- About UNAIDS
- Our work
- Targets and commitments
- 2011 Political Declaration: Targets and elimination commitments
- Reducing sexual transmission
- Preventing HIV among drug users
- Eliminating new HIV infections among children
- 15 million accessing treatment
- Avoiding TB deaths
- Closing the resource gap
- Eliminating gender inequalities
- Eliminating stigma and discrimination
- Eliminating travel restrictions
- Strengthening HIV integration
- 2011 Political Declaration: Targets and elimination commitments
More feature stories on punitive laws
- The Nordics: Keeping focused, getting results
- The long-standing commitment of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden to international development has rooted them firmly as leaders in international development assistance. They are strong advocates on human rights issues––addressing inequalities between and within countries––and have forward thinking policies for social development and health.
- Honduras reforms its penal code to end human right violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Honduras is moving a step closer to the UNAIDS vision of ‘zero discrimination’. Its Congress has recently adopted a reform of the Penal Code that will ensure legal protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- First global forum of francophone women promotes women’s rights
- More than 400 women dedicated to guarantee the respect of the fundamental rights of women, their access to school and education, gender equality or the representation of women in politics gathered in Paris on 20 March for the first global forum of francophone women.
- Lessons from the AIDS response can shape new paradigm for development post-2015, Michel Sidibé tells UN Human Rights Council
- In a high-level address to the 22nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February, UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, stressed the crucial importance of viewing the AIDS epidemic through a human rights prism. The AIDS response, he said, is inextricably linked with the human rights agenda. If the world is to get to zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths then ensuring rights, social justice, equity and gender equality is vital.
- UNAIDS and Denmark to strengthen collaboration to advance health and human rights
- UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé met with the Danish Minister of Development Christian Friis Bach on 27 February at the UNAIDS Headquarters in Geneva to find ways to further strengthen collaboration.
- Changes in Peru’s penal code will enable more young people to access HIV services
- The Constitutional Tribunal of Peru is amending an article in its penal code which for many years had criminalized consensual sexual activity among young people. Sentencing was particularly severe with adolescents facing up to 30 years in prison. Article 173 of the penal code was also preventing young people from accessing essential health and reproductive services for fear of prosecution.
- Breaking the conspiracy of silence
- Thabang Lebese was a little boy who grew up in Orlando East, Soweto. From an early age he could kick a ball—dazzling his family with his talent on the pitch. It didn’t take long before he was given the opportunity to join one of the major football clubs in South Africa and by the age 15 he was playing for the Kaizer Chiefs’ junior team.
- Changing attitudes towards men who have sex with men and transgender people in Myanmar
- The Help Myanmar was awarded a prestigious Red Ribbon Award at the XIX International AIDS conference for its work on the prevention of sexual transmission of HIV and other STDs. The Red Ribbon Award is the world’s leading award for innovative and outstanding community work in the response to the AIDS epidemic.
- Friends of UN Plus launched in Liberia
- The United Nations (UN) in Liberia has joined Mozambique, Swaziland, Rwanda and Ghana in launching the ‘Friends of UN Plus’ as part of its efforts to achieve a work environment that is free from stigma for all UN staff living with HIV and their families.
- Women out loud: How women living with HIV will help the world end AIDS
- In a new report, entitled Women out loud, UNAIDS explores the impact of HIV on women and the instrumental role women living with the virus are playing to end AIDS. It includes the latest data and commentary from some of the leading advocates on women and HIV.
- Ahead of World AIDS Day CEOs call to end HIV travel restrictions
- This World AIDS Day, Chief Executives (CEO’s) from some of the world’s largest companies are calling for an end to travel restrictions for people living with HIV. More than 40 CEOs have signed an unprecedented pledge urging the repeal of laws and policies in 45 countries that still deport, detain or deny entry to people solely because they are living with HIV.
- Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi accepts role as UNAIDS Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination
- The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed Nobel peace prize winner and Member of Parliament Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination. In this new role, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will call on her fellow citizens and people around the world to eliminate stigma and discrimination.
- UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Toumani Diabaté continues to play against stigma and discrimination
- UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Toumani Diabaté visited the UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva on 16 November where he met with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé to take stock on the current state of the AIDS epidemic.
- Myanmar overcomes major challenges to push forward its response to HIV
- The Vice-President of Myanmar, Dr Sai Mauk Kham, reconfirmed his government’s commitment to carrying out effective HIV programmes during a meeting with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. The two leaders met in Nay Pyi Taw, the country’s capital, where they discussed the progress made by Myanmar in responding to HIV despite the enormous challenges faced by the country.
- FIGO 2012 discusses role of professional organisations in upholding patients’ rights
- The 2012 World Congress of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) brought to Rome, Italy, thousands of participants to discuss ways to improve women's health, reduce infant and maternal mortality and promote the right to sexual health.
- Alternative action on compulsory detention: Innovative responses in Asia
- The National Assembly of Viet Nam passed a new Law on the Handling of Administrative Sanctions which effectively ends the practice of detaining sex workers in ‘05’ centres. The Law also allows drug users who are subject to compulsory treatment in drug detoxification centres to have court hearings on their cases and legal representation at the court.
- Cricket players go out to bat for HIV awareness at ICC WT20
- World cricket players have united in a call to young fans to ‘get the facts’ about HIV prevention and to help eliminate AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The call is part of a United Nations and International Cricket Council (ICC) HIV awareness-raising campaign taking place alongside the ICC World Twenty20 (WT20) tournament in Sri Lanka, which runs until 7 October.
- Cricket and HIV campaign hits the road aboard the “Let’s talk” bus in Sri Lanka
- A bus embossed with HIV messages, red ribbons and the faces of world cricketing stars is making a whistle stop tour through more than a hundred sites in Sri Lanka. Carrying young volunteers, the bus is part of the HIV awareness-raising campaign “Let’s talk” taking place around the world Twenty20 cricket tournament that runs from 18 September to 7 October in Sri Lanka.
- Breaking the cycle of stigma and discrimination in rural Uganda
- Justine, a 38-year-old Ugandan woman, tested positive for HIV during an antenatal visit at the local health centre when she was pregnant with her fourth child. After disclosing her HIV status to her husband, he left home and never came back.
- Homophobia and punitive laws continue to threaten HIV responses and human rights
- In many regions of the world, punitive laws and practices against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals continue to block effective responses to HIV. A range of human rights violations have been documented, from denial of health services and freedom of association to harassment, violence and murder.