“The Sustainable Development Goals are connected by the idea of leaving no one behind. In each country and every constituency, we need to define who those are and put them at the centre,” said Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, during a visit to UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 22 March. At the meeting she outlined her vision for a reformed United Nations that is fit to deliver against the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms Mohammed highlighted the importance of young people and of ensuring that the next generation of United Nations staff members builds a strong future for the organization. She also spoke about the game-changing possibilities of gender parity and about United Nations reform and innovative partnerships. She reminded UNAIDS staff that, “We are all here to serve humanity and work to make a difference in people’s lives. We are not just here as professionals, we should bring more of ourselves and thereby more urgency and empathy into our work.”

Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, said in his welcome, “United Nations reform is not easy. It is about implementation and about the needs of countries and people. UNAIDS has been at the forefront of this agenda since the beginning and will continue to be, and we will fight for the people being left behind”.

Ms Mohammed extended her thanks to UNAIDS, stating that, “The Sustainable Development Goals would not have had the ambition to put people at the centre if you had not shown it can be done with the AIDS response. Good things come in small packages and UNAIDS’ role is essential.”

In closing, she said, “Our commodity is hope, it is the hope we give while we try to close the gap between the realities of our challenges and the aspirations of our dreams and those of many millions of people.”