Star studded effort to support the expansion of Treatment 2015 with US$ 2 million grant to UNAIDS to deliver HIV treatment and care for adolescents and young people worldwide

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 30 January 2014—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) announced today the expansion of its Treatment 2015 initiative with a US$ 2 million grant provided by the heart and soul of M∙A∙C Cosmetics, the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund. The Fund is fully supported from the sale of VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass with global superstar Rihanna lending her celebrity to spur purchase and awareness. Leveraging this new funding, UNAIDS will build on Treatment 2015 by advancing global, regional and country level policies and programs to expand HIV testing and treatment to young people worldwide.

"M∙A∙C Cosmetics has a long history of engaging the right star power to motivate our customers and make an impact on this important cause. With UNAIDS' resources and strategic thinking and Rihanna's passionate support, we’re helping save lives one lipstick at a time,” said John Demsey, Group President of The Estée Lauder Companies.

Globally, an estimated 5.4 million[1] adolescents and young people are living with HIV, and 1.8 million[1] are eligible for HIV treatment. Millions of young people living with HIV do not know they are infected, and every day, approximately 2,100 adolescents and young people[1] are newly infected, which accounts for 39% of all new adult HIV infections globally. While antiretroviral therapy has resulted in a decline in AIDS-related deaths, modelling suggests that adolescents from 10 to 19-years-old are the only age group in which AIDS-related deaths rose between 2001 and 2012. The trend in AIDS-related deaths can be attributed to poor prioritization of adolescents in strategic plans for scale-up of HIV treatment and the lack of testing and counselling.

“Young people will lead us to an AIDS-free generation. By ensuring adolescents and young people have access to HIV services, we are not only saving lives but also investing in a healthier future for generations to come,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “We are truly honored to be working with the M∙A∙CAIDS Fund to help young people around the world access earlier HIV testing and treatment.”

The UNAIDS Treatment 2015 initiative aims to reach 15 million adults and young people with HIV treatment by 2015. The US$ 2 million grant from the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund will support expanded efforts to ensure adolescents and young people have access to HIV treatment and care internationally. New youth outreach efforts will include the evaluation of young people testing and treatment programmes and adaptation of adolescent and young people treatment guidelines.

“Ending the AIDS epidemic is within our power, but we cannot achieve it without expanding treatment access to ensure some of the most underserved, vulnerable communities, particularly young people, are not left behind,” said Nancy Mahon, Global Executive Director of the M∙A∙CAIDS Fund. “For this reason, the M∙A∙CAIDS Fund will continue to invest in strategic, impactful initiatives like UNAIDS’ Treatment 2015 that are working toward ending AIDS once and for all.”

The grant to UNAIDS was made possible exclusively through the sale of M∙A∙C’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass, which M∙A∙Cdonates 100% of the sale price to fight HIV. Rihanna, M∙A∙C’s new VIVA GLAM spokesperson, recently launched her new VIVA GLAM collection, which will benefit organizations like UNAIDS to support men, women and children affected by HIV globally.

"I'm honored to join forces with the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund and UNAIDS in the fight against AIDS," said Rihanna. "I want to help reach as many young people around the world as I can. While we need to begin with education, we also need to deliver HIV testing and treatment to the millions of young people who need our help, which is exactly what we plan to do."

UNAIDS Treatment 2015 has started to roll out globally. To learn more about UNAIDS’s plans to reach 15 million people by 2015, download the UNAIDS Treatment 2015 report.

[1] UNAIDS 2012 Estimates

GENEVA/NEW DELHI, 12 December 2013—UNAIDS expresses its deep concern that, through its recent decision on the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the Supreme Court of India has re-criminalized adult consensual same sex sexual conduct. In 2009, the Delhi High Court had found unconstitutional the application of the 150-year-old law criminalizing “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” between consenting adults. Now, again in India, gay and other men who have sex with men, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people face the possibility of criminal prosecution.

“The Delhi High Court decision in 2009 had restored dignity for millions of people in India, and was an example of the type of reform we need for supportive legal environments that are necessary for effective national AIDS responses,” said the Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé. “We want government and civil society to be able to provide HIV information and services to all people, including gay and other men who have sex with men, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and for them to be able to access the services without fear of criminalization.”

The 2009 decision by the Delhi High Court to annul the law was widely considered a milestone against homophobia and towards zero HIV-related discrimination. In the past four years since the law was annulled, there has been a more than 50% increase in the number of sites providing HIV services for gay and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender people in India.

For the protection of public health and human rights, UNAIDS calls on India and all countries to repeal laws that criminalize adult consensual same sex sexual conduct. Such criminalization hampers HIV responses across the world. These laws not only violate human rights but also make it more difficult to deliver HIV prevention and treatment services to a population which is particularly affected by HIV. On average globally, gay and other men who have sex with men are 13 times more likely than the rest of the population to be living with HIV.

UNAIDS urges all governments to protect the human rights of gay and other men who have sex with men, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, through repealing criminal laws against adult consensual same sex sexual conduct; implementing laws to protect them from violence and discrimination; promoting campaigns that address homophobia and transphobia; and ensuring that adequate health services are provided to address their needs.

In the 2011 United Nations Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, all UN Member States committed to removing legal barriers and passing laws to protect vulnerable populations. 

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 to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Fiji's President Ratu Epeli Nailitikau reads the report Secret lives, other voices at the launch.
Credit: UNAIDS/Kim

At the 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific a new study called Secret lives, other voices was launched. It explores sexuality, gender identity and HIV transmission risk in Fiji, and represents the first research of its kind to be conducted since 1998 among men who have sex with men and transgender people in the country.

The launch was attended by Fiji's President Ratu Epeli Nailitikau.

With more than 200 respondents, the research project engaged staff members and volunteers from the AIDS Task Force of Fiji's Amithi Project and the AIDS Council of New South Wales.

Conceived with the aim to inform the HIV response and the development of community-based activities, the research was conducted by members of the community.  Research staff included men who have sex with men and transgender people, from a variety of social and ethic background, who were involved in each stage of the process including planning, data collection, analysis and reporting.

The report found that men who have sex with men are at high risk of HIV in Fiji. Only 21.6% of respondents consistently used condoms during anal sex with a male or transgender partner in the previous six months. More than one in five reported never using them.

Although there are high levels of knowledge about HIV, with over 66% of respondents answering questions correctly about transmission, the knowledge is not translating to behaviour.

The study also explored transactional sex and found that two thirds of the respondents reported giving or receiving money, gifts or favours in return for sex, making this a common experience.

Of the respondents only 10% had taken an HIV test in the preceding 12 months and knew the results. Barriers to testing included confidentiality and privacy issues as well as respondents reporting judgmental attitudes by clinic staff.

Many of the study participants had experienced some form of stigma and discrimination. About two thirds felt unsafe and uncomfortable expressing their sexuality or gender. About 57% reported experiencing verbal abuse and a third had been physically hurt in the previous six months.

The report recommends that HIV prevention and health interventions should be culturally appropriate and focused on reaching different groups within the men who have sex with men and transgender community, many of whom self identify in different ways. Access to HIV testing that is friendly should be scaled up and health care workers need training to best support the needs of men who have sex with men and transgender people, according to the authors.

In addition, the report recommends a concerted effort to challenge stigma and discrimination and increase psychosocial and support services. Men who have sex with men and transgender people are also encouraged to develop mobilizing skills to make sure their voices are heard.

"With technical support from UNDP and ACON we were able to show that civil society has the capacity to complete in-depth research projects to a recognizably high standard," said Niraj Singh, Project Manager with the AIDS Task force of Fiji and co-author of the report.

"The AIDS Task Force of Fiji has a very clear vision of the priorities leading from research to action. We now have a baseline which will help us to design and implement effective programmes to reach a diverse range of men who have sex with men and transgender people in Fiji. This study represents a valuable contribution to ongoing national and regional efforts to ensure that these communities are better served and better protected," he concluded.

The Secret lives, other voices project was funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).