GENEVA, 27 February 2018—UNAIDS has received its first presidential visit. The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, visited UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 27 February 2018 to discuss the response to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria with Geneva-based global health leaders.

The President met the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, and thanked him for UNAIDS’ continued support to Mozambique in its efforts to reduce new HIV infections, expand access to antiretroviral therapy and break down the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV.

“UNAIDS is so important to the lives of people, because in Mozambique there is nothing more important than life itself,” said Mr Nyusi. “Everything we do can only be done if we are healthy. So as leaders we need to ensure our people’s well-being.”

Mr Sidibé highlighted that since 2000, Mozambique has quadrupled the number of people on antiretroviral therapy, reduced the number of new HIV infections among children by 63% and ensured that 80% of pregnant women living with HIV have access to treatment, which he called “a remarkable achievement”.

“The President of Mozambique is a true example of the new era of leadership in Africa, which is improving health outcomes for people across the continent,” said Mr Sidibé.

The President participated in a round-table discussion on global health and the Sustainable Development Goals, which included the Mr Sidibé, José Condugua Antonio Pacheco, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Joao Leopoldo Da Costa, Deputy Minister of Health of Mozambique,  Ambassador Pedro Comissario, Permanent Representative of Mozambique in Geneva, Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi The Vaccine Alliance, Kesete Admasu, Chief Executive Officer of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and Marijke Wijnroks, Interim Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

During the discussions, the President described how he is scaling up efforts in Mozambique and how the health of the people is improving. However, he also outlined the many challenges he faces, including funding to strengthen the health system, reaching remote areas in the north of Mozambique and controlling the spread of disease through Mozambique’s many ports.

The Geneva-based global health leaders recognized the challenges and encouraged him to continue working to improve health outcomes for the people of Mozambique, pledging their full support. They also urged him to continue his work in increasing the number of community health workers in order to alleviate some of the burden on the overstretched health system and reach more people in rural communities.

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, 14 November 2017—UNAIDS welcomes the appointment of Peter Sands as the new Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).

“The Global Fund is a critical partner for UNAIDS,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Mr Sands has the experience, leadership and vision needed to do the job and I very much look forward to working with him to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.”

UNAIDS has worked closely with the Global Fund since its inception in 2002. UNAIDS leverages its relationships and partnerships to assist countries in securing Global Fund resources, implementing grant programmes and overcoming bottlenecks. The Global Fund, in collaboration with other donors and governments, secures the resources to implement effective responses to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

Together, UNAIDS and the Global Fund have ensured that millions of people living with HIV have access to treatment and that people most affected by the epidemic have the health and support services they need.

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.

Germany has been increasingly stepping up its political and financial engagement in global health. Having made global health a priority during its presidency of the G7, Germany has continued this commitment throughout its presidency of the G20. In May 2017, Germany held the first ever meeting of the G20 ministers of health. The meeting was held in Berlin and provided an important platform for discussions and commitments around global health security, health systems strengthening and antimicrobial resistance.

Berlin itself is becoming widely recognised as a centre for global health debate, welcoming a number of important conferences and events around health, human rights and social protection. One of the most important annual events in Berlin’s global health calendar is the annual World Health Summit. This year’s Summit took place from 15-17 October and brought together 2000 participants from more than 100 countries.

UNAIDS has supported the Summit for a number of years and this year the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Luiz Loures, participated in a range of sessions and panels from global health security to community health workers.

UNAIDS and German Healthcare Partnership co-organized a panel on the importance of strengthening innovation and health systems in Africa which brought together more than 100 participants from government, the private sector and regional and international organizations to explore opportunities to create firm partnerships and promote innovation.

Panellist Bernard Haufiku, Minister of Health of Namibia, said, “The concept of community health care workers is brilliant to me,” said “They are from the community, they live in the community, and they understand the community, its culture its problems.”

Other panellists included the Minister of Health of Ghana Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Head of the Division of Health, Nutrition and Population at the African Union Commission Margaret Anyetei-Agama, Novartis Foundation Head of Global Health Portfolio Bakhuti Shengelia, and Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Dazhu Yang.

“We are putting a strong emphasis on boosting government commitments to strengthen health systems across the region, building the political will to address priority challenges and developing appropriate financing mechanisms to make services affordable,” said Dr Anyetei-Agama.

Also in Berlin another important symposium was taking place alongside the World Health Summit. “HIV in Eastern Europe – the unnoticed epidemic”, a symposium organized by Deutsche AIDS Hilfe, Action against AIDS Germany and Brot für die Welt brought together civil society from Eastern Europe and Germany to look at finding solutions to the challenges in the response to HIV in Eastern Europe where HIV infection rates are rising, treatment coverage is low and international funding is decreasing.

“People who use drugs, men who have sex with men and sex workers of all genders are not the problem, but part of the solution!” said Sylvia Urban, Chairwoman Action against AIDS Germany and Chairwoman Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe. “There is no alternative to including them and their actual needs in HIV-prevention and treatment strategies in Eastern Europe if those strategies are to be successful. Germanys very own HIV-prevention programs can be used as a blueprint: When the government works with communities and partners with civil society organizations, the results are great.”

Mr Loures joined the debate and voiced his concerns about Eastern Europe. “Despite all the scientific and economic progress, the HIV epidemic is continuing to grow in Eastern Europe,” said Mr Loures. “We have the tools, knowledge and medicines; however, there is a global epidemic of discrimination and without addressing this we will not be able to make the progress that is needed. Leadership and solidarity of civil society and communities from Germany and from Eastern Europe is essential.”

UNAIDS welcomes Germany’s commitment to health and encourages Germany to continue to develop its strong position as a leader in global health and will continue to work closely with Germany in our joint efforts towards ending the AIDS epidemic and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. 

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with students and staff during a visit to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, United States of America, on 15 September.

During an open dialogue in the school’s Sheldon Hall, Mr Sidibé and the Dean of the school, Michael Klag, joined with students, faculty, researchers, global health leaders and alumni to discuss global health, systems for health, leaving no one behind and social justice. Mr Sidibé expressed his concerns about the fragmented global health system and introduced his vision of systems for health that engage all relevant constituencies, including civil society, governments and scientists, and a global health financing institution that goes beyond HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. In addition, he said, there is an urgent need for an instrument for global health advocacy and accountability. 

The visit also saw Mr Sidibé meet with a group of Sommer Scholars to discuss their future contributions to global public health and with members of the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research.

Quotes

GENEVA, 17 October 2016—At the close of the 2016 BRICS Summit in Goa, India, leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) have underlined the imperative of advancing cooperation and action to respond to the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis.

In their declaration, the leaders emphasized the importance of cooperation among BRICS countries in promoting the research and development of local pharmaceuticals and diagnostic tools in order to facilitate access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines. 

The Goa Declaration, issued at the end of the two-day summit, also took note of efforts made by BRICS health ministers to achieve the 90–90–90 targets by 2020, whereby 90% of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status will access treatment and 90% of people on treatment will have suppressed viral loads. The declaration also noted the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, which took place in New York, United States of America, in June 2016, at which countries committed to following a Fast-Track response to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. 

At the end of 2015, almost one in three people living with HIV resided in a BRICS country, while those nations also accounted for almost a third of new HIV infections. 

“The continued leadership of the BRICS countries will be essential to ending the AIDS epidemic,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. “South–South cooperation will be key to achieving the 90–90–90 targets, which are about accelerating and intensifying our efforts in the response to HIV in order to save lives,” he added.

The 90–90–90 targets are part of a Fast-Track response that aims to achieve ambitious millstones by 2020, including fewer than 500 000 people newly infected with HIV, fewer than 500 000 people dying from AIDS-related illnesses and the elimination of HIV-related discrimination.

It is estimated that a failure to Fast-Track would result in an additional 17.6 million new HIV infections worldwide and an additional 10.8 million AIDS-related deaths between 2016 and 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.

Former United Nations Secretary-General recognized for his outstanding and remarkable contributions to the AIDS response

GENEVA, 13 June 2016—UNAIDS has honoured former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan with the UNAIDS Award for Leadership in recognition of the outstanding and remarkable contributions he has made to the global response to HIV. Mr Annan was presented with the award by the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, at the 2016 UNAIDS fundraising gala, held in Basel, Switzerland.

“On behalf of UNAIDS I would like to recognize all you have done and continue to do to restore the dignity and improve the lives of people around the world,” said Mr Sidibé. “You have helped to build a fairer, more peaceful world.”

When Mr Annan began his tenure as the new United Nations Secretary-General in 1997, the outlook for the AIDS epidemic was bleak. Some 23.9 million [21.7 million–26.6 million] people were living with HIV, there were 3.5 million [3.2 million–3.8 million] new HIV infections and 1.1 million [890 000–1.3 million] AIDS-related deaths, and access to life-saving treatment was only available to a privileged few.

The response that ensued changed the course of history. Under his leadership, in 2000 the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1308, identifying AIDS as a threat to global security. In 2001, Mr Annan held the first United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS and called for a global fund and “war chest” to respond to HIV and other infectious diseases. His call led to the creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which today is supporting 8.6 million of the 17 million people who are accessing antiretroviral treatment.  

Mr Annan’s efforts to improve the lives of people living with and affected by HIV have been instrumental in driving down the numbers of new HIV infections, which have declined by 40%, and in increasing the number of people on treatment from just a few thousand to more than 17 million in 2015. However, less than half of all people in need of treatment have access and new HIV infections are increasing in some parts of the world.   

“Today we see tremendous progress, but the fight is not over,” said Mr Annan. “We must continue the struggle and wake up each morning ready to fight and fight again, until we win.”

2016 UNAIDS LEADERSHIP AWARD

The UNAIDS Award for Leadership recognizes a person or an organization that has made a major and lasting contribution to restoring dignity and improving people’s lives. UNAIDS recognizes the key role leadership plays in creating an environment for positive social change and accelerating progress in the AIDS response and beyond.

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.

The fifth Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference (EECAAC 2016) opened on 23 March in Moscow, Russian Federation, with discussions focusing on the urgent measures that countries and partners must take to get on the Fast-Track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

The three-day conference, the largest forum on HIV in the region, unites over 2000 activists, scientists, experts, health-care professionals and community workers from over 70 countries. They will share best practices and strategies in the AIDS response.

EECAAC 2016 will also build on the commitments made in 2015 by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) to contribute to enhanced international cooperation to support the efforts of countries to achieve their health goals. Among them is reaching the 90–90–90 treatment target by 2020, critical to ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. 

Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, conveyed in his official address to conference participants that “the issue of HIV infection goes far beyond the medical sphere, uniting multiple partners, from health professionals and scientists to civil society, governments and experts.”

Representing the Russian Government, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets confirmed that the Russian Federation is contributing to the global effort to end the AIDS epidemic. She thanked UNAIDS for its constructive dialogue. “I am confident that together we can stop the AIDS epidemic,” she said. 

In his opening address to the conference, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé expressed his support for the renewed urgent focus on the AIDS epidemic in the Russian Federation and across the region. “In line with the Sustainable Development Goals and leaving no one behind, we should have the courage to explore all progressive policy options in eastern Europe and central Asia. An urgent response is needed to break the trajectory of new HIV infections in the region and to get on the Fast-Track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030,” he said.

Veronika Skvortsova, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, emphasized that Russia has managed to achieve a fivefold reduction in the number of HIV-infected children born from mothers living with HIV in the past few years. "In 2006 the risk of vertical transmission of HIV was 10.5% ... According to 2015 data it is just 2%. Thus, 98% of children are born healthy," said Skvortsova.

Anna Popova, Conference Co-Chair and Head of the Russian Public Health Agency Rospotrebnadzor, expressed her hope that EECAAC 2016 continues the tradition of joining efforts for practical results to urgently increase the coverage of HIV prevention and treatment services.

Yana Panfilova spoke on behalf of adolescents living with HIV, “We are ready to be the leaders of tomorrow who will create a world where HIV will be only one small part of our full and productive lives!”

A number of countries in eastern Europe and central Asia are making progress towards the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. However, the same cannot be said about preventing new HIV infections. Estimates indicate that between 2000 and 2014, new HIV infections in the region rose from 100 000 to 140 000 per year. The low coverage of HIV treatment for people living with HIV also represents a major challenge for most countries.At the end of 2014, an estimated 1.5 million people were living with HIV in eastern Europe and central Asia, of which more than 70% live in the Russian Federation.

GENEVA, 2 March 2016—In just under 100 days’ time the 2016 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS will take place in New York, United States of America. The meeting, being held from 8 to 10 June, will focus attention on the importance of accelerating the response to HIV over the next five years to set the world on course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The meeting will be convened by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, and co-facilitated by Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, and Patricia Mwaba Kasese-Bota, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations.

“We are at a critical moment in the response to the AIDS epidemic,” said Mr Lykketoft. “All Member States must work together on a strong political declaration that will create the conditions needed to Fast-Track action and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”

The UNAIDS Fast-Track approach has a set of time-bound targets, including reducing the number of people newly infected with HIV from 2 million in 2014 to fewer than 500 000 in 2020, reducing the number of people dying from AIDS-related causes from 1.2 million in 2014 to fewer than 500 000 in 2020 and eliminating HIV-related discrimination.

“Over the next five years we have a fragile window of opportunity to shift gear and put the global HIV response firmly on the Fast-Track to end the AIDS epidemic,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “This meeting will be critical to harnessing the momentum we have built and securing global commitment to break the epidemic for good.”

The world urgently needs to increase HIV investments now or risk reversing the major successes achieved in the first 15 years of the millennium. In 2015, an estimated US$ 21.7 billion was invested in the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries. ​Investments need to increase,​ ​year on year from 2015, up to a peak of 40% higher in 202​0​, to reach the Fast-Track Targets​. Adopting the Fast-Track focus on location and population​ and ​reallocating resources to where they are most needed ​will ensure that people most affected by HIV are reached with life-changing HIV prevention and treatment services. ​Achieving all the Fast-Track Targets on time would ​ensure that estimated total resource needs begin to fall by 2021. Without these front-loaded investments the world risks prolonging the epidemic indefinitely​.

At the last United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS, held in 2011, world leaders set an ambitious treatment target of 15 million people accessing antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2015. The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, announced last year that this had been achieved and surpassed, with nearly 16 million people accessing antiretroviral therapy by mid-2015—double the number in 2011.

In the lead-up to the meeting in June, people living with and affected by HIV, civil society, the private sector, governments and regional bodies will come together at a series of meetings and events to reaffirm the priorities of the response to HIV.

The 100-day countdown to the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS will be reflected on the UNAIDS website with daily messages from partners around the world on what ending AIDS means to them.

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.