GENEVA, 11 May 2026—UNAIDS mourns the death of Botswana’s former president Festus Mogae. President Mogae led Botswana between 1998 and 2008, tackling Botswana’s HIV pandemic with resolve and dedication as the country faced one of highest HIV burdens in the world.  

Under his leadership, Botswana became the first African country to launch a national, free and comprehensive HIV treatment programme, setting a precedent for the region and the world. During President Mogae’s tenure, AIDS-related deaths were reduced by 39% and new HIV infections among children were reduced by 73%, putting Botswana well on the path to ending AIDS. In 2021, Botswana became the first high burden country in the world to reach the Path to eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV.   

He understood early that ending AIDS required more than medicine alone. He consistently called on leaders to confront stigma, discrimination and inequality, recognizing that protecting human rights was essential to protecting public health. 

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of former President Festus Gontebanye Mogae,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “He was a courageous and visionary leader who confronted HIV with honesty, science and compassion when few dared to do so. At a time when many questioned whether African countries could deliver universal HIV treatment, President Mogae demonstrated that bold political leadership, national ownership and investment in people could change the course of an epidemic. His legacy lives on in the many lives saved and changed and in the global AIDS response he helped shape. May he rest in power and peace.”

President Mogae remained a strong advocate for the AIDS response after his time in office. He devoted his time and voice to urging governments to lead with courage, compassion and accountability. In 2008 he launched, and served as Chairman, of the Champions for an HIV-Free Generation, a distinguished group of former presidents and influential African leaders committed to achieving an AIDS-free generation in Africa. He was also a member of UNAIDS High-Level Commission on HIV Prevention and member of the UNAIDS-Lancet Commission on Defeating AIDS–Advancing Global Health. 

In 2008, President Mogae was awarded the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2008, including for his outstanding leadership on HIV response in Botswana and the rest of the African continent.  

During his presidency, President Mogae led and championed an inclusive national HIV response, including access to treatment, fighting stigma and ending discrimination. President Mogae leaves an undisputed HIV legacy, which carried through Botswana’s successive leaders in the fight against the epidemic. UNAIDS joins the Government of the Republic of Botswana, its people and his family and the entire world in paying tribute to president Mogae.

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.

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.

Kingston/Geneva, 23 April 2026—UNAIDS congratulates the Bahamas on eliminating both mother-to-child transmission of HIV and hepatitis B. The certifications, awarded by the World Health Organization (WHO), with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recognize sustained progress to ensure that pregnant women have access to quality antenatal care, get tested on time and start treatment early. The result has been that babies have been born free of preventable infections. 

In 2010, countries of the Americas committed to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. They endorsed a regional strategy that was later updated through PAHO’s Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections. To reach elimination targets, countries have strengthened HIV prevention and treatment within primary health care and maternal and child health services through wider screening during pregnancy, better follow-up for babies exposed to HIV and faster access to medicines and care. 

“The Bahamas are showing that eliminating mother-to-child transmission HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is possible,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “This achievement reflects political will for steady investment in primary health care and the dedication of health teams and people living with and most affected by HIV. When women can test early in pregnancy, start treatment without delay and stay in care, every child has a better chance of being born free of HIV.” 

Validation suggests that a country or territory has met the required impact and programme indicators and that it can show results are being sustained. 

Across the Caribbean, countries and territories have worked towards the global targets of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. WHO and PAHO first certified Cuba in 2015 for dual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. In 2017, certifications followed for Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. More recently, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have also been certified. 

UNAIDS recognizes PAHO’s leadership in driving the regional elimination agenda and supporting countries through its Elimination Platform. The platform helps bring together ministries of health, communities and partners to speed up action and sustain results. UNAIDS works closely with PAHO across the region, alongside the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, civil society and community-led organizations to strengthen services, improve surveillance and close remaining gaps so elimination gains are protected and expanded. 

The certifications come as the world pushes to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Preventing HIV infections among children remains a global priority. Between 2010 and 2024 new HIV infections among children were reduced by 62% from 310 000 in 2010 to 120 000 in 2024. 

UNAIDS calls for continued investment to protect these gains. That means stronger, integrated maternal, newborn and child health services; reliable access to quality-assured medicines, diagnostics and supplies; action to tackle stigma and discrimination; and support for community-led responses that help women and families stay connected to care. 

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.

GENEVA, 15 April 2026—UNAIDS commends the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the United States for their commitment to further increase access to long-acting HIV prevention medication. In a recent statement they pledged to increase their initial ambition of reaching 2 million with lenacapavir, twice yearly injections which prevent HIV, to reach 3 million people by 2028. 

UNAIDS encourages all countries to continue this momentum to scale up HIV prevention efforts -at least 20 million people need to be accessing antiretroviral-based prevention by 2030 to end AIDS as a public health threat as outlined in the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 and global targets for 2030. 

“This expanded commitment is an important step forward, and we applaud the Global Fund and the United States for accelerating access to lenacapavir,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “However, to end AIDS as a public health threat, we must urgently go further—by enabling large-scale generic manufacturing, especially on the African continent, lowering prices through transparent, equitable pricing frameworks that enable widespread uptake in low- and middle-income countries.”

Lenacapavir has shown to be at least 96% effective in preventing HIV. To date deliveries have reached Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Many are already implementing the roll out to people at higher risk of HIV including adolescent girls and young women, pregnant women, and key populations including men who have sex with men and sex workers. UNAIDS continues to support countries and communities on the ground by helping to align policies to ensure access, affordability, and availability of this and other innovations.

UNAIDS urges immediate acceleration of technology transfer, clear production timelines, and expansion of licensing to additional manufacturers—particularly in Africa—to ensure sustainable and affordable supply at scale.

“Communities have waited too long for prevention options that meet their needs. Lenacapavir can be transformative—but only if it is accessible, affordable and available everywhere. We call on all partners to work together to break down barriers, speed up generic production, and invest in manufacturing, particularly in Africa which remains the epicentre of the epidemic, so that no one is left behind.”

UNAIDS’ new Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 lays out a path for collective action over the next five years and beyond. It aims to ensure that by 2030: 40 million people living with HIV are on HIV treatment and are virally suppressed; 20 million people are accessing antiretroviral-based HIV prevention options; and all people can access discrimination-free HIV-related services.

UNAIDS stresses that reaching 20 million people with antiretroviral-based HIV prevention options, including lenacapavir, by 2030 is critical to reduce new HIV infections, which remain unacceptably high at an estimated 1.3 million per year globally. 

This moment represents a historic opportunity to transform HIV prevention. UNAIDS calls on governments, donors, manufacturers and communities to act with urgency and accountability to ensure lenacapavir reaches everyone who needs it, no matter where they live. 

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.

UNAIDS urges the President not to sign the Bill and calls on Senegal to safeguard life-saving health services including HIV prevention, treatment and care.

GENEVA/DAKAR, 18 March 2026—On 12 March 2026, the Parliament of Senegal voted overwhelmingly to impose harsher penalties for “unnatural acts” including homosexuality and promoting or encouraging homosexuality. UNAIDS is deeply concerned about the implications for the country's public health achievements and urges the President not to sign the Bill.

The final adopted text includes a critical public health safeguard clause which UNAIDS urges Senegal to adhere to. The clause reads: “However, activities carried out by duly authorized health structures and organizations within the framework of public health policies shall not be considered as offenses under this article.”

UNAIDS acknowledges and values Senegal's longstanding partnership in the fight against HIV. The Ministry of Health and the country's National Council for the Fight Against AIDS have worked with partners to ensure that people living with HIV can access the care they need and that prevention reaches the populations most at risk. These gains have saved lives and represent an investment by the Senegalese people in their own health and future.

Senegal is confronted however, by significant challenges in its response to HIV and UNAIDS urges Senegal to maintain a strong focus on the public health evidence, legal framework and community partnerships required to achieve impact and a sustainable response with essential services accessible to the most vulnerable people. 

In Senegal, 79% of people living with HIV are on lifesaving treatment, however, between 2010 and 2024, new HIV infections in Senegal increased by 36% making Senegal one of only four countries in the West and Central African region experiencing a rise in new HIV infections. 

Evidence shows that criminalization causes people to turn away from health services. Criminal laws also increase stigma and discrimination against groups that are already marginalized. An effective HIV response based on solid public health evidence and protections for access to services for the most vulnerable is urgent for Senegal. 

UNAIDS calls on Government authorities to:

• Ensure the full and effective implementation of the public health exemption enshrined in the Bill, through clear ministerial guidance and legal certainty for health organizations and workers.
• Protect the confidentiality of medical information and the patient-provider relationship as non-negotiable foundations of a functioning health system.
• Ensure that community-based organizations providing HIV prevention, testing, treatment support, harm reduction and care can continue to operate without fear of prosecution.
• Maintain international funding channels and partnership frameworks that sustain HIV service delivery and ensure that donors and implementing partners have legal clarity regarding their continued engagement.
• Engage in open dialogue with health authorities, civil society, and UN partners to monitor the impact of the Bill on service access and take swift action where public health gains are at risk.

Ending AIDS requires reaching everyone, particularly people most at risk of HIV. UNAIDS remains committed to working together with Senegal to end AIDS as a public health threat in the country.

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.

GENEVA, 6 March — Globally, in 2024, around 4,000 adolescent girls and young women newly acquired HIV every week—3,300 of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, where women and girls make up around two in every three new HIV infections.

The statistics do not end there.

• Nearly one in four adolescent girls experiences physical or sexual violence before the age of 20.
• According to UNFPA, fewer than half of women globally are able to make their own decisions about sex, contraception and health care.
• Punitive laws continue to fuel the HIV epidemic and undermine sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Such inequality is not a law of nature, it is a consequence.

This is what happens when women and girls are denied rights and denied justice.

When a girl cannot stay in school because of violence, when a woman cannot negotiate safer sex, when a survivor of violence cannot access healthcare and justice—HIV risk rises.

“HIV thrives where gender inequality persists,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “On this International Women’s Day let us honor all those organising for justice, defending rights, and supporting healthcare in the hardest of circumstances. Let us support community leadership and community outreach and the women spearheading such movements. Let us reform unjust laws. Protect services. Defend rights. Because ending AIDS and building a just world begins with rights, justice, and action for all women and girls.”

As the world prepares for the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) and the new Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, UNAIDS calls on governments, donors, and partners to reaffirm that justice is a right, not a privilege. Ending all forms of violence and ensuring legal empowerment and access to justice for women and girls in all their diversity, are inseparable from the fight to eliminate the inequalities within the HIV response.

Together, we can build a world where every woman and girl - including every woman and girl living with and affected by HIV - lives free from violence, fully in control of her rights, choices, and future.

Rights. Justice. Action. #ForAllWomenAndGirls.

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.

GENEVA, 19 December 2025— UNAIDS notes with concern the adoption of the bill banning so-called LGBTQ “propaganda” in Kazakhstan. While the stated objective of the legislation is the protection of children and traditional values, it may inadvertently restrict access to critical public health information and services, affecting the country’s efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

Kazakhstan has made remarkable progress in strengthening its HIV response. The country is advancing rapidly toward the 95–95–95 targets (95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status; 95% of people who know their HIV status are on treatment and 95% of people on treatment have a suppressed viral load), expanding access to modern treatment for 90% of people living with HIV who knowing their status, and scaling up Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) from 200 to more than 132,000 clients in just two years. Community-led services are now integrated nationwide through social contracting, and the country domestically funds 94% of HIV response— an exceptional demonstration of national ownership and commitment.

Evidence from across the region and globally shows that punitive and restrictive laws increase stigma, discourage people from seeking HIV services, and limit the ability of service providers to deliver essential HIV prevention and reproductive health information. Such measures can push LGBTQ communities underground, creating significant barriers to access prevention, testing and treatment, and increasing the risk of new HIV infections among a population already disproportionately affected by the epidemic.

To safeguard these achievements and protect public health, UNAIDS calls Kazakhstan to reconsider the legislative amendments, ensuring that all people in the country continue access the services they need without fear, stigma, or discrimination.

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.

GENEVA, 18 December 2025–UNAIDS congratulates Brazil in attaining the certification for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV as determined by the World Health Organization.

“I am delighted that Brazil has just been certified by WHO-PAHO for eliminating vertical transmission – the first country of more than 100 million people to do so,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.

“They did it by doing what we know works: prioritising universal healthcare, tackling the social determinants that drive the epidemic, protecting human rights, and even when necessary breaking monopolies to secure access to medicines.”

WHO develops and regularly updates guidance on the criteria and processes for validation of EMTCT of HIV, syphilis and/or Hepatitis B virus. Since 2015, Member States have been able to apply for validation for achieving the reduction of mother-to-child transmission to a level where it is no longer a public health threat or problem.

In the Americas, WHO recognized the dual elimination for Cuba in 2015, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent in 2024. More recently, the Maldives achieved ‘triple elimination’ of hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis – the first country ever to do so.

A study by Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Brazil’s leading public health research institute, found that the Bolsa Família cash transfer program was linked to significant reductions in AIDS cases and deaths among vulnerable women and children. Analyzing data from over 12 million low-income women, Fiocruz reported that the program was associated with nearly halving AIDS incidence and mortality rates, with the greatest impact seen among women facing multiple vulnerabilities, particularly Afro descendant mothers living in extreme poverty.

“Brazil is the largest country in the world to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV. The advances we celebrate reflect a collective, national, and global effort that has consolidated free access to antiretroviral therapy and modern prevention strategies in the country,” said Braziian Minister of Health, Alexandra Padilha. “Today the public health system guarantees comprehensive care for people living with HIV and strives to expand access to even more efficient treatments.”

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.

GENEVA, 12 December 2025–For the past four decades, the HIV response has worked hard advocating for HIV treatment but also other HIV and health services that are free, without stigma or discrimination, people-centred, and grounded in human rights. It is by delivering inclusive, rights-based HIV and health services, that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can be achieved.

On Universal Health Coverage Day, UNAIDS stresses the importance of UHC so that everyone has access to the quality health services they need without suffering financial hardship due to the cost of paying for those services. UHC should include quality essential HIV services from prevention to treatment through a clearly defined health benefit package.

“The HIV response is a stress test for UHC so when people living with HIV, key and other vulnerable populations are excluded, the entire health system fails,” said Angeli Achrekar, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programmes. “When they are included however, the system becomes stronger, fairer and more efficient for all.”

Currently 9.2 million people still do not have access to HIV treatment, and millions more cannot obtain PrEP– medicine which prevents HIV. UHC, health security, and ending HIV, Tuberculosis and malaria are not separate ambitions. They are intersecting global goals that can only be attained as one. In addition, as the HIV movement learned long ago: health is never just the health sector’s job.

Communities have shown the clearest path to UHC with community-led testing, peer navigation, differentiated service delivery, rights advocacy, and accountability. People need integrated services throughout their lives, delivered where and by whom they prefer, including by their own communities.

“UHC cannot be universal unless it works for people living with HIV and other affected communities,” said Florence Riako Anam, Co-Executive Director GNP+ (Global Network of People Living with HIV). “UHC will only succeed when our voices, our leadership, and our lived experience shape the services and care we rely on to stay alive.”

On UHC Day, UNAIDS calls on governments and partners to:

• Sustainably fund HIV and community-led services
• Remove discriminatory and punitive laws
• Integrate HIV services with primary health care without compromising rights or quality
• Put people living with HIV and communities at the centre of decision-making, service delivery design and implementation

Ending AIDS and achieving UHC together is a powerful and necessary legacy for today’s leaders. It is also a shared responsibility from governments, communities, development partners to the private sector as well as individuals. The forthcoming Global AIDS Strategy for 2026–2031 and the next generation of HIV integration targets are fully aligned with UHC affirming that progress on HIV and progress on universal health coverage is inseparable.

The way forward is integration.

Geneva, 10 December 2025 – This Human Rights Day the global HIV response is facing its most challenging moment in decades.  

A new UNAIDS report released last month ahead of World AIDS Day 2025, Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response details the far-reaching consequences of international funding reductions. Millions of people have lost access to HIV prevention services and the critical support to access life-saving treatment services. A deepening funding crisis, geopolitical fragmentation, and rollback of human rights protections have disrupted services and jeopardized decades of progress.  

 The advocacy of people living with, affected by and vulnerable to HIV, communities and civil society allies, who have built and sustained significant community health systems and have championed a human rights and gender transformative approach, has made an unparalleled contribution to the progress made to date in reaching people with HIV prevention, treatment and care services.   

The current disruption of the HIV response also takes place in a growing anti-rights and anti-gender context, and when most high burden countries that were receiving external financial support for the HIV response have limited fiscal space, are highly indebted, and not immediately able to fund their domestic responses to HIV.   

Punitive laws, stigma and discrimination continue to block access to HIV services for the most marginalized communities: women and girls, LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, people who use drugs, and incarcerated populations. When rights are denied, health is denied. When people fear arrest or violence for seeking care, the epidemic grows. Protecting and promoting human rights is therefore not optional, it is essential to ending AIDS.  

However, amid these challenges, we see resilience. Communities are stepping up, governments are increasing domestic investments, and innovations in service delivery are emerging. But transformation will only succeed if it is anchored in human rights.   

Human rights-based approaches are essential to a sustainable HIV response. Fostering resilient societies where human rights are protected and communities are enabled to lead requires long-term structural and systemic changes, including investments. This Human Rights Day, UNAIDS calls on global leaders to:  

• Reaffirm global solidarity, multilateralism and the collective commitment to fight and end AIDS together; maintain funding for the response; and to invest in innovation, including affordable long-acting HIV prevention and treatment options.
• Uphold human rights. Empower communities.
  • We call on all partners to defend the right to health as a fundamental human right. This means standing firm for bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights, ensuring that every person has the freedom and dignity to make decisions about their own body and health.
  • And we must strengthen community-led action, because communities are at the heart of every successful response. Their voices, leadership, and lived experience drive progress and accountability