The UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: Defeating AIDS – Advancing global health, reconvenes in London for final meeting on the future of HIV and global health

LONDON/GENEVA, 13 February 2014—The UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: Defeating AIDS – Advancing global health is meeting in London on the future of AIDS and global health in the post-2015 era—the recommendations will be published in The Lancet later this year.

“The fight against AIDS is not over yet. We need to intensify efforts to achieve a historic victory against this disease,” said the President of the Republic of Ghana John Dramani Mahama. “Everyone has a key role to play in achieving this objective. We have to take action to ensure that we are doing the best possible for our countries, for our people and for humanity.”

“We have made remarkable progress in the fight against AIDS but the fight is not over and complacency is our worst enemy,” said the President of Benin, Yayi Boni through a video message. “Ending AIDS and extreme poverty is a shared responsibility that must be a priority for Africa and the world.”

The Commission, which was established in early 2013 brings together more than 40 Heads of State and political leaders, HIV and health experts, young people, activists, scientists and private sector representatives to ensure that lessons learned in the AIDS response can be applied to transform how countries and partners approach health and development.

“This Commission bears an historic role, based on accumulated knowledge and technologies, to find new approaches and to redouble its efforts in defeating HIV as regards the next generation,” pointed out the First Lady of Japan Akie Abe. “We must proceed while leaving no one behind. We must apply the achievements of the AIDS response to other areas for realizing better health.”

“Equal access to HIV services will halt and reverse the epidemic and contribute to economic growth and people's well-being,” said the First Lady of Gabon Sylvia Bongo Ondimba. “That is why HIV services must be integrated in all countries' development plans.”

“We have managed to provide treatment and care for people living with HIV but now many also face non-communicable diseases,” said the First Lady of Rwanda Jeannette Kagame. “The changing nature of the disease is an illustration of how difficult it is to find a cure or vaccine so we must be adaptive and responsive. Africa should be ready! The worst is behind us. Now we know how to prevent, how to treat and how to care. We should build from what we have started and do it yesterday.”

The Commission, convened by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS and Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, is co-chaired by Malawi President Joyce Banda, African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Director Peter Piot. 

As part of the Commissions’ efforts to provide a framework for informing how to address AIDS and health in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, dialogues have been held across regions, bringing together diverse perspectives to inform the discussions of the Commission’s London meeting. The final recommendations will be compiled in a comprehensive report which will be published in the medical journal The Lancet.

Star studded effort to support the expansion of Treatment 2015 with US$ 2 million grant to UNAIDS to deliver HIV treatment and care for adolescents and young people worldwide

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 30 January 2014—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) announced today the expansion of its Treatment 2015 initiative with a US$ 2 million grant provided by the heart and soul of M∙A∙C Cosmetics, the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund. The Fund is fully supported from the sale of VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass with global superstar Rihanna lending her celebrity to spur purchase and awareness. Leveraging this new funding, UNAIDS will build on Treatment 2015 by advancing global, regional and country level policies and programs to expand HIV testing and treatment to young people worldwide.

"M∙A∙C Cosmetics has a long history of engaging the right star power to motivate our customers and make an impact on this important cause. With UNAIDS' resources and strategic thinking and Rihanna's passionate support, we’re helping save lives one lipstick at a time,” said John Demsey, Group President of The Estée Lauder Companies.

Globally, an estimated 5.4 million[1] adolescents and young people are living with HIV, and 1.8 million[1] are eligible for HIV treatment. Millions of young people living with HIV do not know they are infected, and every day, approximately 2,100 adolescents and young people[1] are newly infected, which accounts for 39% of all new adult HIV infections globally. While antiretroviral therapy has resulted in a decline in AIDS-related deaths, modelling suggests that adolescents from 10 to 19-years-old are the only age group in which AIDS-related deaths rose between 2001 and 2012. The trend in AIDS-related deaths can be attributed to poor prioritization of adolescents in strategic plans for scale-up of HIV treatment and the lack of testing and counselling.

“Young people will lead us to an AIDS-free generation. By ensuring adolescents and young people have access to HIV services, we are not only saving lives but also investing in a healthier future for generations to come,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “We are truly honored to be working with the M∙A∙CAIDS Fund to help young people around the world access earlier HIV testing and treatment.”

The UNAIDS Treatment 2015 initiative aims to reach 15 million adults and young people with HIV treatment by 2015. The US$ 2 million grant from the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund will support expanded efforts to ensure adolescents and young people have access to HIV treatment and care internationally. New youth outreach efforts will include the evaluation of young people testing and treatment programmes and adaptation of adolescent and young people treatment guidelines.

“Ending the AIDS epidemic is within our power, but we cannot achieve it without expanding treatment access to ensure some of the most underserved, vulnerable communities, particularly young people, are not left behind,” said Nancy Mahon, Global Executive Director of the M∙A∙CAIDS Fund. “For this reason, the M∙A∙CAIDS Fund will continue to invest in strategic, impactful initiatives like UNAIDS’ Treatment 2015 that are working toward ending AIDS once and for all.”

The grant to UNAIDS was made possible exclusively through the sale of M∙A∙C’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass, which M∙A∙Cdonates 100% of the sale price to fight HIV. Rihanna, M∙A∙C’s new VIVA GLAM spokesperson, recently launched her new VIVA GLAM collection, which will benefit organizations like UNAIDS to support men, women and children affected by HIV globally.

"I'm honored to join forces with the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund and UNAIDS in the fight against AIDS," said Rihanna. "I want to help reach as many young people around the world as I can. While we need to begin with education, we also need to deliver HIV testing and treatment to the millions of young people who need our help, which is exactly what we plan to do."

UNAIDS Treatment 2015 has started to roll out globally. To learn more about UNAIDS’s plans to reach 15 million people by 2015, download the UNAIDS Treatment 2015 report.

[1] UNAIDS 2012 Estimates

GENEVA/WASHINGTON, 15 January 2014—During a high-level meeting and discussions in Washington last week, UNAIDS and the World Bank Group endorsed four areas of action to accelerate efforts that address the interrelated challenges of AIDS, inequality and extreme poverty.

UNAIDS and the World Bank Group have committed to work closely with UNDP and other international partners, to address the social and structural drivers of the HIV epidemic that put people at greater risk of HIV and deny them access to services. These social and structural drivers include gender inequality, stigma and discrimination, lack of access to education and unstable livelihoods. UNAIDS and the World Bank Group will advocate for:

1. Aligning health and development efforts around country-led time-bound goals towards ending extreme poverty and AIDS, with special attention to the inclusion of the poorest and most marginalized populations. Areas of focus will include: supporting countries to adopt progressive legal systems that remove discriminatory laws, especially among populations most vulnerable to HIV infection; increasing access to income, adequate housing and safe working conditions; and accelerating reforms towards universal health coverage and universal access to HIV services and commodities.
2. Urging the post-2015 development agenda to include targets towards ending AIDS alongside the goal of universal health coverage, so that no one falls into poverty or is kept in poverty due to payment for AIDS treatment or health care.
3. Promoting national and global monitoring and implementation research. Actions will include: working closely with global partners and countries to innovate and monitor service delivery, including for HIV, especially to the poorest and the most marginalized; and intensify implementation research to capture and codify innovative approaches to address the linkages between efforts towards ending extreme poverty and ending AIDS. As part of this effort, the World Bank Group will launch a major new trial to better understand how social protection systems reduce HIV infection, particularly among young women in the highest burden hyper-endemic countries.
4. Convening two high-level meetings in 2014 with national policy leaders and experts on ending AIDS and extreme poverty. The first meeting will be convened in Southern Africa to share current research and discuss how it can be translated into practice. The second meeting will be held during the International AIDS Conference in July 2014 in Melbourne.

Despite unprecedented progress over the past decade in the global response to HIV, economic inequality, social marginalization and other structural factors have continued to fuel the HIV epidemic. The epidemic continues to undermine efforts to reduce poverty and marginalization. HIV deepens poverty, exacerbates social and economic inequalities, diminishes opportunities for economic and social advancement and causes profound human hardship.

“Ending the AIDS epidemic and extreme poverty is within our power,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS. “Our combined efforts will contribute to a global movement working to ensure that every person can realize their right to quality healthcare and live free from poverty and discrimination.”

“Just as money alone is insufficient to end poverty, science is powerless to defeat AIDS unless we tackle the underlying social and structural factors,” said Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group. “To end both AIDS and poverty, we need sustained political will, social activism, and an unwavering commitment to equity and social justice.”

“Stigma, discrimination and marginalization stand in the way of fully realizing the promise of HIV prevention and treatment technologies,” said Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator. “We know that where laws and policies enable people affected by HIV to participate with dignity in daily life without fearing discrimination, they are more likely to seek prevention, care and support services.”

Improving health services and outcomes is critical to ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The recent Lancet Commission on Investing in Health estimated that up to 24% of economic growth in low- and middle-income countries was due to better health outcomes. The payoffs are immense: the Commission concluded that investing in health yields a 9 to 20-fold return on investment.

Investing in health also means investing in equity. Essential elements of a human rights-based response to HIV include: enabling laws, policies and initiatives that protect and promote access to effective health and social services, including access to secure housing, adequate nutrition and other essential services. Such measures can help protect people affected by HIV from stigma, discrimination, violence and economic vulnerability. HIV-sensitive social protection is already a key component of the UNAIDS vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

“Pills on a shelf do not save lives,” said Sveta Moroz of the Union of Women of Ukraine Affected by HIV. “To end the AIDS epidemic for everyone will require a people-centered approach driven by the community and based on social justice. It demands an approach that ensures basic human rights to safe housing, access to healthcare, food security and economic opportunity. These are rights that actively remove barriers to real people’s engagement in effective HIV prevention and care.”

UNAIDS and the World Bank Group will work to ensure that these efforts feature prominently in the post-2015 global development agenda, and are integral elements in ending AIDS, achieving universal health coverage, ending extreme poverty and inequality and building shared prosperity.

GENEVA/WASHINGTON, 10 January 2014—UNAIDS and the Organization of American States (OAS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in efforts to advance the response to HIV among the OAS Member States. 

Through the MoU, UNAIDS and the OAS will increase HIV outreach activities such as information and education campaigns, policy roundtables, forums, lectures and scholarships programmes aimed at reducing new HIV infections, expanding access to antiretroviral treatment and supporting people living with HIV. UNAIDS and the OAS will also foster collaboration with regional networks of HIV positive youth to strengthen HIV awareness and prevention education, enhance social protection for young people, counter gender-based violence and challenge harmful gender norms among young people.

“HIV is more than a disease. It is an issue of security, social justice and distribution of opportunities,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “We must leverage this partnership to ensure that no one is left behind in the response to HIV in the Americas and that people most affected by HIV have access to essential HIV prevention and treatment services.”

Key populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs and transgender people remain most affected by HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although new infections have stabilised, they are still not declining.  The existence and enforcement of punitive laws as well as widespread stigma and discrimination against men who have sex with men, transgender people and sex workers continue to marginalize people most in need and block access to lifesaving HIV services.

“We have managed to break the curve of growth of infection,” said Miguel Jose Insulza, OAS Secretary General. “We now need to address structural, cross-cutting issues, including gender-based violence.”

In June 2013 the OAS General Assembly passed the Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights of People Vulnerable to, Living with, of Affected by HIV/AIDS in the Americas. The Resolution urges Member States to continue their efforts in support to laws and public policies to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people living with HIV, and to increase HIV prevention and treatment for pregnant women and mothers, including preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The Resolution also promotes greater involvement of people living with HIV in decision-making and in the drafting of policies and programmes in response to the epidemic.

GENEVA, 20 December 2013—The governing body of UNAIDS––the Programme Coordinating Board—has concluded its three-day meeting in Geneva. The Board called on UNAIDS to support on-going country and international processes to set revised national targets for universal access to HIV treatment.

The Board called on Member States to expand access to antiretroviral therapy by implementing the 2013 World Health Organization guidelines on access to treatment. They also stressed the importance of ensuring that acceleration of access to HIV treatment, including addressing the barriers to treatment access, is factored into all stages of HIV and health planning. In addition to support with national treatment target setting, the Board requested support from UNAIDS in reducing the price of medicines, technical support and capacity development.

During the meeting, which took place from 17-19 December, Board members highlighted the importance of intensifying efforts in the AIDS response beyond 2015 and emphasised that ending AIDS must have a prime position in the post-2015 agenda.

In his opening address, the Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé echoed the importance of keeping focused on ending AIDS. “Ending AIDS will be a global achievement of historic dimensions,” said Mr Sidibé. “Not only will millions of lives be saved, but ending AIDS will drive better health, poverty and equity outcomes for the entire human family.”

UNAIDS was also requested to intensify coordinated technical support to governments, civil society, and key populations, and to further support countries in the roll-out of the New Funding Model of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The meeting concluded with a full-day thematic segment on HIV, adolescents and youth where young people led sessions on prevention, testing and treatment and explored ideas, experiences and solutions with the Board members about the shape and scope of meaningful HIV programmes for young people.

Participants and observers from UN Member States, international organizations, civil society and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting, which was chaired by India. The Board elected Australia as Chair and Zimbabwe as Vice Chair for 2014.

UNAIDS Executive Director’s report to the Board, decisions, recommendations and conclusions from the meeting can be found at unaids.org.

The campaign, ‘Where history is made,’ invites guests to make history and make a pledge for an AIDS-free generation

GENEVA, 16 December 2013—UNAIDS and the hotel InterContinental Genève have come together in a public-private partnership to advance efforts to ensure that all children can be born free from HIV, that their mothers have access to life-saving medicines and that all children living with HIV can lead healthy lives.

Countries have committed to eliminating new HIV infections among children by 2015. Although great progress has been made—with new HIV infections among children having been reduced by 53% since 2001—there is still a major push needed to help countries reach their goals. In 2013, just 28% of children in need of treatment had access.

“By keeping children free from HIV we are not only saving lives, we are investing in a healthier future for generations to come,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “I am honoured that the hotel InterContinental Genève is partnering with us to provide more people with the opportunity to join our efforts in making an AIDS-free generation possible.”  

One of the first initiatives of the joint partnership is the launch of a campaign to raise both awareness and funds for an AIDS-free generation. The campaign, Where history is made, launched at a special event held at the hotel on 16 December, invites guests to make history and a pledge for an AIDS-free generation. Hotel staff will play an integral role with AIDS-awareness training and will be able to share information with guests about the importance of keeping children free from HIV. Hotel guests will be able to join the campaign by making a donation as they check out or when they visit the hotel restaurant or bar.

“The hotel has a longstanding history and relationship with the UN in Geneva, and we are excited to have formed this partnership with UNAIDS,” said the General Manager of the hotel InterContinental Genève, Jürgen Baumhoff.

The hotel InterContinental Genève is an important landmark in Geneva, standing at the intersection of the city and the United Nations. In 2014 the hotel will mark its 50th anniversary over which time it has welcomed world leaders and played host to the historic brokering of deals and forging of partnerships. The campaign between UNAIDS and the hotel InterContinental Genève is part of the hotel’s 50-year celebrations and captures the essence of this major milestone by joining efforts to achieve an AIDS-free generation.  

“Building healthier societies begins with children,” said UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador and internationally acclaimed musician Toumani Diabaté who performed at the special launch event. “We can all be part of history by making sure that women living with HIV and their children have access to HIV, prevention, treatment and care services.”

Report includes new information from 40 funders based outside the U.S. and Europe

WASHINGTON D.C., CAPE TOWN, GENEVA, 10 December 2013—A new report by Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA), supported by UNAIDS, showed that 5.4% or US$ 0.5 billion of total international funding available for HIV in low- and middle-income countries was from philanthropic sources. Globally in 2012, US$ 636 million came from private donors. The report, which was launched today at the FCAA 2013 AIDS Philanthropy Summit and the 17th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, also shows that philanthropic funding has remained essentially flat (a less than 1% increase) since 2011.

This slight growth is largely due to the addition of 40 funders, new to the report, based outside of the U.S. and Western and Central Europe. Excluding funding from these organizations, philanthropy from U.S.- and E.U.-based organizations decreased by US$33 million, or 5% from 2011. Overall total philanthropic funding has remained at roughly the same level since 2007, and continues to be strongly influenced by the world’s largest HIV/AIDS philanthropic donor, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation). Forecasts in both the U.S. and Europe suggest that private AIDS funding is unlikely to increase in 2013.

“We’re thrilled to highlight the work and impact of 40 new potential partners in the philanthropic response to HIV/AIDS,” said John Barnes, Executive Director, FCAA. “However, the inclusion of these new funding sources in the report masks a troubling decline among U.S.- and E.U.-based organizations. A ‘slow and steady’ approach will not bring the needed resources to bear to meet the current challenges of the AIDS response.”

Other Key Findings:

• Funding from U.S.-based philanthropies totaled US$ 467 million in 2012, decreasing 3% from 2011. Seven top funders – including the Gates Foundation (which represented half of total U.S.-based disbursements), experienced significant decreases (US$ 1m-US$ 18mil) due to reported yearly fluctuations in grantmaking cycles and shifts in funding to other health areas.
• Among E.U-based philanthropies, the 2012 total reached $147 million, decreasing 6% from 2011. This continues a now 3-year gradual decline since 2009. While the majority of E.U.-based funders decreased funding between 2011 and 2012, some of this was the result of yearly fluctuations in the grantmaking cycles, or a strategy review process, rather than a shift away from funding for HIV.
• New for 2013, FCAA conducted research to identify HIV philanthropic funders based outside of the U.S. and the Western and Central Europe. Surveys and additional research generated data from 40 funders in 13 countries, totaling approximately $38 million in AIDS philanthropy in 2012. 

“There is a strong sentiment of global solidarity around advancing the AIDS response to reach an AIDS-free generation,” said Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS. “UNAIDS continues to urge all partners to look for innovative ways of ensuring increased and sustainable sources of funding to allow us to reach everyone in need with lifesaving HIV services.” 

The report was released amidst news that funding for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries from donor governments totaled $7.86 billion in 2012, remaining essentially unchanged since 2008. According to UNAIDS the total resources available for HIV reached US$ 18.9 billion in 2012, $3-5 billion short of what is needed to meet the global target of $22-24 billion. UNAIDS’ Investment Framework to guide more efficient use of resources shows that 4.2 million new HIV infections and 1.9 million HIV-related deaths could be averted, and 15 million people could access HIV treatment, if funding is scaled up to US$ 24 billion by 2015.

While philanthropic aid provided to low- and middle-income countries only represents approximately 5% of all international funding for the AIDS response, FCAA and UNAIDS emphasize that, in its independence, philanthropy has a catalytic role to play in the AIDS response. Philanthropic funding is often committed to addressing critical issues through advocacy and to supporting key populations such as men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and sex workers, that are often not covered by other sources of funding.

The FCAA annual resource tracking report, produced with support from UNAIDS, intends to inform stakeholders about the overall distribution and trends of global AIDS philanthropy. The financial data is largely sourced from surveys completed by funders, with supplemental review of grants databases and funders’ grants lists. Data was obtained for close to 300 organizations that are believed to represent the substantial majority of global private HIV/AIDS philanthropy.

Download Global Philanthropic Support to Address HIV/AIDS in 2012 at http://www.fcaaids.org/resourcetracking

New international day for Zero Discrimination announced

Melbourne, 1 December 2013—On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2013, the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Nobel Peace Prize Winner and UNAIDS Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are launching the #zerodiscrimination campaign calling for a global transformation. The initiative will launch the new Zero Discrimination Day on 1 March 2014, adopting the butterfly as the transformative symbol for zero discrimination.

“I believe in a world where everyone can flower and blossom. We can all make a difference by reaching out and letting people lead a life of dignity irrespective of who they are,” said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. “I invite everyone to Open up, Reach out and end discrimination.”

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé announced the Zero Discrimination campaign during a World AIDS Day event in Melbourne, Australia.

“As communities and individuals we must continue to take action to reduce transmission of HIV and ensure that people living with HIV can participate fully in the life of the community, free from stigma and discrimination,” said Australia's Minister for Health, the Hon Peter Dutton.

“We recognize that getting to zero new HIV infections and zero AIDS-related deaths will be impossible without striving towards zero discrimination,” said Mr Sidibé. “On Zero Discrimination Day, we will celebrate the rights of everyone to live a full and productive life with dignity”.  

Discrimination can affect people in many ways in their lives.

For the AIDS response, discrimination towards people living with HIV and key populations at higher risk of HIV is a major obstacle to expanding access to HIV services. Country surveys found that 1 in 7 people living with HIV have reportedly been denied access to healthcare and more than 1 in 10 people living with HIV have been refused employment because of their HIV status.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has taped a public service announcement (PSA) with the message “Open up, Reach out. Together we can reach zero discrimination.” Through the PSA, a campaign web page and social media outreach, the campaign asks people around the world to join the conversation and take action.

The initial phase of the initiative will continue until December 10 – International Human Rights Day and will then build momentum in the month leading up to the new Zero Discrimination Day.

UNICEF report shows that new infections among adolescents could be halved by 2020 with targeted and increased investment

NEW YORK, 29 November 2013 – A new report released today by UNICEF shows great progress has been made to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with more than 850,000 new childhood infections averted between 2005 and 2012 in low- and middle-income countries.

However, the new 2013 Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS raises the alarm on adolescents, citing the need for increased global and national efforts to address HIV and AIDS among this vulnerable age group.

AIDS-related deaths amongst adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 increased by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2012, rising from 71,000 to 110,000, in stark contrast to progress made in preventing mother-to-child transmission. There were approximately 2.1 million adolescents living with HIV in 2012.

With additional funding and increased investment in innovation, many of the challenges could be overcome, the report says.

A new analysis featured in the report shows that by increasing investment in high-impact interventions to about US$5.5 billion by 2014, 2 million adolescents, particularly girls, could avoid becoming infected by 2020. Investments in 2010 were US$3.8 billion.

“If high-impact interventions are scaled up using an integrated approach, we can halve the number of new infections among adolescents by 2020,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “It’s a matter of reaching the most vulnerable adolescents with effective programmes – urgently.”

High-impact interventions include condoms, antiretroviral treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision, communications for behaviour change, and targeted approaches for at-risk and marginalized populations. This is in addition to investments in other sectors such as education, social protection and welfare, and strengthening health systems.

In contrast to adolescents, progress has been impressive in the area of preventing new HIV infections among infants. Some 260,000 children were newly infected with HIV in 2012, compared to 540,000 in 2005.

“This report reminds us that an AIDS-free generation is one in which all children are born free of HIV and remain so––from birth and throughout their lives––and it means access to treatment for all children living with HIV,” said Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “It also reminds us that women’s health and well-being should be at the centre of the AIDS response. I have no doubt that we will achieve these goals.”

Thanks to new, simplified life-long antiretroviral treatment (known as Option B+), there is a greater opportunity to effectively treat women living with HIV and to prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and through breastfeeding. This treatment involves a daily one-pill regimen.

“These days, even if a pregnant woman is living with HIV, it doesn’t mean her baby must have the same fate, and it doesn’t mean she can’t lead a healthy life,” said Lake.

Some of the most remarkable successes were in high HIV burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa. New infections among infants declined between 2009 and 2012 by 76 per cent in Ghana, 58 per cent in Namibia, 55 per cent in Zimbabwe, 52 per cent in Malawi and Botswana, and 50 per cent in Zambia and Ethiopia.

The new report also emphasizes that for an AIDS-free generation to become a reality, more children living with HIV should receive antiretroviral treatment. Only 34 per cent of children living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries received the treatment they needed in 2012, compared to 64 per cent of adults. As a result, an estimated 210,000 children died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2012.

Innovations and new ways of working are making testing and treatment more accessible, effective and efficient. One example is the use of mobile phones in Zambia and Malawi to quickly deliver HIV test results. This has allowed mothers to receive diagnoses for their babies much faster than through results delivered by hand.

The challenge now is to apply the knowledge that already exists, continue to focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized children and adolescents, and pursue new opportunities and innovations—while using finite resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“The world now has the experience and the tools to achieve an AIDS-free generation. Children should be the first to benefit from our successes in defeating HIV, and the last to suffer when we fall short,” said Lake.

The report will be available at www.childrenandaids.org

Attention broadcasters: Video news stories and b-roll from Botswana, Ivory Coast, and Malawi are available at http://weshare.unicef.org/mediaresources

Note for Editors:

• About the simplified life-long antiretroviral treatment (Option B+):

UNICEF is supporting countries as they transition to the new simplified life-long antiretroviral therapy (Option B+) for all pregnant women living with HIV. The new treatment is in the form of one pill, taken once a day (compared to the previous treatment of up to six pills per day).This treatment can be provided at the community level, at local primary care facilities. It keeps mothers healthier, as they continue taking it even after giving birth, through breastfeeding and beyond. Malawi was a pioneer in offering the Option B+ treatment in 2011, resulting in massive expansion of the treatment coverage for both pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV. By June 2013, 13 of the 22 Global Plan priority countries had adopted the same policy of offering life-long treatment.

• About the Stocktaking Reports:

Stocktaking reports on Children and AIDS are the flagship publications of the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. UNICEF leads the production of these publications as part of its commitment to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in collaboration with UNAIDS and the other 10 UNAIDS co-sponsors. The new ‘Children and AIDS: Sixth Stocktaking Report’ is the first of its kind since 2010.

About 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.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do.  Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

For further information, please contact:

Rita Ann Wallace, UNICEF Media New York, tel: + 1 212 326 7586, rwallace@unicef.org
Iman Morooka, UNICEF Strategic Communications, New York, tel: + 1 212 326 7211, imorooka@unicef.org
Sophie Barton-Knott, UNAIDS Geneva, tel: +41 22 791 1697, bartonknotts@unaids.org

Renewed commitment needed in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and for key populations.

GENEVA, 20 November 2013—Accelerated progress has been reported in most parts of the world. However, there are worrying signs that some regions and countries are not on track to meet global targets and commitments on HIV.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that new HIV infections have been on the rise in Eastern Europe and Central Asia by 13% since 2006. The Middle East and North Africa has seen a doubling of new HIV infections since 2001.

In many cases stalled progress is due to inadequate access to essential HIV services. Key populations including men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, transgender people and sex workers are often blocked from accessing life-saving services.

“Every person counts,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “If we are going to keep our pledge of leaving no one behind—we have to make sure HIV services reach everyone in need.”

Investments focused on reaching key populations have not kept pace. Funding for HIV prevention services for men who have sex with men is especially limited in East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and across sub-Saharan Africa. Investments lag in a number of countries where HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs is high. Ten countries in which HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs exceeds 10%, allocate less than 5% of HIV spending to harm reduction programmes. Notwithstanding sex workers’ disproportionate risk of acquiring HIV, prevention programmes for sex workers account for a meagre share of HIV prevention funding globally.

While much work needs to be done in Eastern Europe, for the first time in 2012, Ukraine has reported a decline in the number of newly identified HIV cases, representing a new turning point for the country. There are an estimated 200 000 people living with HIV in Ukraine. At 21.5%, HIV prevalence is highest among people who inject drugs.

However, by working together, the Ukrainian government and civil society organizations are striving to provide essential HIV services to support key populations, using evidence to guide investments and programmes. In 2011, Ukraine also amended its AIDS law which now guarantees harm reduction services for people who inject drugs, confidentiality of HIV status for people living with HIV and removal of HIV-related travel restrictions.

More attention needed for children and adults aged 50 and over

In priority countries, only three in 10 children receive HIV treatment under 2010 WHO treatment guidelines. Children living with HIV continue to experience persistent treatment gaps. In 2012, 647 000 children under 15 years of age were receiving antiretroviral treatment. HIV treatment coverage for children (34% (31-39%)) remained half of coverage for adults 64% (61-69%)) in 2012 under the old guidelines.

“We have seen tremendous political commitment and results to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV—but we are failing the children who become infected,” added Mr Sidibé. “We urgently need better diagnostic tools and child-friendly medicines—irrespective of the market size.”

Although the number of children receiving antiretroviral therapy in 2012 increased by 14% in comparison to 2011, the pace of scale-up was substantially slower than for adults (a 21% increase). The failure to expand access in many settings to early infant diagnosis is an important reason explaining why HIV treatment coverage remains much lower for children than for adults. In three priority countries, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Malawi, coverage of less than 5% was reported for early infant diagnostic services in 2012.

An increasingly significant trend in the global HIV epidemic is the growing number of people aged 50 years and older, who are living with HIV. Worldwide, an estimated 3.6 [3.2–3.9] million people aged 50 years and older are living with HIV. This “aging” of the HIV epidemic is mainly due to three factors: the success of antiretroviral therapy in prolonging the lives of people living with HIV; decreasing HIV incidence among younger adults shifting the disease burden to older ages; and the often-unmeasured, and thus often overlooked, fact that people aged 50 years and older exhibit many of the risk behaviours also found among younger people.

Global AIDS data

New HIV infections among adults and children were estimated at 2.3 million in 2012, a 33% reduction since 2001. New HIV infections among children have been reduced to 260 000 in 2012, a reduction of 52% since 2001. AIDS-related deaths have also dropped by 30% since the peak in 2005 as access to antiretroviral treatment expands.

By the end of 2012, some 9.7 million people in low- and middle-income countries were accessing antiretroviral therapy, an increase of nearly 20% in just one year. In 2011, UN Member States agreed to a 2015 target of reaching 15 million people with HIV treatment. However, as countries scaled up their treatment coverage and as new evidence emerged showing the HIV prevention benefits of antiretroviral therapy, the World Health Organization set new HIV treatment guidelines, expanding the total number of people estimated to be in need of treatment by more than 10 million.

Significant results have also been achieved towards meeting the needs of tuberculosis (TB) patients living with HIV, as TB-related deaths among people living with HIV have declined by 36% since 2004.

Despite a flattening in donor funding for HIV, which has remained around the same as 2008 levels, domestic spending on HIV has increased, accounting for 53% of global HIV resources in 2012. The total global resources available for HIV in 2012 was estimated at US$ 18.9 billion, US$ 3-5 billion short of the US$ 22-24 billion estimated to be needed annually by 2015.