United Nations Member States welcomed and reflected on the latest HIV report of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, entitled Future of the AIDS response: building on past achievements and accelerating progress to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, at the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly on 8 June in New York, United States of America.
The Secretary-General’s report highlights important gains and historic breakthroughs in the global AIDS response since 2000. It also provides overview of some of the persisting challenges, including low paediatric and adolescent treatment coverage, lack of stable AIDS funding, gender inequalities, violence against women and vulnerable populations being left behind. United Nations Member States collectively echoed their support for the UNAIDS Fast-Track approach to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. They also made several recommendations for leadership, resource mobilization, human rights, community engagement and civil society involvement to strengthen global efforts on health and development beyond 2015.
Attending the session, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Luiz Loures held discussions with Member State representatives. He stressed the need to maintain the momentum for the AIDS response during the transition to the sustainable development goals to ensure that no one is left behind.
“A strong focus on AIDS should continue into the post-2015 era, to preserve and build on current gains and realize the opportunity of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.”
Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General
“Increased resources and investment, global solidarity, shared responsibility and an inclusive, people-centred, human rights-based and gender-sensitive approach will be needed to achieve the UNAIDS Fast-Track Targets.”
Sam Kutesa, President of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly
“We applaud UNAIDS for its analytic and advocacy efforts that have encouraged us to focus the right interventions in the countries, cities and communities where the burden of HIV is greatest.”
Jill Derderian, Counsellor for Economic and Social Affairs, United States of America
“The Secretary-General’s report shows significant progress but that much more remains to be done. Country-level strategic, evidence-based and tailored interventions, and increased domestic resources, are needed to end the AIDS epidemic.”
Jan Poulsen, Minister Counsellor, European Union Delegation to the United Nations
“Fifteen years ago, when the red ribbon was placed at the heart of Millennium Development Goal 6, a glare of hope captured the hearts of people across the globe that were diagnosed with HIV. The international community has come a long way through coordinated efforts with the aim and hope of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV by the target year 2015.”
Mesbah Ansari Dogaheh, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
“We must make sure that the lessons learned from the HIV response are deliberately applied towards comprehensively strengthening health systems so that they are resilient and developed enough to effectively address the general health needs of the population.”
Bernadette Silungisile Ntaba, Permanent Mission of Zimbabwe to the United Nations, on behalf of the South African Development Community
“The challenge before us is not of unavailability of medical treatment, but of accessibility rising from its high cost in many developing countries. We need to bridge this North–South divide if we are to achieve the 2030 targets.”
Bhagwant S. Bishnoi, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations
“Changing the way we do business requires our leaders to demonstrate political will; civil society to maintain its activism; development partners to provide adequate and sustained financing for the efforts of ending AIDS and strengthened national health systems.”
Shiraz Arif Mohamed, Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations (on behalf of the Caribbean Community)
