AIDS2014 2014 International AIDS Conference Australia

At a high-level political session on the opening day of the 20th International AIDS Conference, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé called for a new set of treatment targets by 2020. These include that 90% of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection receive HIV treatment and 90% of all people receiving HIV treatment have durable viral suppression.

These new targets will reflect a new paradigm for HIV treatment: targets for each stage of the treatment continuum, rather than a single number of people who initiate treatment; recognition not only of the life-saving therapeutic benefits of HIV treatment, but also its prevention potential; and a commitment to leave no one behind in the push to link all people living with HIV to treatment services.

Participants in the session included Mr Sidibé; the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Deborah Birx; the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Mark Dybul; the Executive Director of the Global Network of People Living with HIV, Suzette Moses-Burton; the Minister of Health, South Africa, Aaron Motsoaledi; and the Vice-Minister of Health and Surveillance, Brazil, Jarbas Barbosa.

They reviewed progress made in scaling up HIV treatment and explored issues surrounding the new treatment targets, such as how they can be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda and how the necessary treatment scale-up might be financed. It was recognized that new business models and partnerships are required to achieve the goal of accelerated treatment delivery for all people in need.

Civil society activists made a statement at the beginning of the meeting demanding the target of complete suppression of HIV for all people living with HIV by 2020.

Over the past 10 years there has been significant progress in the response to HIV-related tuberculosis (TB), with a scale-up of integrated TB and HIV interventions saving an estimated 1.3 million lives between 2005 and 2011. However, tuberculosis accounted for some 320 000 AIDS-related deaths in 2012, and the vast majority of countries (more than 80%) are still not providing preventative TB drug therapy for those who need it.

A high-level consultation, held on 20 July during AIDS 2014 in Melbourne, Australia, gathered leaders in the global response to HIV to work towards eliminating TB deaths, stepping up the HIV response and achieving greater political commitment to this critical but often overlooked issue.

The meeting reviewed progress in regional and global responses and analysed gaps and barriers to achieving the elimination of TB/AIDS-related deaths, which include a critical need for point-of-care diagnostic tools for tuberculosis and the simplification of drug regimens. Participants also identified crucial next steps, such as opportunities to fill research gaps and promote much needed innovation.

Hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the session was chaired by Hiro Nakatani, Assistant Director-General for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, WHO. Participants included Gottfried Hirnschall, Director of the Department for HIV/AIDS, WHO, Mark Dybul, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Ambassador Deborah Birx, United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Lucy Chesire, Executive Director, TB Action Group, as well as government representatives of Cambodia, India and Viet Nam.

The 20th International AIDS Conference opened in Melbourne, Australia, on 20 July 2014 with a moving and powerful range of statements from leading figures in the response to HIV. The ceremony was dedicated to the memory of the victims lost in the international tragedy—several of whom were on their way to participate in AIDS 2014.

Nobel laureate and President of the International AIDS Society Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi paid tribute to the friends and colleagues who died. “We dedicate AIDS 2014 to them, we will remember their legacy and keep them in our hearts,” she said.  

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, gave an inspiring address calling for an end to the AIDS epidemic by 2030 and stressed the need for a new “catch-up” plan to leave no one behind. “Now, more than ever, we must concentrate our limited resources on where most infections occur and on where most people die,” he said. “The world needs a new “catch-up” plan for the 15 countries that account for 75% of new HIV infections.”

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador and Master of Ceremony James Chau guided the speakers through the special memorial opening session. He extended a warm welcome to Ayu Oktariani, a young woman living with HIV from Indonesia, who spoke passionately about the challenges she faces in her daily life, “Living with HIV is not easy,” she said. “It's not only about HIV; it's about people’s judgement of my sexual behaviour.” She talked about discriminatory attitudes of health-care workers and the lack of information on sexual and reproductive health. “Many of us have HIV because we did not have the means or information to protect ourselves,” she added.

Co-chair of AIDS 2014 Professor Sharon Lewin told the participants how important the conference was to Australia and the world. A sentiment echoed by the Premier of the State of Victoria, Denis Napthine, “This conference is about stepping up the pace, making a difference and making the world a better place,” he said.

Aboriginal Elder Joy Wandin Murphy extended a warm welcome to Australia to all the participants. She talked about the country’s past struggles and stressed the importance of tolerance and acceptance. “If we understand each other we can live in harmony, and, if we do, we can eliminate stigma and discrimination so we can all live together.”   

The Jonathan Mann memorial lecture was given by Justice Michael Kirby, who strongly emphasized the importance of equality and justice for all. He talked about the impact of punitive laws and the devastating impact they can have on people living with and affected by HIV. He stressed that, “Law and policy must be made part of the solution and not part of the problem for AIDS.”

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon and the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Abbott delivered video messages expressing their sorrow for all who died on flight MH17 and encouraged participants to take the opportunity provided by the conference to advance the response and reach the end of the AIDS epidemic.

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Warren Truss stated that Australia will pursue an ambitious commitment to ending AIDS as part of the post-2015 agenda. The event was closed by a concert from Dan Sultan.

The 20th International AIDS Conference will run from 20 to 25 July in Melbourne, Australia. The delegates will review and present the latest scientific findings as well as the social and structural innovations and challenges in the AIDS response.

To realize the vision of an AIDS-free generation, the global community must not only ensure the efficacy of HIV-specific interventions but also tackle the broader development and socioeconomic factors that drive the epidemic, such as inequality, social exclusion and exposure to violence. This was the key message of the Global Partners Forum on Children and HIV and AIDS, which took place on the first day of the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

The forum—organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with UNAIDS participation—brought together key leaders in government, donor agencies, the United Nations, civil society and research institutions to explore focused approaches for the protection, care and support of children affected by HIV from early childhood through adolescence.

It emerged that a holistic, multisectoral and integrated package of services that unites the health, education, HIV, early child development and welfare sectors is necessary to keep children and young people in the first two decades of their life safe from the virus. Also examined were the specific requirements and concerns of adolescents, who often do not have access to HIV services, particularly girls and key populations at higher risk.   

A call to action issued at the end of the forum charted the way forward to the integration of health and social service sector interventions and to achieving an AIDS-free generation. The main points included leveraging evidence and experiences, proposing innovative solutions to challenges and mobilizing action and equipping policy-makers to develop plans that embed protection, care and support in the HIV response.

The Global Partners Forum was established in 2003 to provide momentum towards fulfilling international commitments for children affected by HIV.

Adolescents aged 10–19 are among the people most neglected by the HIV response, yet AIDS is the second biggest contributor to adolescent death globally and the main contributor in sub-Saharan Africa. During a satellite session at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, adolescents and young people, high-level government officials, donors, researchers and youth service providers explored ambitious but effective ways of better protecting this key group.

At the 20 July session, called Ending the Epidemic in Adolescents, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé announced a joint UNAIDS/UNICEF initiative entitled All In. The initiative aims to ensure that adolescents infected and affected by HIV are not left behind. It is intended to become a global movement to close the prevention and treatment gap and will be concentrated in 25 countries that represent 90% of AIDS-related deaths and 85% of new infections among adolescents.

To ensure that the movement is built from the grass roots and shaped by the meaningful involvement of the focused group, Mr Sidibé asked adolescents and young people to engage and help shape the way forward for All In.

The satellite session provided an opportunity to exchange information and ideas, with presentations of the latest data on the epidemic among adolescents, which show that comprehensive knowledge about the virus, condom use, HIV testing and treatment coverage are still low in most countries. Young people living with and affected by HIV also shared their experiences and challenged assembled government and United Nations officials to do more for the AIDS response.

In addition, highlights of a Youth Action Plan, developed at this year’s youth preconference event held on 18 and 19 July, were discussed. The plan is designed to ensure that young people are at the centre of the global movement to step up AIDS advocacy, policy and treatment.

The passion, dedication and commitment that young people are bringing to the AIDS response, driving the agenda and taking a leadership role, were celebrated by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé in closing remarks at the AIDS 2014 youth preconference event.

Mr Sidibé commended the 200 young people assembled, and others around the world, on how they have come together in the past year to increasingly become involved in key decision-making processes and ensure investment in high-impact programmes that work for young people on the ground. He advised them to redouble their efforts and build even stronger alliances in national movements with clear political goals and promised to share their central message: treat, reform, educate, love.

The two-day event, which took place on 18 and 19 July, addressed a number of key issues relevant to young people and culminated in the development of a Youth Action Plan calling for the inclusion of their voices in all national, regional and international discussions on AIDS advocacy, policy and treatment.  

The event included a number of skills-building and knowledge exchange workshops, such as a session launching a new youth tool on participation in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and how to navigate its New Funding Model. The ACT 2015! plenary explored ways in which the youth sector could put the health, well-being and human rights of young people at the heart of the post-2015 agenda through advocacy at the national and global levels. 

In addition, young members of key populations debated increasing their leadership role and how to challenge stigma and discrimination more effectively. World Health Organization guidelines relevant to young people and the need to reform parental consent laws, which can deny young people access to services such as HIV testing and other sexual and reproductive health services, were also examined.  

Organized by the Melbourne YouthForce, the event was guided by the UNAIDS-supported pact for social transformation, a unifying, youth-led, collaborative international framework designed to advance the HIV-related needs of young people.

Making the money work for young people: a participation tool for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is available for download from the links below:

Guidelines for young activists and youth organizations

Guidelines for Country Coordinating Mechanism members and other Global Fund actors

The critical leadership role that gay men, other men who have sex with men and transgender people continue to play in strengthening and deepening the global AIDS response was acknowledged during a key event on the eve of the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

The two-day Global Forum on MSM and HIV, held on 19 and 20 July under the theme “Setting the pace”, brought together activists, advocates, researchers, policy-makers and representatives of global donors and multilateral organizations, including UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

Participants discussed how gay men, other men who have sex with men and transgender people can enhance a pace-setting agenda and build on their historical contribution to driving the international response to HIV. They also used the unique global gathering to stress to a wider audience that the epidemic still has a disproportionate effect on these communities.

One of the main areas of focus at this year’s preconference event, the sixth of its kind, was HIV programme implementation. Issues explored included the implications of the new simpler and more flexible funding model of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, persistent barriers to accessing quality HIV services, such as criminalization and discrimination, and the training needs of health-care providers. There was also emphasis on examining the link between community systems and broader health systems in meeting the needs of gay men, other men who have sex with men and transgender people.

Faith-based organizations from around the world came together on the eve of the 20th International AIDS Conference, to be held in Melbourne, Australia, to call for a renewed commitment to strengthening the global AIDS response.

During the interfaith preconference event, Stepping up in Faith, which took place on 18 and 19 July, more than a hundred religious leaders, people of faith living with and affected by HIV, representatives of key populations, young people, advocates and activists explored the role that faith-based organizations can play in strengthening the response. Joining them were UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Luiz Loures and United States Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Deborah Birx.

The participants examined the faith-based community’s HIV response to date and where it needs to go in the years ahead, using lessons from the past to shape the future beyond 2015. Also discussed were the opportunities and challenges for the faith community in striving to achieve the goals of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

Twelve workshop sessions covered a broad range of topics, including addressing homophobia and HIV-related stigma, good practice in the faith-based response to HIV, reducing the burden of care on young women volunteers, faith-based comprehensive sexuality education and how to ensure lifelong treatment for all who need it.

The vital role that a vibrant civil society plays in strengthening and deepening the AIDS response at the national, regional and global levels was recognized and championed by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé during an informal consultation at AIDS 2014 called Working Together to End the AIDS Epidemic and Leave No One Behind.

According to Mr Sidibé, the dialogue reinforced the importance of having the voices and perspectives of civil society inform his speeches, conversations and interactions throughout AIDS 2014. 

More than 80 participants representing a range of civil society organizations from around the world and UNAIDS discussed how they could work even more closely together to achieve the end of the epidemic by 2030. It was agreed that this would require redoubling efforts in scaling up quality service delivery, including sustained access to HIV treatment, challenging stigma and discrimination and promoting an equity and human rights agenda. In addition, the post-2015 development agenda and how civil society can be an integral part of it, such as contributing to the setting of country-level targets, was explored.

Mr Sidibé highlighted that without reinforcing communities it will be difficult to sustain the response. He promised that UNAIDS, including its Community Mobilization Division, would be available to offer practical, concrete support to increase civil society engagement and participation in the strategic effort to end the AIDS epidemic and leave no one behind.

MELBOURNE/GENEVA, 18 July 2014—UNAIDS expresses deep sadness over the loss of life of the passengers and crew of flight MH17, which crashed over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, 17 July 2014.

While the full details are still unclear, it is believed that many of the passengers were on their way to participate in the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia. It has been confirmed that the United Nations has lost a colleague from the World Health Organization.

It seems that some of the finest academics, health-care workers and activists in the AIDS response may have perished while travelling to take part in the international gathering of experts and advocates. Professor Joep Lange, the former President of the International AIDS Society, was among the victims. Professor Lange was a leading light in the field since the early days of HIV and worked unceasingly to widen access to antiretroviral medicines around the world.

“We are bracing ourselves to hear of the deaths of others who worked in the AIDS response as their names are officially released,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The UNAIDS family is in deep shock. Our hearts go out to the families of all the victims of this tragic crash. The deaths of so many committed people working against HIV will be a great loss for the AIDS response.”

The UNAIDS family stands in solidarity with the families, friends and colleagues of all who have perished in this tragedy. 

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.