The ambitious HIV treatment target set for 2020 greatly influenced governments and partners in their approach to the AIDS response, said senior officials of Luxembourg and UNAIDS at a briefing for diplomatic missions in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 November.
Efforts to scale up treatment in the next five years are crucial to ending the AIDS epidemic. The 90–90–90 treatment target for 2020 calls for 90% of people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status to access antiretroviral treatment and 90% of people on treatment to have suppressed viral loads.
Unlike earlier treatment targets, which focused solely on the number of people starting HIV treatment, 90–90–90 focuses on the ultimate aim of HIV treatment—viral suppression, which significantly reduces both the risk of HIV-related illness and death and the risk of HIV transmission.
At the briefing, speakers from UNAIDS and Luxembourg outlined priority areas to implement 90–90–90. They reiterated that the political will and the scientific tools exist to end the AIDS epidemic. Success has been achieved in different areas and regions of the world, but more needs to be done to ensure that no one is left behind and to close the treatment gap for children.
Luxembourg, a longstanding supporter of UNAIDS, became a strategic partner this year in the push to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. The alliance between UNAIDS and Luxembourg aims to leverage the therapeutic and preventive benefits of antiretroviral therapy.
At the briefing, Marc Angel of Luxembourg was appointed as a UNAIDS champion for the 90–90–90 treatment target. He has been an AIDS advocate for more than 25 years.
As a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg since 2004, Mr Angel serves as the Chairman of the Committee for Foreign and European Affairs, for Defence, for Cooperation and Development and for Immigration of the Luxembourg Parliament.
“Luxembourg has been a champion in supporting and providing catalytic resources to the Fast-Track approach, which will be a reality first in Africa. Several countries are very close to achieving the target. The challenge today is to make the 90–90–90 treatment target a reality for the people who are being left behind, for key populations.”
Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director of Programme, UNAIDS
“Luxembourg is leveraging political, technical and financial support to accelerate access to antiretroviral therapy.”
Jean-Marc Hoscheit, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations in Geneva
“The 90–90–90 target is much more than just a treatment target. It is about bringing hope and help to people to live healthy lives and creating a better future. That is why I am proud to champion this initiative and to partner with UNAIDS.”
Marc Angel, member of the Chamber of Deputies, Luxembourg; UNAIDS champion for the 90–90–90 treatment target
