NEW YORK/GENEVA, 8 June 2016—UNAIDS welcomes the new goals, targets and commitments of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Political Declaration on Ending AIDS. Countries have agreed to a historic and urgent agenda to accelerate efforts towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The Political Declaration provides a global mandate to Fast-Track the AIDS response over the next five years.

Global leaders recognized that no country has ended AIDS and that no country can afford to step back from responding to HIV. As Member States begin to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it was acknowledged that ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 would only be possible if Fast-Track Targets are met by 2020.

The targets and commitments, adopted in the Political Declaration on Ending AIDS: on the Fast-Track to Accelerate the Fight against HIV and to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030, will guide the world in addressing the critical linkages between health, development, injustice, inequality, poverty and conflict.

A shared vision

The 2016 Political Declaration calls on the world to achieve the following goals in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

1. Reduce new HIV infections to fewer than 500 000 globally by 2020.
2. Reduce AIDS-related deaths to fewer than 500 000 globally by 2020.
3. Eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination by 2020.

The Political Declaration affirms that these goals can only be realized with strong leadership and the engagement of people living with HIV, communities and civil society.

Doubling the number of people on treatment

At the end of 2015, the number of people on HIV treatment reached 17 million, exceeding the 2015 target of reaching 15 million people. Leaders pledged to ensure that 90% of people (children, adolescents and adults) living with HIV know their status, 90% of people living with HIV who know their status are receiving treatment and 90% of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

Countries further committed to urgently address low treatment coverage rates among children living with HIV. 

1. Implement the 90–90–90 treatment target to ensure that 30 million people living with HIV access treatment by 2020.
2. Ensure that 1.6 million children living with HIV access HIV treatment by 2018.

Accelerating prevention outreach

HIV prevention targets encourage countries to promote access to tailored comprehensive HIV prevention services for all women and adolescent girls, migrants, key populations—sex workers; men who have sex with men; people who inject drugs; transgender people; and prisoners. Special efforts will be made to intensify outreach in locations of high HIV transmission with services for populations globally at higher risk of infection.

The Political Declaration recognizes the importance of location and population, as the epidemic is distinctive in each country and region and encourages regional action and accountability by setting regional targets on prevention and treatment for children, young people and adults, including to:

3. Reach all women, adolescent girls and key populations with comprehensive HIV prevention services, including harm reduction by 2020.
4. Reach 3 million people at higher risk of HIV infection with pre-exposure prophylaxis by 2020.
5. Reach 25 million young men in high HIV incidence areas with voluntarily medical male circumcision and make 20 billion condoms available in low- and middle-income countries by 2020.

The Political Declaration, however, fails to bring the needed visibility to key populations most affected in different regions.

Stopping new HIV infections among children

The commitment to eliminate new HIV infections among children and to ensure that their mothers’ health and well-being are sustained is reaffirmed in the new Political Declaration with an emphasis on ensuring that mothers have access to immediate and life-long antiretroviral therapy.  

6. Eliminate new HIV infections among children by reducing new infections by 95% in every region by 2020.

A new focus on women, adolescent girls, young people and gender equality

Two thousand new HIV infections occur every day among young people, a third of all new infections, but only 28% of young women have accurate knowledge about HIV. Leaders have committed to supporting and enabling young people to play a critical role in leading the response by promoting the full realization of their right to health and comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention. The Political Declaration also recognizes the importance of universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

Leaders placed strong emphasis on addressing the immense burden of the epidemic on women, especially young women and adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Political Declaration commits to achieve gender equality, to invest in women’s leadership and to end all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls, in order to increase their capacity to protect themselves from HIV. The engagement of men and boys in doing so is indispensable.

7. Reduce to below 100 000 per year the number of adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years old newly infected with HIV globally by 2020.
8. Eliminate gender inequalities and gender-based abuse and violence.
9. End all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls, such as gender-based, sexual, domestic and intimate partner violence, including in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings.
10. Encourage and support the leadership of young people and scale up comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health and protect their human rights.

The Political Declaration, however, stops short of including an explicit target for comprehensive sexuality education, despite the reality that the bulk of the epidemic in most regions is driven by sexual transmission. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 98% of new HIV infections are sexually transmitted. The Political Declaration excludes sexual rights, including the right to information, autonomy, consent and non-discrimination, which are central to an effective AIDS response.

The right to health belongs to everyone, everywhere

The Political Declaration further recognizes that progress in protecting and promoting the human rights of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV has been far from adequate, and that human rights violations remain a major obstacle in the response to HIV. Member States pledge to review and reform legislation that may create barriers or reinforce stigma and discrimination and to promote access to non-discriminatory health-care services, including for populations at higher risk of HIV, specifically sex workers; men who have sex with men; people who inject drugs; transgender people; and prisoners.

11. Review and reform laws that reinforce stigma and discrimination and restrict access to services, travel restrictions, mandatory testing and punitive laws related to HIV non-disclosure, exposure and transmission by 2020.
12. Eliminate barriers, including stigma and discrimination, in health-care settings by 2020.
13. Strengthen national social and child protection systems to ensure that, by 2020, 75% of people living with, at risk of, and affected by HIV benefit from HIV-sensitive social protection.

AIDS out of isolation

The Political Declaration affirms that the AIDS response will spur progress across the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It calls for universal health coverage and access to social protection. Adopting targets beyond HIV, Member States emphasized the continued importance of an integrated approach to a range of health issues, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, cervical cancer, human papillomavirus, noncommunicable diseases and emerging and re-emerging diseases.

14. Reduce tuberculosis-related AIDS deaths by 75% by 2020.
15. Reach 90% of all people who need tuberculosis treatment, including 90% of populations at higher risk, and achieve at least 90% treatment success by 2020.
16. Reduce by 30% new cases of chronic viral hepatitis B and C by 2020.
17. Treat 5 million people with hepatitis B and treat 3 million people with chronic hepatitis C by 2020.

Financing the end of AIDS

To ensure that these targets can be achieved, leaders made ambitious and concrete commitments for financing and effective allocations to implement a Fast-Track AIDS response. Member States also called for US$ 13 billion for the Fifth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Member States encouraged the enhanced strategic engagement of the private sector to support countries with investments and service delivery for strengthening supply chains, workplace initiatives and social marketing of health commodities and behaviour change.

18. Increase and front-load investments to close the resource gap by investing at least   US$ 26 billion a year in the AIDS response by 2020.
19. Invest at least a quarter of AIDS spending on HIV prevention and invest at least 6% of all global AIDS resources for social enablers, including advocacy, community and political mobilization, community monitoring, outreach programmes and public communication by 2020, and ensure that at least 30% of all service delivery by 2030 is community-led.
20. Address regulations, policies and practices that prevent access to safe, efficacious and affordable generic medicines, diagnostics and related health technologies, including by ensuring the full use of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities, and strengthen regional and local capacity to develop, manufacture and deliver quality-assured affordable health products.

Accountability and sustainability

Member States made a number of commitments to enhance monitoring and accountability, urging the more active involvement of people living with, affected by and at risk of HIV. They call on the United Nations Secretary-General, with support from UNAIDS, to continue to provide annual reviews to the General Assembly and decided to convene a High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS to review progress in the AIDS response across its social, economic and political dimensions. The Political Declaration also calls on Member States to ensure that the United Nations and UNAIDS is fit to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Moving forward, AIDS stakeholders are encouraged to intensify pressure to address the most entrenched obstacles to progress and ensure that the Political Declaration can fulfil its role as an instrument for dignity and social justice.

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 Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, stresses the importance of a people-centred approach at up-coming United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 3 June 2016—The AIDS epidemic has defined the global health agenda for an entire generation. The first AIDS-related deaths were diagnosed over 30 years ago and HIV rapidly became a global crisis. The epidemic threatened all countries and had the power to destabilize the most vulnerable nations. By 2000, AIDS had wiped out decades of development gains.

Today, many nations have taken great steps in getting ahead of the epidemic. South Africa, for example, has reduced the number of new HIV infections from 600 000 in 2000 to 340 000 in 2014. Life expectancy has risen in many of the most severely affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa as access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment has been scaled up. Worldwide, there are now more than 17 million people living with HIV accessing live-saving antiretroviral treatment.

But as world leaders grapple with a growing number of global concerns and threats, including massive displacement, climate change and an uncertain economic outlook—it would be a misstep to let up on the response to HIV. Here are three reasons why AIDS deserves continued attention and a Fast-Track approach: 

1. To restore dignity, health and hope to the people left behind in the AIDS response.
2. To build robust and resilient societies ready to face future health crises
3. To serve as a beacon for what can be achieved through international solidarity and political will.

Our generation has been presented with an opportunity that must not be thrown away. We have the technology, medicines and tools to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, averting more than 17 million new HIV infections and saving almost 11 million lives.

In a few days, the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS will bring people together around a common objective: ending AIDS by 2030 within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.

This global platform for innovators, implementers, investors, activists and leaders will challenge all of us to chart a course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. It will take our combined efforts to source sustainable solutions to close the gaps and reach a set of new global targets.

These targets are urgently needed. AIDS-related illnesses are the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age globally and the primary cause of death among adolescents in Africa. Stigma and discrimination continue to stop people accessing health care, including HIV prevention and treatment services that reduce new infections and save lives. In some regions of the world, the numbers of HIV infections are actually increasing.

Currently, of the 36.7 million people living with HIV, less than half are accessing treatment. We are failing to reach the people most in need. These include adolescent girls and young women, sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, prisoners and people who inject drugs.

Achieving the 90-90-90 treatment target by 2020 will be a key factor to ending the AIDS epidemic. This calls for 90% of people living with HIV to know their status, 90% of people who know their HIV positive status to access antiretroviral treatment and 90% of people on treatment to have suppressed viral loads.

Meeting this treatment target will set the world on course to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. But bold leadership and stronger investment are required. By 2020, combined domestic and international resources will need to increase by about one third to peak at an estimated US$ 26.2 billion to achieve this vision. A lack of investment now will result in the epidemic being prolonged indefinitely and that would be a false economy.

A Fast-Track approach to ending the AIDS epidemic requires a set of ambitious time-bound targets, including reducing the number of people newly infected with HIV from 2.1 million in 2015 to fewer than 500 000 in 2020, reducing the number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses from 1.1 million in 2015 to fewer than 500 000 in 2020 and eliminating HIV-related discrimination.

In New York, brave decisions and new ambitious commitments need to be made—based on human rights and leaving no one behind—if we are to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

AIDS is not over yet but it can be.

More than 30 cities playing a leading role in the AIDS response meet to discuss ongoing strategies and innovations in their cities that are improving health and development

NEW YORK/PARIS/GENEVA, 6 June 2016—The Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, have convened a meeting in New York, United States of America, in collaboration with UNAIDS and the Fast-Track cities partners, UN-Habitat and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), on ending the AIDS epidemic in cities by 2030.

The meeting, made possible by the MAC AIDS Fund, was held at the New York Public Library on 6 June, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, which is to take place at the United Nations Headquarters from 8 to 10 June.

“Today offers a unique opportunity to partner and explore how we can work together to educate, treat and prevent the spread of HIV, and here in New York City we echo those efforts through our work, including increased funding for HIV/AIDS prevention services and health care,” said the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. “We are deeply proud of this work, but we must do more—I commend Mayor Hidalgo and the other mayors of great cities involved for their partnership in the global response to HIV.”

The cities event highlighted the essential leadership role that cities play in responding to HIV. Around 30 mayors from around the globe attended the event to discuss how they are getting on the Fast-Track to end AIDS in cities. They also shared how smart cities are implementing urban innovations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Later in the day, the mayors, UNAIDS and invited guests convened for The Problem Solvers: Cities on the Front Lines of HIV/AIDS, an Atlantic forum, presented by the MAC AIDS Fund and UNAIDS. The gathering provided an opportunity to take a closer look at the opportunities and challenges cities face in ending AIDS through a series of panels and conversations with mayors and urban leaders, health experts and advocates. 

“Cities are at the forefront of the global strategy to end AIDS. Through the sale of M∙A∙C’s VIVA GLAM products, the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund has committed over $6 million to ending AIDS city by city – supporting locally relevant and targeted programs that reach the most vulnerable populations. We are proud to be the lead private funder in the Fast-Track Cities Initiative,” said Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability for Estee Lauder. "The end of AIDS isn’t a talking point or catchy slogan for the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund. We are dedicated to making it happen with focused funding designed to make an immediate impact on the epidemic.”

Mayor Hidalgo was unable to attend the event in New York because of the emergency situation in Paris following heavy flooding, but sent a strong message of support.

“We all share the same certainty: we no longer have the right to stand by and watch as HIV worsens when solutions exist. And because the solutions exist, we no longer have any excuse for inaction,” said the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. “Political will is at the forefront of responding to AIDS and I stand firmly to say: Paris is committed to ending the AIDS epidemic.”

Mayor Hidalgo was represented at the event by two deputy mayors, Patrick Klugman and Bernard Jomier.

Cities are at the front of the response to HIV and other health and equity challenges and are uniquely positioned to take transformative action. City leaders are already driving innovation and social transformation through ambitious responses to global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development.

"More than half of the world's population currently lives in cities,” said the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. “City leadership on HIV is essential if the world is to achieve the Fast-Track Targets and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”

On World AIDS Day 2014, the Mayor of Paris welcomed 26 mayors from around the world, who signed a declaration to end the AIDS epidemic in their cities. In signing the 2014 Paris Declaration, the mayors committed to putting their cities on the Fast-Track to ending the AIDS epidemic through a set of commitments. Those commitments include achieving the UNAIDS 90–90–90 treatment target, which will result in 90% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status on antiretroviral treatment and 90% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads. Since the end of 2014, more than 200 cities around the world have signed the Paris Declaration and are addressing the significant disparities in access to basic services, social justice and economic opportunity towards ending the AIDS epidemic.

“Fast-Track cities are accelerating their local AIDS responses toward the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030,” said the IAPAC President/Chief Executive Officer, José M. Zuniga. “Our collaborative city-specific approach and real-time data generation afford us a precise understanding of gaps in city responses, which we are helping to address through targeted strategies to increase HIV testing, prevention, treatment and care.”

The event in New York provided an opportunity to share knowledge and draw on experiences from around the world. It brought together numerous partners, including the private sector, foundations and civil society. The opening session of the cities event was moderated by businessman and philanthropist Alexandre Mars of the Epic Foundation.

Media contacts

MAC AIDS Fund | Maripat Finigan | +1 860 508 3828 | maripat@praytellstrategy.com

UNAIDS Geneva | Sophie Barton-Knott | tel. +41 22 791 1697 | bartonknotts@unaids.org

Mairie de Paris | Mélanie Rigaud | tel. +33 6 40 93 09 99 | melanie.rigaud@paris.fr

New York City Office of the Mayor | + 1 212 788 2958 | pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov

IAPAC | Lindsay G. Deefholts | tel. + 1 416 301 7966 | ldeefholts@bell.net

La Mairie de Paris

The City of Paris has been committed to fighting AIDS since 2001 and the response has become a priority at both local and global levels. In collaboration with UNAIDS, UN-Habitat and IAPAC, it was natural for Paris to be involved in the launch the Fast-Track Cities Initiative (FTCI) on December 1, 2014. And Paris has taken a leading role. In February 2016, Paris published its own strategy called "Towards an AIDS free Paris", thanks to which The City will be a pioneer of the FTCI in regard to reaching the 90-90-90 targets by 2020.

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.

IAPAC

The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) represents more than 27,500 clinicians and allied health care professionals in over 150 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of and increase access to HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support services for men, women, and children affected by and living with HIV and comorbid conditions (e.g., tuberculosis, viral hepatitis). For more information about IAPAC and its 30-year history of marshaling the health professions to end the AIDS epidemic, please visit www.iapac.org.

MAC AIDS Fund

The lead private funder of the Fast-Track Cities initiative, the MAC AIDS Fund is dedicated to serving people of all ages, all races and all sexes affected by HIV and AIDS, partnering with the bold, the visionary and the brave to confront the epidemic. The MAC AIDS FUND believes cities have long been at the forefront of responding to AIDS, committing more than $6 million to cities setting ambitious targets and accelerating the delivery of high-impact HIV prevention and treatment services. Raised exclusively through the sale of MAC VIVA GLAM lipstick and lipglass, the MAC AIDS Fund has raised more than $400 million since its inception in 1994 and will continue to support innovative efforts like the Fast-Track Cities initiative to help eradicate the epidemic.

GENEVA, 18 May 2016—From 8 to 10 June 2016, world leaders, government representatives, HIV programme implementers and civil society organizations from across the world will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America, to chart the way forward to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

It is crucial that the voices and perspectives of individuals and organizations be heard at this United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, including the voices of people living with HIV and people most affected by the epidemic, including women and girls, sex workers, people who use drugs, gay men and other men who have sex with men and transgender people. Nongovernmental organizations working on the ground to ensure that no one is left behind must have the opportunity to contribute to this important forum.

Millennium Development Goal 6 of halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic and reaching the historic milestone of 15 million people on treatment by 2015 could not have been reached without the meaningful engagement and participation of people living with and affected by HIV.

The High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS should be guided by the principles on which the successes of the AIDS response are built—inclusion, participation and dignity. As enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the doors of the United Nations should be open to all.

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, 17 May 2016—UNAIDS stands with people and organizations around the world in commemorating the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) on 17 May, the day 26 years ago when the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. The IDAHOT theme for 2016 is mental health and well-being.

Although there is still much progress to be made to achieve UNAIDS’ vision of zero discrimination, there have been encouraging steps in the right direction. In June 2015, Mozambique decriminalized homosexuality in its new penal code. In September 2015, some 12 United Nations agencies issued a powerful joint call to action on ending violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. In May 2016, the Government of the United States of America released guidance “to help provide educators the information they need to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.”

“It is unacceptable that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people face violence and discrimination just because of who they are and who they love,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “They are our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, our friends and colleagues. LGBTI rights are human rights. We must challenge prejudice wherever we are.”

Many LGBTI people continue to face enormous daily challenges, sometimes living in fear, in isolation and out of reach of life-saving health services. Fear of abuse or discrimination by health-care workers prevents people from accessing HIV testing and treatment services. In addition, a large percentage of LGBTI people face isolation and discrimination in their immediate social environment, negatively affecting their mental health.

Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, which include ending AIDS by 2030, requires the end of discrimination in all its forms.

UNAIDS calls for full and complete access to quality health care for LGBTI people, including access to mental health services, which are often less well supported in health systems. “Act with compassion. Embrace diversity. Leave no one behind,” added Mr Sidibé.

Ending discrimination will be one of the central themes discussed at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, taking place at the United Nations in New York, United States of America, from 8 to 10 June 2016. For more information, go to www.hlm2016aids.unaids.org. 

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 May 2016—On HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, UNAIDS calls for greater resources and increased collaboration among governments, the scientific community and the private sector to advance research towards finding an effective HIV vaccine.       

“Developing an effective HIV vaccine would be a major scientific and medical breakthrough for humankind,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “Alongside expanding access to existing antiretroviral medicines and combination HIV prevention tools, sustained investment and intensified collaboration to develop an HIV vaccine is needed to bring the world a step closer to ending the AIDS epidemic.”

In 2014, global investment in HIV vaccine research and development increased by 2.8%, to US$ 841 million, up from US$ 818 million in 2013. However, this rebound followed five years during which available resources either flatlined or declined, with a high of US$ 961 million in 2007. The United States of America remains the largest investor in HIV research and development.

Public–private and international partnerships have been formed to accelerate progress towards an effective HIV vaccine. UNAIDS is working together with partners, such as the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, AVAC and other stakeholders, to advance research. UNAIDS is also an active participant in the annual vaccine funders’ meetings coordinated by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise to highlight the importance of continued research, sustained funding and coordinated responses towards HIV vaccine discovery.

Over the past 30 years, four concepts for an HIV vaccine have been tested in six efficacy trials. Of these, the RV144 vaccine trial in Thailand in 2009 was most promising, reducing HIV infection risk by 31%. It is hoped that ongoing research will lead to at least two further large-scale trials of vaccine candidates starting in the near future. At the same time, work continues to develop other potential vaccines, including a combined vaccine for HIV and hepatitis C. The effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies is also being studied.

An HIV vaccine will be necessary for the long-term control of HIV and is the best hope for sustaining the progress made towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

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.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 19 April 2016—UNAIDS welcomes the United Nations General Assembly’s call for Member States to consider effective public health measures to improve outcomes for people who use drugs and urges countries to implement programmes that reduce the impact of the harms associated with drug use.

The outcome document adopted by Member States at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the World Drug Problem, being held in New York, United States of America, calls on countries to consider measures such as appropriate medication-assisted therapy, injecting equipment programmes and antiretroviral therapy to prevent the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis and other bloodborne viruses.

The outcome document also underlines the need for the full respect of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people who use drugs, including a fair trial and proportionate sentencing for people arrested for or convicted of drugs offences. It encourages countries to consider alternatives to punishment.

“The world has taken a step towards a more rational and compassionate approach to people who inject drugs,” said the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. “Countries can only reverse their HIV epidemics by implementing policies and programmes that are proved to work and put people first, including people who use drugs.”

In the lead-up to the UNGASS, UNAIDS has stressed that there is insufficient coverage of harm reduction programmes and that policies that criminalize and marginalize people who use drugs are failing to reduce HIV infections, especially among people who inject drugs. There was no reduction in the number of new HIV infections among people who inject drugs between 2010 and 2014. The world has missed the United Nations General Assembly’s target set in 2011 to reduce HIV transmission among people who inject drugs by 50% by 2015.

The newly published UNAIDS report, Do no harm: health, human rights and people who use drugs, shows that countries that implement health- and rights-based approaches have reduced new HIV infections among people who inject drugs. Countries that stop putting people in prison for drugs offences but give them access to expanded treatment programmes report the best results. Countries should commit to treating people with support and care, rather than punishment. UNAIDS recommends decriminalization and stopping incarceration of people for the consumption and possession of drugs for personal use.

The UNGASS outcome document recognizes the need for closer cooperation between health, education, justice and law enforcement authorities and emphasizes the role of civil society, the scientific community and academia in addressing the world drug problem. It reiterates the General Assembly’s commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS and tuberculosis as part of the Sustainable Development Goals and to reduce the impact of viral hepatitis and other infectious diseases, including among people who use drugs.    

The UNAIDS Fast-Track approach has a set of targets for 2020 that include reducing new HIV infections to fewer than 500 000. It also calls on countries to ensure that 90% of the more than 12 million people who inject drugs worldwide have access to combination HIV prevention services, including needle–syringe programmes, opioid substitution therapy, condoms and access to counselling, care, testing and treatment services for tuberculosis and bloodborne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. Achieving these targets will be a significant step towards ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

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, 24 March 2016—On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, UNAIDS is calling for stronger partnerships and a united approach to end the twin epidemics of TB and HIV and save millions of lives. It has never been more urgent for governments, the medical and scientific communities, the private sector and people affected by the diseases to come together to ensure access to existing treatment regimens and to push for new diagnostic tools and treatments to reach all people in need.

“We achieve the most when we work together and use all our strengths to reach ambitious goals,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. “Harnessing the potential of everyone involved in the response to HIV and TB is needed now more than ever to end these epidemics and create a healthier world as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.”                

Globally, 9.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2014 and 1.5 million people died of the disease. TB also remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, accounting for one in three AIDS-related deaths every year – around 390 000 of 1.2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2014. In addition, around 480 000 people in 2014 developed multidrug-resistant TB. As with HIV, poorer communities and populations affected by stigma and discrimination are most vulnerable to infection.

The international community is committed to ending the epidemics of TB and HIV within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. This will be possible only by strengthening and accelerating current responses and by maximizing the contribution of all those involved through a united approach at the international, regional, national and community levels. For example, the development of new diagnostic tools, treatments and potential vaccines against HIV and TB must be speeded up, especially in response to the emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Most importantly, these new regimens and tools must be within reach of everyone affected by TB and HIV.

Adopted in 2014, the World Health Organization’s END TB Strategy recognizes that ending the TB epidemic hinges on better policy-making at an international, regional and national level as well as stronger action to increase social protection, reduce poverty and tackle other determinants that increase people’s vulnerability to infection. The strengthening of health-care capacities will also be an important factor in reaching the goals of reducing TB deaths by 95% and new cases of TB by 90% by 2035. The same factors apply to ending the HIV epidemic.

UNAIDS remains committed to working closely together with countries, donors, communities and partners including the World Health Organization, the Stop TB Partnership and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to maximize the full power of communities everywhere to end the epidemics of TB and HIV.

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.