Press release and statement archive

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Dr Luiz Loures as the new Deputy Executive Director of Programme at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.

UNAIDS welcomes the creation of a new United States Global Health Diplomacy Office and the announcement that US Global AIDS Ambassador Eric Goosby will lead this new effort.

On the occasion of Human Rights Day, there is evidence that global solidarity and shared responsibility are expanding people’s right to health across the world. More than half the people in need of antiretroviral treatment are now receiving it, far fewer people are dying from AIDS-related illnesses, 25 countries have...

To the millions who have come together with compassion and determination on this World AIDS Day, we say: “Your blood, sweat and tears are changing the world.” We have moved from despair to hope.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the unveiling of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation, by United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Blueprint builds on the remarkable results that have been achieved to date and sets a...

This World AIDS Day, Chief Executives (CEO’s) from some of the world’s largest companies are calling for an end to travel restrictions for people living with HIV. More than 40 CEOs have signed an unprecedented pledge urging the repeal of laws and policies in 45 countries that still deport, detain...

New initiative launched to address HIV and sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict settings

Most TB/HIV deaths can be averted if TB and HIV services work together more effectively and services are scaled up

In the lead up to World AIDS Day 2012, three passionate advocates for an HIV-free generation will come together in UNAIDS’ first Google+ Hangout to talk about how the world is moving towards zero new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed Nobel peace prize winner and Member of Parliament Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination. In this new role, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will call on her fellow citizens and people around the world...

UNAIDS congratulates Mark Dybul on his appointment as Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).

Private AIDS-related funding from United States and European philanthropic donors totaled US$ 644 million in 2011, a 5% increase (US$ 32 million) from 2010 according to an annual report from Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA) and the European HIV/AIDS Funders Group (EFG), with support from the Joint United Nations Programme...

New report highlights progress and gaps in the AIDS response and calls for increased investment from countries and donors

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recognizes Equatorial Guinea’s efforts in financing its entire national AIDS response from domestic resources. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo stated that “Equatorial Guinea is financing its national programmes on school HIV/AIDS prevention, condom distribution and the financing of antiretrovirals for infected populations.”...

African leaders gathered in New York on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the African Union (AU) Roadmap. This initiative outlines long-term sustainable strategies to finance and provide access to HIV treatment and prevention services and other health services in Africa as...

On the eve of the 67th United Nations General Assembly, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed global Indian icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as International Goodwill Ambassador. In her new role she will help raise awareness on issues related to stopping new HIV infections in children and...

Ten community-based organizations, which have shown exceptional and inspiring action on AIDS were honoured with the 2012 Red Ribbon Award in a special session of the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) on Wednesday. The Red Ribbon Award is the world's leading award for innovative and outstanding community work in...

US Congress hosts bipartisan briefing “Together we will end AIDS” with Congressional leaders from both political parties and leaders to discuss ways to invest smartly in the AIDS response and explore opportunities ahead

Speaking at a satellite session today at the XIX International AIDS Conference, Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, and Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), commended countries and their international partners for recent progress in preventing new HIV infections among children...

A decade of unprecedented investment in HIV prevention research has led to major scientific breakthroughs in vaccines, microbicides, voluntary medical male circumcision, treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, but sustained financing will be needed to capitalize on these breakthroughs to deliver new options that can help end the...

Prominent CEOs from the world’s leading companies, including Levi Strauss & Co., The Coca-Cola Company, Johnson & Johnson, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Virgin Unite, called today on 46 countries to lift travel restrictions for HIV-positive people.

Alicia Keys, Annie Lennox, Bill Gates were part of an inspirational evening to usher in the beginning of the end of AIDS

The United Nations has announced the appointment of Michel Kazatchkine as the Secretary-General’s new Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, one of only two regions in the world where HIV is continuing to grow.

A new report and supplement from UNAIDS shows that as international funding flattens, more countries are increasing their own share of investments for HIV and that a record 8 million people are now receiving antiretroviral therapy

World´s leading HIV/AIDS Scientists and Stakeholders to gather in Washington D.C. to discuss Global Alliance on HIV Cure research

U.S. continues to account for more than half of all donor government investments

A roadmap adopted today by African Heads of State and Government charts a new course for the continent’s responses to AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. Developed by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), with support from UNAIDS, the Roadmap on Shared Responsibility...

FDA gives approval for the use of antiretroviral therapy to prevent HIV in people who do not have the virus in the United States

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Asha-Rose Migiro as his Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. “Ms Migiro’s experience in responding to AIDS as UN Deputy Secretary-General, combined with her many years as an advocate for health and social justice in Africa, make her uniquely qualified for this important...

More than 100-fold increase in access to HIV treatment in less than a decade. African Union to review roadmap to increase access to medicines and ensure sustainable financing.

Li Congjun, the President of Xinhua News Agency, was awarded today the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) “Leaders and Innovators Award” in recognition of his leadership and contribution to the AIDS response.

UNAIDS applauds the legislative reforms by the Republic of Moldova to lift its restrictions on entry, stay or residence based on HIV status. With these reforms, the Republic of Moldova joins a growing list of countries that are aligning national HIV legislation with international public health and human rights standards.

The Programme Coordinating Board—governing body of UNAIDS—concluded its 30th session on 7 June calling for a range of recommendations to strengthen the global HIV response. During the three-day deliberations, the Board received progress reports on issues related to the work of UNAIDS and its Cosponsors.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is the eleventh United Nations body to join the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as a cosponsoring partner.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the announcement by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that Guy Ryder has been elected as the organization’s new Director-General. Mr Ryder will begin his five-year term in October 2012, taking over from current Director-General Juan Somavia.

In the last year, we have seen greater acceptance of diversity. A new dialogue of openness and tolerance has emerged.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expresses its concern over recent actions by Greek authorities involving the arrest, detention, mandatory HIV testing, publication of photographs and personal details, and pressing of criminal charges against at least 12 sex workers. There is no evidence that punitive approaches to regulating...

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes today’s announcement by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria that an additional US$ 1.6 billion will be available for new commitments over the next three years.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today launched a new campaign, "Believe it. Do it.", aimed at bringing attention and action to the global goal of ending new HIV infections among children by 2015 and ensuring mothers living with HIV remain healthy.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed J.V.R. Prasada Rao as his Special Envoy for AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Rao will take over the position in July this year from Dr Nafis Sadik who served in the role since 2002.

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued his first report on HIV to the UN General Assembly since the 2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS. In the report, he highlights the urgent need to achieve immediate, tangible results and for the AIDS response to be smarter, more strategic, more...

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to eliminate stigma and discrimination, protect human rights and facilitate access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for workers.

Youth leaders from around the world today presented a set of youth-defined recommendations that will guide the UNAIDS Secretariat’s work on HIV and young people through 2015. The recommendations were received by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé at an event in the Paiko community near Abuja, organized together with Nigerian...

UNAIDS commends the High Court of Kenya for a ruling today that will safeguard access to affordable and quality life-saving generic medicines. The decision by the High Court found that the definition of “anti-counterfeit” within the 2008 Anti-Counterfeit Act was too broad.

New guidelines have been issued encouraging couples to go together for HIV testing in order to know their HIV status. The guidelines, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), also recommend that in couples who are serodiscordant—where one partner is living with HIV and the other not—antiretroviral therapy is offered...

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the selection of Dr Jim Yong Kim as the 12th President of the World Bank Group. Dr Kim’s dedication to improving the lives of the most vulnerable, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, has enabled him to bring innovations in health and development...

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the appointment of Ms Ertharin Cousin as the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Ms Cousin brings more than 25 years of national and international non-profit, government, and corporate leadership experience focusing on hunger, food and resilience strategies.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) calling for strategic collaboration to advance sustainable responses to HIV, health and development across the African continent. The MoU was signed by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel...

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is calling for closer collaboration between Francophone countries in sharing innovation and expertise to strengthen the global AIDS response. Francophone countries and observers represent more than one-third of the United Nations Member States and account for a population of more than 890...

On World TB Day, let’s celebrate a partnership, which in just a few years is helping to transform the AIDS epidemic.

On this International Women's day the world has a lot more to do if it is to be a place where...

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is deeply saddened by the death of United States Representative Donald M. Payne.

Researchers from the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies have presented results which show that in areas where antiretroviral therapy uptake is high (greater than 30%) people who do not have HIV are 38% less likely to acquire the virus than in areas of low uptake (less than 10%).

An estimated one in four AIDS-related deaths each year is caused by tuberculosis (TB). A majority of these deaths occur in Africa, where the mortality rate from HIV-related TB is more than 20 times higher than in other world regions. Reducing the dual burden of these twin epidemics will require...

The Government of the Republic Bénin, in collaboration with UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and partners, today launched a national plan aimed at eliminating new HIV infections among children and improving the health of their mothers.

A stakeholder consultation convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva has reviewed recent epidemiological studies related to HIV transmission and acquisition by women using hormonal contraceptives. After careful review of all available evidence, the stakeholders found that the data were not sufficiently conclusive to change current guidance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will later this month issue further guidance on the reported link between hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, injectables, implants and HIV.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé called today on African governments to take on a greater share of AIDS investments in their own countries and across the region. Addressing an audience of African Heads of State in Addis Ababa, Mr Sidibé said that financing a sustainable response to the HIV epidemic...

UNAIDS and PEPFAR welcome the launch at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland of two new initiatives by business leaders—the Business Leadership Council for a “Generation Born HIV Free” and the Social Media Syndicate to end new HIV infections in children.

UNAIDS welcomes the grant of US$ 750 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

In the ten years since the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) was established, the organization has made a profound difference in saving millions of lives around the world. It has created momentum and helped countries achieve results.