World AIDS Day: UN urges leaders to ‘follow the right path to end AIDS’ by 2030
Observed annually on December 1, World AIDS Day serves as a reminder of the global fight against the pandemic, while remembering the lives lost and celebrating progress.
“Every 25 seconds, someone in the world is infected with HIV”, Mr. Guterres said.
“A quarter of people living with HIV – more than 9 million people – do not have access to life-saving treatments,” he added.
He called for a rights-based approach to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and treatment, highlighting the harmful effects of laws and practices that discriminate against women and children. girls and minorities.
“The war against AIDS can be won“, Mr. Guterres emphasized, “If leaders take a rights-based approach to ensure that people – especially the most vulnerable – can get the services they need without fear.”
“We will overcome AIDS if the rights of everyone, everywhere, are protected. I call on all leaders to pay attention to this year’s theme and follow the path of ‘rights’,” he declared.
Keep core rights
UNAIDSThe United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS, which reinforced the call, urged governments to “follow the right path to end AIDS”.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, emphasize the importance of eliminating systemic barriers to health care.
“To protect everyone’s health, we need to protect everyone’s rightsshe said.
Progress is threatened
Its World AIDS Day report shows that respecting and protecting human rights can help ensure equitable access to HIV services and prevent new infections.
It also reveals gaps in the implementation of human rights and how abuses and violations have hindered ending the AIDS epidemic.
The UNAIDS report emphasizes that progress will stall without a human rights-based approach. In 2023, 1.3 million people will be newly infected with HIV globally, three times the target of no more than 370,000 annual infections set for 2025.
Women and children are at risk
Additionally, 63 countries still criminalize LGBTQ+ people, while widespread gender-based violence and limited educational opportunities for women and girls make them particularly vulnerable.
Last year, they accounted for 62% of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Worse still, nine out of ten new infections among 15 to 19 year olds are in girls, reflecting systemic gender inequality. according to ARRIVE UNICEF.
Disparities are also evident in access to treatment, including for boys and young men.
While 77% of adults living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), only 57% of children aged 0 to 14 years and 65% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years have access.
“Children and adolescents are not fully benefiting from increased access to treatment and prevention services,” said Anurita Bains, UNICEF Deputy Director for HIV/AIDS.
“Children infected with HIV must be prioritized in investing resources and efforts to scale up treatment for everyonethis includes expanding advanced testing technologies,” she added.
