GENEVA, 10 December 2024—The world can end AIDS—if the human rights of people living with or affected by HIV are respected, protected and fulfilled, to put communities in the lead and ensure equitable access to high-quality HIV services.

The HIV response has come a long way. The progress made to date on HIV prevention and treatment services has been made possible, in large part, thanks to the advocacy of people living with HIV, communities and civil society allies, demanding treatment, demanding services, demanding dignity, demanding action – demanding their rights.

Over 30 million people are now on treatment, and annual numbers of new HIV infections have declined by 39% since 2010. However we still have a long way to go. In 2023, 1.3 million people around the world newly acquired HIV—three times higher than the global target set for 2025 of no more than 370 000 new acquisitions.

“An approach grounded in human rights is vital to enable meaningful engagement of communities and access to HIV services for all without discrimination” said Christine Stegling, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director. “HIV services will reach the people most in need only if their human rights are upheld; if communities are in the lead, discriminatory and harmful laws are removed; HIV-related stigma, discrimination and violence are effectively tackled and if access to life-saving medicines is assured.”

Fostering resilient societies where human rights are protected and communities are enabled to lead requires long-term structural and systemic changes. If we are to have a sustainable HIV response, we must have a sustainable, well-resourced, approach to human rights.

On World AIDS Day, 1 December, UNAIDS released a report ‘The Rights Path’ to show what can be done. It shares examples from around the world of proven policies and programmes that are succeeding in protecting health and HIV services by protecting rights.

The HIV response is at a crossroads. We can end AIDS, if we take the rights path. Let us walk it together.

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.