President Macky Sall of Senegal, who met with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé in Dakar, Senegal, on 7 October, vowed to support an emergency plan to reach the goal of 90% of people living with HIV in western and central Africa accessing antiretroviral therapy by 2020.

In 2015, 28% of the 6.5 million people living with HIV in the region had access to the life-saving medicine, up from 14% in 2010.

During the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, held in June 2016, Mr Sidibé appealed to countries to Fast-Track the AIDS response in order to ensure that no one is left behind.

Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is possible if, by 2020, 90% of people living with HIV know their status, 90% who know their HIV-positive status are accessing treatment and 90% of people living with HIV on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

While in Senegal, Mr Sidibé also met the Minister of Health, Awa Marie Coll-Seck, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mankeur Ndiaye.

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