April

UNAIDS warns that the war in Ukraine risks a humanitarian catastrophe for people living with and affected by HIV

The war in Ukraine has resulted in the destruction and disruption of health services and logistical supply chains that hundreds of thousands of people living with and affected by HIV depend on for survival. One in every 100 Ukrainians are living with HIV, and lack of access to antiretroviral therapy and prevention services would mean a wave of deaths and risks a resurgence of Ukraine’s AIDS pandemic. The community-led networks which are vital to maintaining life-saving services need an urgent upscaling of international support.

13 April 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

UNAIDS welcomes Gilbert F. Houngbo as the incoming Director-General of ILO

UNAIDS welcomes the announcement by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that Gilbert F. Houngbo, who is from Togo, has been elected as the organization’s 11th Director-General. Mr Houngbo will begin his five-year term in October 2022, taking over from the current Director-General, Guy Ryder.

07 April 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

UNAIDS strengthens partnership with Germany and opens a new office in Bonn

The German Federal Government has agreed to host a new UNAIDS office in Bonn. The agreement is part of Germany’s commitment to reinforce its partnership with the United Nations and part of UNAIDS’ commitment to realign its work to the new Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026: End Inequalities, End AIDS.

07 April 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

Health partners race to secure life-saving HIV medicines and services for people affected by the war in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has resulted in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with rapidly growing numbers of deaths and casualties, the destruction of entire cities and towns and unconscionable attacks on health facilities and other civilian targets. This is putting Ukrainians living with HIV in grave danger.

05 April 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

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March

UNAIDS launches Unbox Me to advocate for the rights of transgender children

In the lead-up to the International Transgender Day of Visibility, on 31 March, UNAIDS has launched an initiative to raise awareness among parents, teachers and the wider community about gender identity during childhood.

30 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

Impact of COVID-19 hits hard as TB deaths among people living with HIV rise for the first time since 2006

On World Tuberculosis Day 2022, UNAIDS is calling for urgency in diagnosing and treating TB as TB deaths among people living with HIV rise for the first time after years of progressive decline

23 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

UNAIDS Executive Director’s message on International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

It has been more than half a century since the United Nations proclaimed the 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

21 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

UNAIDS welcomes parliament’s decision to repeal the law that criminalizes HIV transmission in Zimbabwe

UNAIDS congratulates Zimbabwe’s parliament for repealing section 79 of the Criminal Law Code, which criminalizes HIV transmission. A new marriage bill adopted by parliament that repeals the criminal code section is to be signed into law by the president. The criminalization of HIV transmission is ineffective, discriminatory and undermines efforts to reduce new HIV infections. Such laws actively discourage people from getting tested for HIV and from being referred to the appropriate treatment and prevention services.

18 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

We cannot let war in Ukraine derail HIV, TB and Covid-19 treatment in eastern Europe

Health must be a priority of the humanitarian response to this war. If not, we are at severe risk of losing the fight in Eastern Europe against the world´s other pandemic, HIV, against the world´s second biggest infectious disease killer, tuberculosis, and of losing control over Covid-19.

09 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

UNAIDS Executive Director's message on International Women’s Day 2022

This year’s theme calls for “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. As the women’s movements have brought to the fore, and as all the evidence demonstrates, every development goal depends on ensuring the rights of all women and girls.

08 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

Remembering a global health advocate and renowned doctor

UNAIDS is deeply saddened at the death of Paul Farmer, anthropologist, doctor and global health champion. He was Kolokotrones University Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and co-founder of Partners in Health.

07 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

On Zero Discrimination Day, Ireland and UNAIDS strengthen their partnership to end the AIDS pandemic

Ireland has today announced that it is increasing its core funding for UNAIDS from €2.4 million in 2021 to €2.5 million in 2022. The announcement was made at a meeting in Dublin between Ireland’s Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, and the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima.

01 March 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

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February

UNAIDS urges protection and continuity of health and HIV services for people living with and affected by HIV in Ukraine

Amidst the ongoing military offensive against Ukraine, UNAIDS is calling for the protection of health workers and uninterrupted continuation of HIV and health services for all people, including people living with and affected by HIV. Ukraine has the second largest AIDS epidemic in the region. It is estimated that there are 260 000 people living with HIV in Ukraine, 152 000 of whom are on antiretroviral therapy, medication that needs to be taken daily for people to remain alive and well.

25 February 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

Investment case for the Global Fund's seventh replenishment technical briefing and discussion

This year will be 41 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported, 26 years since the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS started its work and 21 years since the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) partnership came into existence. Since then, communities, countries, activists, technical partners and donors have come together to deliver impressive results.

23 February 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

Co-discoverer of HIV, Luc Montagnier, has died at the age of 89

The French virologist and co-discoverer of HIV, Luc Montagnier, sadly died this week. 

11 February 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

Identification of fast-spreading HIV variant provides evidence of urgency to halt the pandemic and reach all with testing and treatment

Newly published research from the Netherlands has revealed the existence of a more transmissible and damaging variant of HIV. People living with the newly revealed HIV subtype experience double the rate of immune system decline (CD4 count), have higher HIV viral loads (amount of virus in the blood) and are vulnerable to developing AIDS two to three times faster after diagnosis than if they were living with other strains of the virus. The study, led by researchers from the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute, was the first to discover this highly virulent variant of the subtype-B of HIV. The study also revealed that the variant has been circulating in the Netherlands for years and remains receptive to HIV treatment.

07 February 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

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January

UNAIDS Director of Innovation receives prestigious Social Innovators of the Year award

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship has announced that the Director of Innovation at UNAIDS, Pradeep Kakkattil, has been awarded a 2022 Social Innovators of the Year award. Mr Kakkattil received the prestigious award for his work in creating the Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx), a platform that links innovators, governments and investors and finds solutions to global health-care problems, from COVID-19 diagnosis to the cost of medicines.

19 January 2022   |   Email this link to me   |    

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