Panellists of the high level event "Fast track: Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030" from L to R: Mr Ira Magaziner, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; Teresia Njoki Otieno, Chair of the International Community of Women Living with HIV; Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana; Didier Burkhalter, President of Switzerland; Ambassador Deborah Birx, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS; Mariam Mahamat Nour, Minister of Economy, Planning, and International Cooperation of Chad. September 25, 2014, New York City.

Victoria Beckham, newly appointed UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador, is warmly welcomed at the high level side event “Fast track: Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030”

Mariam Mahamat Nour, Minister of Economy, Planning, and International Cooperation of Chad addressing the high level side event “Fast track: Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030”

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, President of Mali, addresssing the high level side event “Fast track: Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030”.

Patricia Kaliati, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare of Malawi, addressing the high level side event “Fast track: Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030”

Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, addressing the high level side event “Fast track: Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030”.

”Seizing the opportunity to fast track the response to HIV will save millions of lives--the cost of inaction is unthinkable,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS.

"This is an epidemic that no one thought we could end, but now with the progress we see we know it can be done,” said John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana.

"The objective is clear: end AIDS by 2030!” said Didier Burkhalter, President of Switzerland.

"We need to focus on data, mutual accountability and transparency for impact, and put our weight behind HIV prevention, treatment and care interventions that work,” said John Kerry, United States Secretary of State.

"Thanks to the Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNAIDS, PEPFAR and the Global Fund, our negotiations secured reduction of the price of viral load testing not only for South Africa but the whole world,” said Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa."

"I do not want to come back here in 2030 and talk about the same thing. We should end this epidemic but we can only do this if we put women living with HIV at the centre,” said Teresia Njoki Otieno, Chair of the International Community of Women Living with HIV."

The high-level side event took place during the 69th United Nations General Assembly and was co-convened by Ghana and Switzerland in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).