Press release and statement archive

The Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) will be officially designated an “international best practice” by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) during a press launch of the joint CARICOM/UNAIDS Secretariats’ publication: Common Goals, Shared Responses: A Case Study on the Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP).

Today is Human Rights Day, the 56th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the last of this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. It is also a day on which intolerable numbers of women will suffer violent assaults, and on which many...

UNAIDS is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Mero Kececioglu-Kylicas as Special Envoy of UNAIDS.

Today, women and girls account for nearly half of the 37.2 million adults living with HIV worldwide. Over the past two years, the number of women infected with the virus has increased in every region of the globe, and if current trends continue, women and girls will soon outnumber men...

Press Release published at the occasion of World AIDS Day 2004 in which former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Speaks on the growing impact of AIDS and calls on the financial sector to respond.

Today, more than 100 creative and programming directors from 35 media companies, leading media figures and non-government organizations from around the world are meeting at the United Nations Headquarters to exchange ideas on how to incorporate HIV/AIDS messages into short- and long-form programming.

A new report released today shows that the number of women living with HIV has risen in each region of the world over the past two years, with the steepest increases in East Asia, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In East Asia, there was a 56% increase over...

A two-day ‘National Student and Youth Parliament Special Session on HIV/AIDS’ will bring together 3,000 student and youth leaders from 500 districts across the country to deliberate and present to the Government their recommendations on the draft law on HIV/AIDS. Representatives of student unions, universities, bodies such as the Nehru...

Media executives from Russia, Ukraine, and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have committed to fight HIV/AIDS in their countries, many of which are experiencing some of the fastest-growing epidemics in the world. Meeting today at the first-ever Eurasia Media Leaders Summit on HIV/AIDS in Moscow, media...

Dr Kathleen Cravero, Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), congratulated the Vietnamese government for adopting an evidence-based and progressive National Strategy on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS. “This is an excellent national strategy and stands as a model for other countries in the region and...

UNAIDS acknowledges with tremendous sense of loss the tragic news of the sudden death of Paulo Longo, Coordinator of the Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) in Brazil and human rights activist.

Providers of reproductive health services are in a strategic position to make significant contributions to closing the global HIV prevention gap, according to a new analysis published jointly by The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) with the collaboration of UNFPA (United Nations...

UNAIDS is deeply shocked at the recent killing of FannyAnn Eddy, a leading pan-African gay rights activist and founder of the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association (SLLAGA).

The Government of India and the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative have agreed to collaborate on the development and implementation of the Government’s plans to scale-up integrated HIV care, treatment, and prevention programmes. Dr S Y Quraishi, Project Director of India’s National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), and Ira C. Magaziner, Chairman...

Joint TB and HIV interventions are among the best ways to accelerate access to ARVs and to help reach the

With more than 1.8 million people living with HIV in Europe and Central Asia, the epidemic poses a serious threat to the region’s social and economic stability, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). UNAIDS and WHO therefore urge European governments...

The Government of Brazil and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) announced today a new approach to scale up the response to AIDS in developing countries through multilateral agreements between the Government of Brazil, UNAIDS and other developing countries. As part of this new joint initiative, UNAIDS will...

Greater participation of women and adolescents is needed in HIV vaccine clinical trials, according to a group of international experts, who attended a consultation on HIV vaccine trials in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 26-28 August.

India's entertainment industry is challenging the AIDS epidemic head-on. For the first time ever, a mainstream Bollywood Hindi film, Phir Milenge (We’ll Meet Again), has placed AIDS at the heart of its story line.

Geneva, 16 August 2004 – UNAIDS is deeply concerned about the recent detention and reported mistreatment of 39 members of the Blue Diamond Society, a Nepalese AIDS NGO working with sexual minorities. The Nepali police arrested these people on 9 August 2004 and they are still being held today.

HIV infections among women and girls in nine countries in southern Africa are increasing at an alarming rate, a new report commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has found, with many young women being infected almost as soon as they start having sex.

Efforts to combat HIV in Central America and the Caribbean received a major boost today. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the German Development Bank (KfW) signed a cooperation agreement to encourage HIV prevention and reduce infection in these severely affected regions. This signing strengthens the already...

UNAIDS welcomes the new initiative announced by the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Tony Blair. This commitment, to spending at least £1.5 billion over the next three years on HIV-related programmes, represents a tremendous step forward in the global effort to combat AIDS. UNAIDS also applauds the strategy’s strong focus on...

Action against HIV/AIDS that does not confront gender inequality is doomed to failure, according to a report released today by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and gender inequality remain the two biggest challenges to AIDS prevention in South Asia, according to experts. A satellite session at the XV International AIDS Conference today reviewed the progress made and challenges in mounting an effective AIDS response in South Asia.

Political leaders in Asia and the Pacific have a precious window of opportunity to save millions of people from HIV infection. But to succeed, they will need to drastically increase spending on AIDS and scale up prevention, care and treatment programmes, according to a report by the Asia Pacific Leadership...

UNAIDS welcomes the announcement by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, to more than double Australia’s funding for AIDS from AUS$ 250 million (US$ 180 million) to AUS$600 million (US$ 435 million) by 2010. The announcement was made in tandem with the appointment of Australia’s first Special Representative...

Total global spending on AIDS has increased from US$1.2 billion in 2000 to an estimated US$6 billion this year – a five-fold increase – according to a new UNAIDS report released today. Without dramatic increases, there is still an expected shortfall of US$6 billion in 2005, according to UNAIDS. “Unless...

Today the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) signed an agreement to tackle HIV among the uniformed services with Thailand’s Minister of Defence, General Chetta Thanajaro and the Minister of Public Health, Mrs. Sudarat Keyuraphan. Focusing on young men and women, all parties will work together to reduce the...

AIDS activists from around the world, representing different movements, today called for concerted action aimed at ramping up HIV/AIDS health care services in low and middle-income countries.

Nationwide programmes to increase condom use in commercial sex, help drug injectors to use clean needles and cut risky sex between men are needed to reverse a growing HIV epidemic in Asia, according to leading scientists. In a report released ahead of the 15th International AIDS Conference on Sunday, the...

Countries in Asia and the Pacific region must urgently adopt comprehensive responses to HIV in order to avert a catastrophic increase in infections and drastic economic consequences, according to a new report released today by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

A new study by the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), ‘Analysis of aid in support of HIV/AIDS control, 2000-2002’, presents the first comprehensive overview of aid allocations to AIDS activities by donor and recipient countries. It is being released in advance...

UNAIDS warned that the number of people living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has risen in every region of the world and last year five million people became newly infected with HIV -- more people than any previous year. These findings are contained in the 2004 UNAIDS Report...

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, today welcomes the announcement made by Hilary Benn, UK International Development Secretary, of increased funding to UNAIDS and to UNFPA to help tackle the global AIDS epidemic and improve sexual and reproductive health for women and young people in developing...

Geneva, 25 June 2004 – Today the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is pleased to announce that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has joined UNAIDS as the tenth Cosponsor. Together with the nine existing Cosponsors, UNHCR will help broaden and strengthen the...

UNAIDS particularly commends the agreement on supporting the United Nations General Assembly Special Session Declaration on HIV/AIDS and the summit’s statement on paragraph 6 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration on TRIPS, dealing with ensuring availability of medicines for those most in need.

UNAIDS today calls on the International Monetary Fund to prioritise the impact of the AIDS epidemic and the need of the government of Zambia to invest in a sustained and urgent response, when reviewing the country's progress in meeting the conditions of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility agreed in...

Today efforts to combat HIV among peacekeeping troops bound for Haiti have received a significant boost. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and representatives from the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) have arrived in the country to develop an HIV/AIDS programme for the newly established peacekeeping...

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today welcomed the G-8's endorsement of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a virtual consortium proposed by an international group of scientists that is being established to accelerate HIV vaccine development.

HIV-positive 31 year-old South African Musa Njoko has been nominated by UNAIDS to participate in this year’s Olympic Torch Relay, to be held in Cape Town on Saturday 12 June 2004.

The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) has challenged governments of the G8 countries to help save millions of lives by honouring the commitment they made when they signed the global AIDS compact at the United Nations three years ago.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which both organisations agreed to combine their efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, particularly among the sport community. The signing ceremony took place at the IOC Headquarters in...

The Joint United Nations Programme (UNAIDS) welcomes the decision taken by women health ministers today to form an international network to address the growing inequalities women face in accessing basic health services, including HIV care and prevention services.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) sees the Team Joachim Franz initiative as an innovative project which combines the use of sport with AIDS education.

Concerned by the growing AIDS burden faced by women in developing countries, women health ministers from around the world agreed to form an international network to address the persistent inequalities women experience in accessing basic health services, particularly HIV prevention and care services. The ministers were gathered at an unprecedented...

The Mongolian Minister of Defence, H.E. Mr. J. Gurragchaa, and the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, H.E. Mr. Ts. Nyamdorj signed a partnership agreement today with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to tackle HIV in uniformed services.

Chris Kirubi, leading African businessman and Chairman of Kenya’s HIV/AIDS Business Council, has been named Special Advisor to the UNAIDS Executive Director in an effort to strengthen the business response to AIDS in East Africa. Mr Kirubi has agreed to accept this honorary position on a voluntary basis for one...

A major step was taken at a meeting today in Washington D.C., co-chaired by UNAIDS, the UK and the US, where donors and developing countries agreed to three core principles to better coordinate the scale-up of national AIDS responses. Known as the “Three Ones”, the principles are: one agreed HIV/AIDS...

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN agency charged with coordinating United Nations efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, jointly appointed today action star Jackie Chan as one of its Goodwill Ambassadors.

Nordic funding to fight AIDS globally ranks among top 5 in donor spending

Despite the low HIV prevalence in South Asia, the epidemic continues to spread unabated, particularly among high-risk groups. In an effort to accelerate and strengthen the response to AIDS in the region, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has taken a significant step forward by signing a memorandum...

London/Geneva, 13 April 2004 – Players from the India and Pakistan cricket teams will wear the symbolic red ribbon as part of international cricket’s commitment to raise awareness about HIV in today’s third Test match, being held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. As part of this ground-breaking initiative, the team captains will...

Discrimination against women, both legal and de facto, renders them disproportionately vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Women's subordination in the family and in public life is one of the root causes of the rapidly increasing rate of infection among women. Systematic discrimination based on gender also impairs women's ability to deal with...

The HIV/AIDS epidemic poses serious human rights challenges - for example, unequal access to HIV/AIDS-related treatments remains a global reality. If countries are seriously committed to protecting the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, then this inequality must be addressed. The problem...

The Pacific Island countries have a unique opportunity to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS before it is too late. “Although HIV prevalence levels remain low, we must not underestimate the size of the challenges confronting the Pacific Islands region,” said Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations...

The rate of HIV infection in the Mekong Region is rising faster among women than men. “Lack of attention to women’s rights is fuelling the HIV epidemic,” said Dr Kathleen Cravero, Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), speaking at the Mekong Leaders’ Consultative Meeting...

Women in Lao PDR are at an unacceptably high risk of contracting HIV and AIDS, according to a UN expert.

Across the world, between one-fifth and half of all girls and young women report that their first sexual encounter was forced. Too many women are unable to refuse sex or insist on a condom because they lack social and economic power, according to the film “Women Are”, being premiered in...

Existing HIV prevention and protection efforts are failing to stem infections among women and girls because they do not take into account such issues as gender relations and sexual behaviour, according to the United Nations AIDS programme.

The U.S. government is to be commended for both seeking to enhance and coordinate its own AIDS efforts, and affirming that the AIDS fight can only be won through a concrete partnership between the international community, national governments, the private sector and people living with HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS stands ready to...

“HIV/AIDS is a growing challenge for the entire continent of Europe, from Dublin to Moscow,” Kalman Mizsei, Regional Director for Europe and the CIS of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), warned European leaders gathered here to discuss a regional response to the epidemic.

AIDS is rapidly spreading in Eastern Europe and is on the rise again in Western Europe because integrated prevention and treatment programmes have not been sustained or do not exist. Countries in Eastern Europe, home to the fastest growing epidemic in the world, will soon be on Europe’s borders following...

Grande Rio, a samba school in Rio de Janeiro, has composed a song entitled,

The escalating global struggle against AIDS cannot afford to neglect women, and special efforts will be needed to ensure it is not allowed to. To that end, UNAIDS has pulled together a high profile group of men and women -- the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS -- which gathers...

In a partnership among soccer stars, soccer officials and a UN agency, organizers of the African Cup of Nations tournament plan to use the high-profile games in Tunisia from 24 January to 14 February to promote a growing “Africa 2015” campaign against poverty and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the agreement struck by the Clinton Foundation to significantly reduce the price of HIV/AIDS laboratory tests in Africa and the Caribbean, the regions worst-hit by the epidemic. A number of diagnostic companies, including, Bayer, Beckman Coulter, Inc., BD (Becton, Dickinson and...

The Kenyan survey found a lower HIV prevalence among Kenyans – 6.7% compared to 9.4% estimated by UNAIDS and WHO for 2003. However, when broken down by gender, the survey found an HIV prevalence of 8.7% among women, which is in the same range as the 9.4% prevalence estimated by...

As part of the ongoing mobilisation of civil society in the fight against HIV/AIDS, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today met with leaders of some of the world’s leading media organizations to launch a Global Media AIDS Initiative. The Initiative aims to activate media organizations to reach the world’s people...