NEW YORK, 24 September 2019—Today at the United Nations General Assembly, 12 multilateral agencies launched a joint plan to better support countries over the next 10 years to accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Developed over 18 months, Stronger Collaboration, Better Health: Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All outlines how a dozen multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies will collaborate to be more efficient and provide more streamlined support to countries to deliver universal health coverage and achieve the health-related SDG targets.

Healthy people are essential for sustainable development and for ending poverty, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies as well as protecting the environment. Over the last few decades, significant gains have been made in key areas of health, but the 2030 targets will not be met without redoubled efforts.

“The plan is called, ‘Stronger Collaboration, Better Health’ for a reason,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.  “Although collaboration is the path, impact is the destination.  The release of this plan is the beginning, not the end, of that path.”

Universal health coverage is key to meeting the health-related goals and addressing health inequities. If trends continue, only up to 5 billion of the world’s population will be covered by essential health services in 2030, as highlighted in the Universal Health Coverage: Global Monitoring Report, released last week by WHO. To leave no one behind, countries need to address health inequities. Improved collaboration and coordination can help countries tackle complex health challenges and bring innovative solutions.

Together, the 12 agencies contribute nearly one-third of all development assistance to health.  Under the Global Action Plan, the agencies commit to strengthening their collaboration to:

• Engage with countries better to identify priorities, plan and implement together;

• Accelerate progress in countries through joint actions under 7 accelerator themes, which represent common challenges for many countries and where the agencies’ mandates, expertise and resources offer solutions, namely: 1) Primary health care 2) Sustainable health financing 3) Community and civil society engagement 4) Determinants of health 5) Innovative programming in fragile and vulnerable settings and for disease outbreak responses 6) Research and development, innovation and access, and 7) Data and digital health. They will also work together to advance gender equality and support the delivery of global public goods;

• Align by harmonizing their operational and financial strategies and policies in support of countries to increase efficiency and reduce the burden on countries; and

• Account, by reviewing progress and learning together to enhance shared accountability.

Governments are setting priorities, developing implementation plans and intensifying efforts to achieve the health-related SDG targets. Demand from countries for the Global Action Plan is growing. “Achieving the health-related SDG goals is key for Nepal. Strengthening primary health care and enhancing data utilization for evidence-based planning and decision-making are two accelerators that will help bring us closer to achieving the SDG goals,” said Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr Upendra Yadav.

Through the Global Action Plan, the agencies will help countries deliver on international commitments in addition to the SDGs, such as those made in Astana on primary health care and at the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage this week in New York.

Coordinated by WHO, the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All, is in response to a call from Germany, Ghana and Norway, with support from the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for more effective collaboration and coordination among global health organizations to achieve the health-related SDGs. The 12 signatory agencies to the plan are Gavi, The GFF, the Global Fund, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNITAID, UN Women, World Bank Group, WFP and WHO.

Notes to Editors

Quotes from the 12 Principals are available below.

Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer - GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance

“Gavi has only been able to achieve the extraordinary impact of vaccinating over three-quarters of a billion children since 2000 by working together with many of the 12 agencies as an Alliance,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “We know how much can be achieved with strong partnerships, but also how much potential there is to do more together and reach those who don’t have access to health. The right collaboration can become a lever for wider primary health care and, by extension, universal health coverage. That is why this new plan is so important, bringing together some of the biggest players in global health to create the conditions for better health and well-being for all.”

Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, Director - The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (The GFF)

“The Global Financing Facility supports the Global Action Plan because it recognizes that collaboration needs to take place at the country level and must start from a country’s specific needs and priorities. Our collaboration should have two aims: accelerating progress for those left furthest behind and ensuring that all our support as development agencies is to countries to strengthen their own health and financing systems.”

Peter Sands, Executive Director - Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (The Global Fund)

“Our calculus is simple: the Global Fund is a partnership, and the better we collaborate and coordinate with partners, the more impact we can have,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund.  “We are committed to playing our part in making the Global Action Plan a reality.”

Gunilla Carlsson, Executive Director a.i. - The Joint Programme United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

“The Global Action Plan must lead to greater investment in community-led efforts across the world because when communities are empowered, results follow. In the AIDS response, community engagement and ownership have resulted in an increase in the uptake of HIV prevention and treatment services, a reduction in stigma and discrimination and in the protection of human rights. Empowering communities will be central to achieving good health for all.”

Achim Steiner, Administrator - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

“The Global Action Plan is the kind of system-wide partnership that can help countries to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and realize the promise of health and well-being for all.”

Natalia Kanem, Executive Director - United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

“Ensuring that health systems can deliver sexual and reproductive health services to all women and young people is integral to ensuring good health and well-being across the life course. The Plan is our collective roadmap for putting the 'universal' in universal health coverage by working together in new ways, aligned with countries' needs and priorities, to make these services accessible to all." 

Henrietta Fore, Executive Director -  United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

“Millions of vulnerable children and young people are dying for want of medicines and health services. Strengthening primary health care means improving our ability to reach every last child,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “We are committed to working together with governments and partners to make sure that this goal becomes a reality one day.” 

Lelio Marmora, Executive Director - Unitaid

“Innovation is key to reaching global health goals. Working together, we inspire each other, we spark new ideas, and we align our efforts to overcome challenges on the ground,” Unitaid Executive Director, Lelio Marmora said. “With the Global Action Plan our work stands to make a greater impact.” 

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director - The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

“By 2030 we want to see more women and girls with informed decision-making and control over their bodies, their health and their futures, and with access to reproductive and maternal health services. They should be living securely and prospering, free from any form of violence and benefiting from non-discriminatory legislation. The Global Action Plan can serve as a road map for collective gender-transformative action to make this a lasting reality.”

Annette Dixon, Vice President, Human Development - World Bank Group

“We see investments in health as vital for countries to build their human capital. By working better together with partner countries and holding ourselves accountable, especially at the country level, we will be able to accelerate progress towards health and equal opportunity for all.”

David Muldrow Beasley, Executive Director - World Food Programme (WFP)

“We won’t have a world without hunger unless people can get access to the services that help them get healthier. These goals go together, hand in glove. That’s why the World Food Programme is committed to working with governments and our partners around the world to make more progress toward a healthier, well-fed world.”

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General - World Health Organization (WHO)

“The plan is called ‘Stronger Collaboration, Better Health’ for a reason,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO. “Although collaboration is the path, impact is the destination. The release of this Plan is the beginning, not the end, of that path,” he added.

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.

“I am not ready to share my status or disclose myself to the public. I am afraid of being isolated, stigmatized and discriminated against. For me, it’s good for only me to know my status, rather than disclose it to other people,” said Mara John (not her real name), who comes from a Pacific island and is living with HIV. Similar stories of isolation, self-stigma, poverty and lack of human rights can be heard from many people living with HIV in small island developing states (SIDS).

On 27 September, United Nations Member States meet for a high-level review on SIDS at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America. In his report published ahead of the summit, the United Nations Secretary-General highlights that SIDS, particularly Caribbean SIDS, continue to be challenged with “high levels of youth unemployment, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and high risk for HIV infection.”

A group of 38 countries, including islands in the Pacific, the Caribbean and elsewhere, the SIDS have been provided with dedicated support owing to the specific constraints they face―for example, the size of their territory, remoteness or exposure to climate change―as a result of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, held in June 2012. In 2014, the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway was adopted by United Nations Member States to outline actions for sustainable development in the SIDS, including a commitment to achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

While the SIDS have seen progress, there are wide differences between, for example, Cuba, the first country globally to be certified as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, in 2015, and Mauritius, where 30% of people who inject drugs are reported to be living with HIV.

“The Sustainable Development Goals highlight the importance of leaving no one behind. This is particularly meaningful for people living with HIV in small island developing states, who face isolation, stigma and discrimination and inequalities. We need to do more to ensure that they receive the services they need,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i.

Generally in small islands, key populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and people who inject drugs, bear a disproportionately high burden of HIV. In some SIDS, however, HIV also significantly impacts the general population―while key populations and their sexual partners accounted for 47% of new HIV infections in the Caribbean in 2018, more than half of all new HIV infections were among the general population. Stigma and discrimination by health-care workers is still a major challenge in the Pacific. For example, 60% of female sex workers surveyed in Fiji reported avoiding HIV testing owing to fear of stigma from health-care providers, as did more than 30% of gay men and other men who have sex with men.

Another aspect that SIDS have in common is the strength of communities of people living with HIV and the presence of exceptional political will, often at the highest levels. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the former President of Fiji and current Speaker of the Fiji Parliament, has been speaking out against stigma and discrimination for many years.

Networks of people living with HIV and of key populations are at the centre of the movement to end AIDS in the SIDS. In the Pacific, people living with HIV came together to publish a report in 2018 describing their situation in their own words. Similarly the Mauritius Network of People Living with HIV has provided vocal leadership to the response and clearly outlines the challenges of the community in its 2018 People Living With HIV Stigma Index report. In the Caribbean, the late activist and academic Robert Carr is credited for helping to shape global thought around the importance of addressing the human rights of vulnerable and marginalized communities as part of the AIDS response. In 2005, he helped to establish the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, which works on behalf of the groups most often left behind.

UNAIDS is working to support SIDS through its team for the Caribbean, based in Jamaica, for the Pacific islands from its Fiji office and for the Indian Ocean islands from the UNAIDS office in the Seychelles. Priority is given to SIDS with a higher prevalence of HIV, through programmes targeting the most vulnerable populations. 

This week, the United Nations General Assembly committed itself to achieving universal health coverage by 2030. It also pledged to accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including ending AIDS, by 2030. Those commitments show that there is political will to respond to the gravest crises facing the world.

In 2016, the General Assembly agreed, in the Political Declaration on Ending AIDS, to a steady scale-up of investment in the AIDS responses in low- and middle-income countries, increasing to at least US$ 26 billion by 2020. At the end of 2018, however, only US$ 19 billion (in constant 2016 US dollars) was available. And, worse, that US$ 19 billion was almost US$ 1 billion less than a year before.

Instead of a steady increase, global financing for HIV is decreasing. The political commitment is simply not being matched with the financing required to turn the vision of an end to AIDS into reality. With a little more than a year to go until the 2020 target of US$ 26 billion, finance for the AIDS response falls short by US$ 7 billion. This shortfall is particularly alarming because we know that investments in the AIDS response save lives―investing in the AIDS response is a great investment.

“The world can’t afford to backslide on investment in the AIDS response,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i. “Countries must honour their pledge to steadily increase their investment in the response to HIV if the world is to meet its obligations to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.”

Funding declines were seen in all sectors in 2018: domestic resources (a 2% decline), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) (a 20% decline, explained by fluctuations in its three-year grant cycle), other multilateral channels (a 2% decline), the Government of the United States of America’s bilateral programmes (a 3% decline), the bilateral programmes of other donor countries (a 17% decline), philanthropic organizations (an 18% decline) and other international sources (a 4% decline).

Low- and middle-income countries are increasingly financing their AIDS responses themselves. Between 2010 and 2018, domestic resources invested by low- and middle-income countries in their AIDS responses increased by 50%, while international investments increased by just 4%.

Domestic financing in 2018 in low- and middle-income countries accounted for 56% of total financial resources, although there were wide variations among regions. In eastern and southern Africa, the region with the highest HIV burden, 59% of HIV resources came from donors in 2018―this rises to 80% if South Africa is taken out of the analysis. Between 2010 and 2018, all major donors except the United States reduced their bilateral direct contributions to the AIDS responses of other countries.

This October is a critically important time for finance and HIV. In Lyon, France, on 10 October, governments and other partners will meet for the Global Fund’s sixth replenishment pledging conference. Seeking to raise at least US$ 14 billion for the response against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria for 2020–2022, the Global Fund estimates that 16 million lives will be saved by its programmes if fully funded, building on the 27 million lives saved since its inception in 2002.

“I urge countries to fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in its upcoming replenishment―16 million men, women and children are counting on it,” said Ms Carlsson.

Around 19 000 inspirational young people gathered at WE Day UN on 25 September to celebrate the incredible work they are doing to make positive change in their communities and around the world. All the young people who attended the event had earned a free ticket by taking action on one local and one global cause of their choice. Taking place in New York, United States of America, during the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, this year’s WE Day UN was held in partnership with UNAIDS, the UN Global Compact and UN Women.

UNAIDS has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with WE Day, helping to educate young people about HIV and to support them in their socially conscious efforts to make a sustainable impact in their societies and around the world. Through the important work of WE Day, UNAIDS is able to reach more than 20 000 schools across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Speaking to the young audience in the Barclays Center Stadium in New York, Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i., said, “AIDS is not over, but it can be! You can be the generation that ends AIDS and leads the world in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, creating a better world for generations to come.”

Ms Carlsson used the opportunity to remind young people of the importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and how critical it is to talk about HIV to break down the stigma around the epidemic. Her remarks were preceded by a newly released animation from UNAIDS that demonstrates the interlinkages and interdependence of HIV and the Sustainable Development Goals and how efforts to end AIDS can lead to a wider, people-centred social transformation.

The United States’ PEPFAR program, the George W. Bush Institute, Merck and UNAIDS are aiming to end AIDS and cervical cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa within a generation through an innovative public-private partnership

NEW YORK, 25 September 2019—On the margins of the 2019 United Nations General Assembly, former President George W. Bush and Ambassador Deborah L. Birx announced that the Go Further partnership to end AIDS and cervical cancer has reached over half a million HIV-positive women with cervical cancer screening and treated thousands of women for pre-invasive cancerous lesions in its first year. The partnership aims to reduce new cervical cancer cases by 95 percent among the estimated 3.8 million HIV-positive women who live in eight high-burden African countries.

At the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, President Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, and Ambassador Birx met with His Majesty King Mswati III of Eswatini, The Right Honourable Dr. Thomas Thabane of Lesotho, His Excellency President Peter Mutharika of Malawi, The Honorable Michael Bloomberg, CEO of Bank of America Brian Moynihan, and others.

"We strongly believe that by helping these leaders save lives in their countries it makes the world a better place and makes America more secure," President Bush said. "We have many leaders here all of whom are taking the lead, all of whom are responsible, all of whom are measuring results. It's important for the American people to know that the results are astounding."

"The future of each of your countries depends on all of your citizens—men and women—taking care of their health," Mrs. Bush added.

“Go Further is helping women in Africa to lead longer, healthier lives,” said Ambassador Birx, M.D., United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, who leads PEPFAR. “By leveraging the robust health care delivery platforms in Africa strengthened through over $85 billion in total U.S. government global HIV/AIDS investments, we will protect millions of HIV-positive mothers, daughters, aunts, and grandmothers—who are alive and thriving with HIV treatment—from the threat of cervical cancer.”

Launched in May 2018, Go Further is an innovative public-private partnership between the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the George W. Bush Institute (Bush Institute), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and Merck (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada). For maximum impact, the partnership focuses on reaching HIV-positive women in countries with among the highest HIV prevalence and cervical cancer incidence rates in the world.

“Go Further builds on the Bush Institute’s longstanding initiative to support women in Africa by scaling efforts to save more lives,” said Holly Kuzmich, Executive Director of the Bush Institute. “Healthy and empowered women contribute to healthier families, communities, and countries, and this partnership is proud to invest in high-burden nations to improve women’s health and economic futures, reduce suffering, and expand the reach of care.”

An estimated 100,000 women are diagnosed annually with cervical cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa. Without treatment, 62 percent of these women would be expected to die from the disease. Additionally, women who are HIV-positive are five times more likely to develop invasive cervical cancer. To address these risks, Go Further is increasing access to the human papillomavirus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, expanding the availability of vital cervical cancer screening, and providing treatment for women most vulnerable to developing cervical cancer. With minimal additional investment, these low-cost interventions can save millions of lives and help secure global gains against HIV/AIDS.

“At Merck, we are committed to addressing the health care needs of women in the developing world and are proud to partner with PEPFAR, the Bush Institute, and UNAIDS on Go Further,” said Carmen Villar, Vice President, Social Business Innovation, Merck. “Through this partnership we are addressing cervical cancer in HIV-positive women in Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the populations most heavily impacted by cervical cancer, not only through screening and treatment but also through prevention.” 

“To save a woman’s life by providing access to treatment for HIV, yet she dies from cervical cancer because she hasn’t had access to cancer screening is unacceptable,” said Gunilla Carlsson, Executive Director a.i. UNAIDS. “The Go Further partnership is critical to ensure that HIV and cervical cancer services are integrated and available to the women and girls that need them most."

The Go Further strategy builds on seven years of collaboration between PEPFAR and the Bush Institute and evolves the partnership to save more lives.

Learn more about Go Further at www.gofurther.org, and follow the partnership on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

PEPFAR is the United States government’s response to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has invested over $85 billion since 2003 – the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history. Through the compassion and generosity of the American people, PEPFAR has saved 17 million lives, prevented millions of HIV infections, and helped transform the global HIV/AIDS response. For more information, please visit www.pepfar.gov, and connect with PEPFAR on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

George W. Bush Institute

Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the George W. Bush Institute is an action-oriented, nonpartisan policy organization with the mission of developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, please visit www.bushcenter.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.

New initiatives to support access to health care announced at the UNAIDS Health Innovation Exchange meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 25 September 2019—UNAIDS welcomes the announcement by Biocon Biologics, a biotech company, to offer recombinant human insulin (rh-insulin) at US$ 0.10 per day (for the average 40 units of insulin that is required per patient per day) to low- and middle-income countries, a reduction of 50% from current prices. This announcement was made at an event hosted by UNAIDS to promote innovation in access to health care.

“Price should not be reason to choose between life and death,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i. “AIDS activism has led the way in reducing the price of life-saving medicines and saving millions of lives. Today, we are glad that the universal health coverage movement is also benefitting from the lessons learned by the AIDS response.”

More than 400 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes. Evidence shows that, as they live longer, many people living with HIV and on HIV treatment are increasingly susceptible to noncommunicable diseases.

Several other companies made new commitments in support of increasing access to health care at an event organized by the UNAIDS Health Innovation Exchange on the topic of decentralization, innovation and sustainable financing, which was held in collaboration with the Center for Global Health and Development at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America.

The Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, an independent, non-profit research institute and global hub that is developing artificial intelligence solutions for social good, has committed to establishing a centre of excellence to leverage the use of artificial intelligence for global health.

ThoughtFocus, a technology services company working on the internet of things (IoT), will provide access to its IoT platform, which is optimized to serve as an affordable, reliable and efficient platform to build and extend IoT solutions for transportation, logistics, manufacturing and utilities related to health-care services. The IoT has opened up a world of possibilities in health: when connected to the Internet, ordinary medical devices can collect invaluable additional data, give extra insight into symptoms and trends, enable remote care and generally give people more control over their lives and quality of treatment.

Zenysis, a technology company, announced that it was investing US$ 3.5 million to implement data pilots in five countries over the coming three years that will help countries to make evidence-informed decisions in rolling out universal health coverage and prioritizing investments in health systems.

“The private sector has a key role to play in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Ms Carlsson. “At UNAIDS, we believe that innovation and partnerships are the future to solving many of the basic development issues that confront us daily.”

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.

United Nations Member States launch an ambitious and accelerated response to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 24 September 2019—United Nations Member States have pledged to accelerate common efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, which include, under SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being, ending AIDS. In a political declaration adopted by United Nations Member States at the summit on the Sustainable Development Goals, held on 24 and 25 September, United Nations Member States confirmed that the goals remain in reach if countries embrace transformation and accelerate implementation.

“What the Sustainable Development Goals give us is an extraordinary opportunity to create a better world for people to live in,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i. “As part of a better world we need to end AIDS, and ending AIDS requires achieving the Sustainable Development Goals—and to do this we need to work together. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but one common vision—to join hands to build a better future.”

The 17 SDGs, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, are the world's best plan to build a better world for people and the planet by 2030. They are a call to action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the environment. In adopting the new political declaration, Member States have reaffirmed their commitment to the core principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—to leave no one behind.

UNAIDS welcomes the commitment by Member States to leave no one behind and take to scale what the AIDS response has been working towards for nearly 40 years—a multisectoral, rights-based, people-centred approach that addresses entrenched social norms, social exclusion and legal barriers that undermine health and development outcomes.

The AIDS response is deeply interwoven with, and dependent upon, progress across sectors covered by the different SDGs and collective work on ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 will accelerate progress across a range of SDG targets.

UNAIDS will continue to work with Member States to end AIDS by 2030 and will boost efforts to make meaningful contributions to advances in the wider development goals, in particular by accelerating work around the SDGs most relevant to the AIDS response: good health and well-being; gender equality; reduced inequalities; peace, justice and strong institutions; and partnerships for the goals. Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will improve the lives of everyone, everywhere.

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 stresses the critical need to engage civil society and communities in every aspect of universal health coverage in order to leave no one behind

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 23 September 2019—UNAIDS welcomes the strong commitment made by United Nations Member States to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030. Member States recommitted to achieving UHC at the first ever United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, which took place in New York, United States of America, on 23 September. During the meeting, United Nations Member States adopted a political declaration on UHC in which they reaffirmed the right of people to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health as an integral part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the worrying context of shrinking civic space, UNAIDS is encouraged by the call made by Member States in the political declaration to engage civil society in health system governance, in health policies and in the UHC review process. Engaging civil society and communities worldwide will be critical to ensuring the overall success of UHC.

“We strongly urge governments to invest in the leadership and capacities of diverse communities, especially those that are underrepresented,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i. “To reach the furthest behind, universal health coverage needs to engage communities and prioritize rights-based, transformative approaches. This will ensure equity in access to health services, deliver people-centred results and eliminate health disparities.”

UNAIDS is committed to enabling communities, particularly vulnerable communities, to participate in health planning, implementation and monitoring. As part of that work, UNAIDS has worked with partners on the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-Being for All, to ensure the full engagement of communities and civil society in UHC. The global action plan is to be launched in New York on 24 September.

UNAIDS also welcomes the commitment by Member States to leave no one behind, including children, youth, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, older people, indigenous people, refugees, internally displaced people and migrants. UNAIDS also urges Member States to reach groups particularly affected by HIV, including sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, prisoners and people in conflict settings, in order to ensure that even the most marginalized are reached with health services.

The political declaration on UHC recognizes that current action to achieve UHC is inadequate, with at least half the world’s population lacking access to essential health services. Currently, more than 800 million people have to spend at least 10% of their household income on health care and an estimated 100 million people are driven into poverty each year through out-of-pocket health-related expenses.

UNAIDS welcomes the commitment by Member States in the political declaration to stop the rise and reverse the trend of catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenditure and applauds the commitment to progressively cover 1 billion additional people with quality health services by 2023 with a view to covering all people by 2030.

UNAIDS supports the commitment of Member States to ensure sufficient domestic public spending on health, expand quality essential health services, strengthen health systems and provide adequate, predictable, evidence-informed and sustainable finances to support national efforts in achieving UHC. UNAIDS will continue to advocate for increased funding for health and for essential HIV prevention and treatment services to be included in health service delivery packages. 

In addition to the commitment of Member States to achieving UHC, they also reaffirmed the strong commitments made in the Political Declaration on Ending AIDS, which was adopted by Member States in June 2016. In the Political Declaration on Ending AIDS, Member States recognize 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 pledged to review and reform legislation that may create barriers or reinforce stigma and discrimination.

“Legal barriers must be removed in order to ensure that the right to health is respected,” said Ms Carlsson. “The AIDS response has been grounded in a commitment to human rights, gender equality and non-discrimination and the needs of key populations must be met.”

Progress in the AIDS response and the achievement of UHC are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Both will contribute to achieving the health-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, including 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.

Young people in Ghana have committed to help promote a sustainable environment by reducing the amount of waste they generate, both at home and in school.

“Reduce, reuse, recycle,” was the theme when the advocates met the UNAIDS Ghana Country Director, Angela Trenton-Mbonde, in Accra, Ghana. The advocates took turns to make personal pledges to adopt better waste management practices in order to promote environmental sustainability.

“I commit to acquiring a personal reusable water bottle and to avoiding single-use plastic bottles. This, I believe, will safeguard the planet for everyone,” Pricilla Addo said. 

Another advocate, Samuel Nyarko, said, “I pledge to personally ensure that waste generated in my household is well separated so that plastics can easily be collected and recycled. I will educate my schoolmates and community to do the same.”

Ms Trenton-Mbonde encouraged the young people to ensure that their commitments to the planet are fulfilled. “For a sustainable environment, each of us must take personal responsibility and make one commitment, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem in the beginning, because in the end we are all connected: people and planet,” she said.

The youth advocates comprised young people from Hope for Future Generations, a Ghanaian not-for-profit nongovernmental organization focused on empowering women, children and youth.

On the eve of the United Nations Climate Action Summit, taking place in New York, United States of America, on 23 September, it is clear that climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. Often, the impact is greatest in regions already facing other challenges, with vulnerable groups of people, including people living with HIV, the most affected.

When Cyclone Idai made landfall near Beira, Mozambique, on 15 March 2019, heavy rain and strong winds caused flash flooding, hundreds of deaths and widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. By 19 March, it was estimated that 100 000 people were needing rescue. Communications in the city were down and all 17 of the city’s hospitals and health clinics suffered severe damage.

It would have been a devastating blow anywhere, but even more so in the province of Sofala, where around one in six of the adult population is living with HIV. When the floodwaters surged, many people simply saw their medication washed away.

Less than six weeks later, on 25 April, Cyclone Kenneth smashed into northern Mozambique. Overall, catastrophic flooding from the two storms affected around 2.2 million people in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Warmer sea surface temperatures and rising sea levels are contributing to an increased intensity and destructive capacity of hurricanes and tropical cyclones such as Idai and Kenneth in many countries already inclined to extreme weather events.

When Hurricane Kenneth hit Zimbabwe, the acting UNAIDS Country Director, Mumtaz Mia, said that her priority was to make sure that people living with HIV, including pregnant women enrolled in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programmes, could access HIV treatment.    

“In Zimbabwe, where emergencies are not a new phenomenon, people living with HIV were left stranded when their medicine got washed away.”

After the cyclone hit, Ms Mia and her team met with representatives of the government, civil society, donors and other partners to discuss the response. They quickly ensured that the specific needs of people living with HIV were embedded in relief operations. This included coordination with partners, including UNAIDS Cosponsors, the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the National AIDS Council, to ensure the distribution of antiretroviral medicines and condoms, food packages for people living with HIV and safe deliveries for pregnant women. They also established assessments to address additional health and HIV needs related to the disaster.

In Malawi, Cyclone Idai affected almost 1 million people and forced more than 100 000 to flee their homes. Many people hit by the storm in Mozambique crossed the border to seek food and shelter.

For people living with HIV, concerns about their health and access to medication compounded an already difficult situation. For many, their first thought was how to save their medication.

“When the floods came, my house was destroyed. But I managed to reach for my plastic bag, where I keep my antiretroviral medicines, because they are one of my most precious possessions,” said Sophia Naphazi.

Elizabeth Kutendi said her medicines were safe only because she stores them in the roof of her home.

Both women found safety in Bangula, a settlement in the south of Malawi, which offered refuge to thousands of displaced people from surrounding villages. The settlement’s small clinic provided HIV counselling and testing, refills of HIV treatment and psychosocial support.

In other parts of Africa, a lack of rainfall is the main challenge for many people, causing severe drought and disrupting access to essential services, such as health care. Southern Africa has experienced only two favourable agricultural seasons since 2012. Angola, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia have all declared drought disasters.

Competition for drought-depleted resources in the Horn of Africa has led to conflict, making it more difficult to reach groups of people in need of emergency assistance, including health care. Many have no choice but to flee to urban centres, placing increased pressure on service providers there. As conditions deteriorate, large-scale migration may result.

“Climate change is a threat to all of us,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i. “But vulnerable groups of people, including people living with and affected by HIV, are particularly exposed to the increased intensity of extreme weather events happening in areas of the world where coping mechanisms are already threadbare. Climate change must now be regarded as one of the most significant challenges to people’s health and well-being.”