As the world heads towards the 2030 deadline to end AIDS as a public health threat, at a moment of compounding and competing global crises, the global HIV response is at a crossroads. Political commitment and coordinated action over the next six years will be critical to save lives and ensure the decades of investment in the HIV response will yield their full benefit.
Despite significant progress, AIDS claimed a life every minute in 2023, and 9 million people living with HIV were still without treatment. Urgent efforts to reduce new infections and scale up innovative responses are required. Country ownership, strong partnerships and human rights-driven approaches will be key to achieving the 2030 HIV targets as part of advancing the SDG's and sustaining the gains beyond.
At its 53rd meeting in December 2023, the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board requested the Executive Director of UNAIDS and the Committee of the Cosponsoring Organizations to continue to ensure that the Joint Programme remains sustainable, resilient and fit-for-purpose.
In response to the request, the Executive Director of UNAIDS and the International Labour Organization Director-General, on behalf of the Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations, have convened a ‘High-level panel on a resilient and fit-for purpose UNAIDS Joint Programme in the context of the sustainability of the HIV response’.
The Panel is Co-chaired by:
The Panel, which brings together diverse stakeholders, representing the multisectoral nature of the HIV response, will consider the evolution of the HIV pandemic and the global AIDS response, the evolving country needs and priorities, and how to best respond to them. The Panel will work collaboratively in virtual and hybrid meetings between October 2024 and March 2025.
Recommendations from the Panel will be reported back to UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board at its June 2025 meeting.
