Leveraging the experience and innovative activism of more than three decades of the AIDS response, Mr Sidibé called for greater mobilization and the breaking down of silos between programmes and services to deliver comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls. He highlighted that the 2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS and the UNAIDS 2016–2021 Strategy reflect strong global commitments to scaling up integrated health services to address coinfections and co-morbidities, including the prevention, screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer.

In his speech he pointed out that women living with HIV are up to five times more likely to develop cervical cancer than other women. Mr Sidibé stressed that cervical cancer is highly preventable with the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) and generally curable if diagnosed and treated early. Despite that, every year 528 000 women are newly diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 266 000 women die needlessly from the disease, 90% of whom live in low- and-middle-income countries.

Mr Sidibé said that currently only 1 in 10 girls in low- and middle-income countries have access to the HPV vaccine, compared with 9 in 10 girls in high-income countries. This, he said, starkly exposes the links between disease, gender inequality, poverty, lack of rights and poor access to essential health services.

Mr Sidibé congratulated the organizers, the Union for International Cancer Control, la Ligue contre le cancer and Alliance des Ligues Francophones Africaines et Méditerranéennes contre le cancer, for organizing the congress and actively engaging the HIV community. He also commended the President of France, François Hollande, for his commitment to global cancer control. 

Video: French President François Hollande says we can learn a lot from the AIDS response when it comes to cancer.

France’s first safe injecting site for people who inject drugs has opened in Paris.

Linked to the city’s Lariboisière Hospital, the facility can accommodate up to 400 people a day and is staffed by a full team of doctors, nurses and social workers. It is made up of three areas: a waiting room, a consumption room and a place where people can rest before leaving the site.

The aim of the facility, which is open to adults aged 18 and over, is to lessen the risks associated with injecting drug use, including HIV infection. Research shows that supervised injection sites also reduce crime and other social disorders linked to the public consumption of drugs.

The UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, congratulated France’s Minister of Health, Marisol Touraine, and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, on the opening of the site.

Additional drug consumption rooms are planned to open in other French cities, including Strasbourg and Bordeaux, in the near future.

Paris is a founder signatory of the Paris Declaration, which commits cities to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 by adopting a Fast-Track approach to their HIV epidemics.

On the eve of World AIDS Day 2014, mayors, city representatives and people living with HIV came together in Paris to prepare plans to implement an innovative new initiative to end the AIDS epidemic in cities.

The Fast-Track Cities initiative includes commitments to achieving the UNAIDS 90–90–90 targets by 2020, which will result in 90% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status on antiretroviral treatment and 90% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads, keeping them healthy and reducing the risk of HIV transmission.

It will encourage new, cutting-edge service delivery programmes that will not only advance the response to HIV but will also pave the way for cities to address other major public health challenges such as tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases. Participants were encouraged to share best practices in their cities so that other cities can benefit from their experiences.

They discussed how city leaders could rally resources, talents and innovation in order to ensure people are at the centre. They also highlighted the importance of accelerating access to HIV testing and treatment services, eliminating stigma and discrimination and significantly reducing new HIV infections. They stressed that a better understanding of HIV epidemics in cities would empower leaders to actively address the gaps in the response and reach the people being left behind.

The meeting was convened by the City of Paris, UNAIDS, UN-Habitat and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care.

The Fast-Track Cities initiative, to be launched on World AIDS Day 2014, will be led by mayors, in partnership with communities, civil society, public health officials, clinicians, law enforcement agencies and others. It is expected to deliver significant results in improvements in the health of people living in urban areas.