GENEVA, 28 November 2024 — A 21-year-old South African HIV activist, Ibanomonde Ngema, will take over the global Instagram account of Academy Award-winner and UN Messenger of Peace, Charlize Theron, on World AIDS Day (1 December) to bring awareness to the first-hand experiences of young people living with HIV. Nomonde, as her friends call her, was born with HIV and has dedicated her advocacy work to dispelling myths and reducing stigma around HIV.

Theron is a longstanding leader in advocating for young people and tackling the systemic inequalities that drive HIV infections among young women and girls, using her voice and platform to uplift the voices of youth alongside the work of her foundation in Southern Africa.

Founded in 2007, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) invests in and advances the health and safety of young people in Southern Africa to create a more equitable future for all. CTAOP supports local solutions by providing long-term, flexible funding and capacity strengthening to community-based organizations that address the social and structural drivers of health and gender inequality. These grantee partners work at the intersection of youth and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and help prevent and protect against gender-based violence.

To date, CTAOP-supported programs have reached over 4.1 million youth in Southern Africa in multifaceted ways, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, prevention of gender-based violence, access to adolescent-friendly health services, psychosocial support, peer counseling, intergenerational dialogues, and community-network building.

UNAIDS’ new report, Take the rights path to end AIDS, highlights how rights violations exacerbate the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV. In 2023, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Theron and CTAOP are also urging world leaders to protect human rights in the fight to end AIDS.       

“Ending AIDS is within reach –– only if we completely dismantle harmful patterns of stigma and discrimination through laws, policies, and practices that protect people living with HIV. That's why this World AIDS Day, in partnership with UNAIDS and my organization –Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project– I'm handing over my Instagram to an incredible young activist Nomonde Ngema, who will share her inspiring story.” said Theron.

“I have always loved watching Charlize Theron on the big screen and have long been inspired by her using her influence to help people around the world, especially in our home country of South Africa. Charlize and CTAOP are true partners, and I will forever be grateful for their solidarity,” said Nomonde.

Follow Nomonde’s takeover on 1 December @charlizeafrica, and follow @ctaop for updates on CTAOP’s life-saving work year-round.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 26 November 2024— Ahead of World AIDS Day (1 December), a new report by UNAIDS shows that the world can meet the agreed goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 – but only if leaders protect the human rights of everyone living with and at risk of HIV. The report’s message is summed up in its title: “Take the rights path to end AIDS”.

“Despite huge progress made in the HIV response, human rights violations are still preventing the world from ending AIDS,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “When girls are denied education; when there is impunity for gender-based violence; when people can be arrested for who they are, or who they love; when a visit to health services is dangerous for people because of the community they are from—the result is that people are blocked from being able to access HIV services that are essential to save their lives and to end the AIDS pandemic. To protect everyone’s health, we need to protect everyone’s rights.”  

Of the 39.9 million people living with HIV, 9.3 million people are still not accessing life-saving treatment. Last year, 630 000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses, and 1.3 million people around the world newly acquired HIV. In at least 28 countries, the number of new HIV infections is on the rise. To bring down the trajectory of the pandemic, it is imperative that lifesaving programmes can be reached without fear by all who need them.

Every day in 2023, 570 young women and girls aged between 15 and 24 acquired HIV. In at least 22 countries in eastern and southern Africa, women and girls of this age group are three times more likely to be living with HIV than their male peers.

“No girl should be denied the education and information she needs to help stay safe. Discrimination and violence against girls must be tackled as a human rights and health emergency,” said 21-year-old HIV activist Nomonde Ngema.

Criminalization and stigmatization of marginalised communities is obstructing access to life-saving HIV services. In the 2021 Political Declaration on Ending HIV/AIDS, countries committed to ensure that by 2025 less than 10% of countries have restrictive legal and policy frameworks that lead to the denial or limitation of access to HIV services. However, in 2023, 63 countries still criminalize same-sex relations. These laws are hindering the HIV response: Among gay men and other men who have sex with men, HIV prevalence is five times higher in countries that criminalize same-sex relations than in those that do not. than in those that do not.

“Punitive laws and policies keep vulnerable people away from the help they need to prevent HIV, test for HIV, and treat HIV,” said Axel Bautista, Community Engagement Manager at MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health & Rights. “Instead of punishing marginalized communities, governments need to uphold their human rights.”

Science continues to innovate against AIDS. Long-acting medicines that only need to be injected a few times a year could tip the scales but only if a human rights approach is taken to share the technology to bring down prices and enable production in every part of the world.

"Medical tools that save lives cannot be treated merely as commodities," said Alexandra Calmy, HIV lead at the University Hospitals of Geneva. "The revolutionary therapeutic and preventive options currently being developed must be made accessible without delay to achieve universal reach."

“We know the pathway to building a society in which we all thrive,” said Jeanne Gapiya-Niyonzima Founder of ANSS, and the first person in Burundi to public announce that they were living with HIV. “If the world wants to end AIDS as a public health threat, it needs to protect the rights of every person.”

The report includes ten guest essays from leaders in the global AIDS response including: Elton John; Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba; Irish President, Michael D. Higgins; United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk; and former President of the International AIDS Society, Adeeba Kamarulzaman.

Elton John, in his essay in the UNAIDS report, writes, “I know the feeling of shame and what it can do. As long as HIV is seen as a disease for the ‘others’, not so-called ‘decent people’, AIDS will not be beaten. Science, medicine and technology may be the ‘what’ in ending AIDS, but inclusion, empathy and compassion are the ‘how’.”

President Michael D. Higgins, in his essay, writes, “Ensuring that the fullness of human rights is achieved is a practical necessity crucial if we are to rid the world of the scourge of AIDS. Fulfilling the pledge to end AIDS as a public health threat is a political and financial choice. The time to choose the correct path is long overdue.”

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 25 November 2024—Gender-based violence persists as one of the most appalling violations of human rights. It also thwarts efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat because intimate partner violence is linked with a heightened risk of HIV acquisition among women and undermines access to testing and treatment.

Globally, one in eight women and girls experiences sexual violence before the age of 18. Harmful gender norms, low prioritization of safe, qualitative and affordable sexual and reproductive health services, as well as fragile health systems heighten women’s risk of contracting HIV and prevent access to HIV services.

In addition, women and girls living with HIV are too often stigmatized by health service providers. They also experience pressure not to have children, forced and coerced sterilization or termination of a pregnancy. All violations of human rights.

“We must counter patriarchy and poverty to keep girls in school and we must provide women and girls safe spaces, economic opportunities and ensure their recognition and leadership,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.

“We must also fight rigid gender norms and stereotypes that perpetuate unhealthy masculinity and violence based on gender."

Gender-related killings of women and girls are the deadliest outcome of gender-based violence with a woman being killed every 11 minutes. This is unacceptable. In 2022, the number of women and girls killed intentionally – nearly 89,000 – is the highest yearly number recorded in the past 20 years.  Women from key populations – transgender women, sex workers, and LGBTQ+ human rights defenders - are also at particular risk of femicide according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women this year, the campaign kicked off with the theme ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women and Girls: Towards Beijing +30.’  These 16 Days of Activism remind us that 30 years after the Beijing declaration - a blueprint for achieving gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights everywhere - the world is far from such a gender equal world.

UNAIDS remains committed to working collaboratively with governments, business, civil society, communities and especially women’s movements and networks to create a world where the rights and dignity of all women and girls are respected and protected, including women and girls living with, at risk of and affected by HIV.

Started in 1991, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Countries facing “triple funding crisis” of insufficient climate finance, insufficient HIV funding, and crippling debt

GENEVA/BAKU, 21 November 2024—The climate crisis could disrupt HIV services and lead to increasing HIV risk for some of the most vulnerable populations, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have warned at the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In a new report, the UN agencies warn that eroded public health infrastructure, heightened prevalence of diseases that interact with HIV, food insecurity, water scarcity, and the mass displacement of people – all likely to intensify due to climate change – could drive new HIV infections and lead to more AIDS-related deaths.

“The progress we have made tackling AIDS is fragile – and it could be unwound by runaway climate change,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Some of the most climate vulnerable countries also have the highest HIV burden, and are the countries in the greatest debt, compounding injustice on injustice.  We need to find ways to ease the triple funding crisis of AIDS, climate, and debt, and invest in the communities on the front lines of these intertwined crises.”

Many of the countries at the sharp end of climate change are also facing the worst impacts of the AIDS epidemic, and climate change is likely to exacerbate the inequalities of AIDS, UNAIDS says. Of the 4,000 adolescent girls and young women aged between 15 and 24 years newly infected with HIV every week, 3,100 live in Sub-Saharan Africa, where severe heatwaves and drought could leave whole regions uninhabitable.

HIV-focused institutions are responding, with 70% of financing from the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria set to go to 50 of the most climate-vulnerable countries. But many of these countries are facing a triple funding crisis, with insufficient climate finance, a US$ 9.5billion gap in HIV funding, and the crushing burden of sovereign debt.

Almost half of humanity live in countries spending more on servicing debt than on healthcare. In Western and Central Africa, countries are spending seven times more on repaying debt than on health. With 71% of public climate financing coming as loans rather than grants, the climate crisis will only make this problem worse.

Last year, Malawi was hit by Cyclone Freddy amid a cholera outbreak just as the nation was recovering from COVID-19. Some of the worst hit regions were those with the highest burden of HIV. Around 37 000 people living with HIV were displaced by the storm, forced to navigate overwhelmed services and shortages of medicines – and this is just one of many examples of how climate change is already impacting the HIV response.

At the report launch on the sidelines of the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, governments will be urged to tackle inequalities, build proper leadership and governance systems, and provide sustainable financing to prevent a climate-induced AIDS crisis.

“At COP29 we can see increasing recognition that the climate crisis is compounding existing health challenges” said Marcos Neto, Director, Bureau of Policy & Programme Support, UNDP. “The AIDS response has shown us what is possible when communities most impacted, governments and institutions unite. By embedding HIV and health considerations into climate action, we can protect hard-won progress, build resilience for the future, and leave no one behind.”

Notes

On Thursday 21 November, UNAIDS and UNDP are hosting a discussion on HIV and climate change at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan at the Azerbaijan Pavillion from 14:00-15:00 AZT.

The Climate Crisis and HIV: A Policy Brief from UNDP and UNAIDS is available here.

UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP. 

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

MHAMID AL GHIZLANE, 2 November 2024 — The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is pleased to announce the appointment of renowned Moroccan artist OUM as its National Goodwill Ambassador in Morocco. The prestigious announcement was made at the Taragalte Festival, held from November 1-3, 2024, in Mhamid El Ghizlane, where OUM proudly serves as the festival's ‘Godmother.’ OUM’s influence and commitment to social change will play a vital role in UNAIDS' efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Morocco and beyond.

“OUM’s appointment as National Goodwill Ambassador is a powerful step forward in our efforts to fight against HIV in Morocco,” said Houssine El Rhilani, UNAIDS Country Director for Morocco. “Her artistic influence and commitment to social causes will help amplify our messages of prevention, tolerance, and support for people living with HIV.”

In her new role, OUM will work to promote awareness and education around HIV prevention. She will also focus on fighting against the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV. “As an artist, I have a platform to reach many people. It is my duty to use my voice to advocate for people living with and affected by HIV who are often unheard,” said OUM. “I am honored to take on this role with UNAIDS and am committed to supporting the fight against HIV in Morocco.”

Morocco faces significant challenges in the fight against HIV, with approximately 23,000 people currently living with the virus. The National Integrated Strategic Plan for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs (2024-2030) outlines essential actions to strengthen HIV prevention efforts and improve access to care, particularly for populations most affected by HIV. OUM's role as an ambassador is vital in driving these efforts forward.

OUM is no stranger to social advocacy, having previously collaborated with various United Nations agencies. Her engagement includes speaking on international platforms and participating in initiatives promoting women's rights and education. The official ceremony for OUM’s appointment highlighted her commitment to raising awareness around HIV issues in Morocco. It featured speeches from local leaders, including representatives from the region of Zagora and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection. The festival itself serves as a cultural backdrop, emphasizing the power of music and art in promoting peace and social change.

As UNAIDS continues its mission to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, collaboration with influential figures like OUM is crucial. Her role as National Goodwill Ambassador will not only increase awareness but also inspire collective action to ensure that all people affected by HIV, regardless of their status, have access to the care and support they need.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 1 November 2024 — Ministers at the G20 Ministerial in Rio De Janeiro have made new commitments to tackle AIDS and other pandemics, through addressing the inequalities driving them, both globally and nationally.

The commitments have been welcomed as a potential breakthrough against AIDS and other pandemics by international experts including Nobel Prize Winning Economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, world-leading epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot, and former First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos. The experts, who are the Co-Chairs of the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS, and Pandemics established by UNAIDS, have been in Brazil as part of the Council’s engagement of the G20.

G20 leaders have committed, for the first time, to prepare to confront future pandemics by tackling the inequalities which drive them—addressing the social determinants driving pandemics. Committing to measure and address social determinants—factors like education, income inequality, and discrimination that have proven as important to pandemic preparedness and response as medical care—reflects an important step in addressing key drivers of health emergencies.

G20 leaders have also backed a new “Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access” to overcome unequal access to vaccines, therapeutics  and diagnostics, and other health technologies that often drive disease. The new coalition will address both neglected diseases like Dengue—a climate-driven virus that affects many of the world’s most vulnerable—and medicines for people in vulnerable situations like people living with HIV and TB.

The ministers stressed the importance of moving from promises to actions, and emphasized the importance for health of robust investments.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, who convened the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS, and Pandemics, praised “Brazil’s remarkable leadership”.  It is because of that leadership, she noted, that “G20 countries have recognized the social determinants of pandemics like AIDS, and have agreed to address unequal access to medicines through a Global Coalition on Local and Regional Production. This visionary, politically feasible solution could transform global health for as long as it remains bold in vision and wide in scope.” 

Joseph E. Stiglitz congratulated Brazil for “having been able to forge consensus on very difficult and very important concrete issues, which is a real source of hope.”

Monica Geingos stated: “Brazil’s leadership has been central in making sure that tackling inequality has been taken up by the G20, and that the social determinants of pandemics are addressed.”

Sir Michael Marmot concluded: “Putting equity at the heart of policy making creates the opportunity to build societies where everyone can flourish.” 

South Africa will carry forward these agendas under its G20 Presidency in 2025. The Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics will support its work.

The G20 Ministerial Declaration can be downloaded here or from the G20 site here: https://www.g20.org/pt-br/trilhas/trilha-de-sherpas/saude/hwg-ministerial-declaration-rio-de-janeiro-eng.pdf/@@download/file

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 29 October 2024—Today, at a special event organized for the G20 Joint Finance and Health Ministerial, the Brazilian government and experts from the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics backed calls for efforts to break the “inequality-pandemic cycle” that is fueling continued disease emergencies. Two crucial measures could enable the world to tackle current and future pandemics.

They urged leaders to recognise, for the first time in G20 history, inequality as a driver of pandemics, requiring both measurement and decisive action. They also championed boosting the development, production and supply of life-saving health products in every region of the world.

Evidence gathered by the Global Council on Inequality clearly demonstrates the inequality-pandemics cycle. Inequalities within countries and between them deepen the disruption and loss of life in current and recent pandemics, from AIDS to COVID, mpox and Ebola. Failure to address these inequalities is leaving communities across the world vulnerable and exposed to future outbreaks.  This presents an important opportunity for the G20, which sets the agenda for international financing, to focus attention and action on the social determinants of pandemics.

The dependence of countries across the Global South on medicine production in the Global North has also been shown to undermine pandemic responses. They are consistently last in line to receive life-saving vaccines and medicines, despite bearing much of the world’s disease burden.

Nísia Trindade, Brazil’s Minister of Health, who is also a member of the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, declared: “By building production capacity in every region, we can learn from past mistakes by ensuring that medicines for neglected and socially determined diseases are made around the world and that capacity is available to respond swiftly to future outbreaks.”

Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Prize Winning Economist, Co-Chair of the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, explained: “Reforms in both the developed and developing countries and in international agreements and institutions, and investments which help broaden the production of medical products and reduce prices are vital to address market failures and accelerate access to medicines for the people in greatest need.”

Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, Co-Chair of the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics noted: “The evidence is clear: social determinants increase the intensity of pandemics. The greater the inequality in society, the worse is the pandemic. But we also know we can intervene against these with education, social protection measures, and making societies more fair. Re-investing in the public good and upholding of human rights will make societies less vulnerable to pandemics.”

H.E. Monica Geingos, former First Lady of Namibia and Co-Chair of the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics set out: “To effectively end the AIDS pandemic and prepare for future health crises, we must confront the complex web of inequalities that exacerbate these challenges. Inequality encompasses more than just income disparities; it includes social, political, and health inequities that intersect in significant ways. The geopolitical landscape further complicates these dynamics, as nations characterized by pronounced inequality are disproportionately impacted by the responses to pandemics. This systemic inequality is often reinforced by international frameworks that perpetuate and deepen existing disparities, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive and equitable approaches to health and governance.”

The two initiatives—addressing inequality as a pandemic driver and the move to boost regional health product production— offer a unique opportunity for G20 leaders to take transformative action towards greater health equity and global health security, speakers agreed.

Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director and Convenor of the Inequality Council, remarked: "President Lula has put equality at the heart of Brazil’s G20 agenda. He is right. Inequalities need to be addressed urgently, and the production of medicines and vaccines expanded across the world, or the next pandemic will hit us even harder. G20 leaders here in Rio have the opportunity to transform the way the world responds to outbreaks and pandemics by tackling the inequalities which drive them. We are counting on G20 leaders to seize this moment to save lives and protect the health of everyone.”

Joe Phaahla, Deputy Minister of Health, South Africa, confirmed: “As we assume the G20 presidency in 2025, South Africa will continue to champion the agenda of universal health coverage through equity, solidarity and innovation.”

Tributes were paid to the Ministry of Health in Brazil for its leadership in advancing these critical issues at the G20, including proposing a new Global Coalition for Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access and including social determinants of pandemics in the work of the G20 Joint Health and Finance Ministers task force.

Notes for editors

Brazil proposes the establishment a Global Coalition for Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access Alliance for Regional Production and Innovation. It is bringing together a network of key actors, including countries, academia, private sector, and international organizations, for research and development and production of vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, and strategic supplies to combat diseases with strong social determinants and that mainly affect vulnerable populations. For more information on the G20 Health Working Group, see the G20 website: https://www.g20.org/en/tracks/sherpa-track/health

About the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics

The Council was established by UNAIDS in 2023 and is comprised of experts from academia, government, civil society and international development actors committed to implementing evidence-based solutions to address inequalities fuelling AIDS and other pandemics. It is chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Former First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos, and Professor Sir Michael Marmot who chaired the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Learn more at inequalitycouncil.org.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 21 October 2024—The Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima is calling for accelerated global solidarity to strengthen Madagascar’s response to HIV, including preventing new HIV infections and expanding access to treatment, to end AIDS as a public health threat. Ms Byanyima is visiting the country between 19–24 October to support its response to the HIV epidemic. Madagascar has seen dramatic increase in new HIV infections since 2010 and a 158% increase in AIDS-related deaths over the same period. UNAIDS is concerned about what appears to be a dramatic increase in new HIV infections. 

Ms Winnie Byanyima’s visit to Madagascar coincides with that of H.S.H Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, who is visiting Madagascar through the work that she does with Fight AIDS Monaco around the world, including in Madagascar, to end AIDS as a public health threat. Fight AIDS Monaco has been supporting Madagascar’s efforts to prevent new HIV infections, including ending stigma against people living with HIV and galvanising international solidarity to support efforts to end AIDS.

“Madagascar is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of new HIV infections in communities, in stark contrast to the regional trend where new HIV infections are declining,” said Ms Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Madagascar’s pandemic is driven by gaps in HIV prevention and glaring inequalities which must be urgently addressed.”

In 2023 there were an estimated 76 000 people living with HIV in Madagascar and around 3100 people died of AIDS-related illnesses. Gaps in data gathering and weak surveillance systems make estimating the scale of the pandemic difficult. Stockouts of HIV testing kits and limited access to testing facilities further hinder accurate data collection in communities.

In addition, the majority of people living with HIV do not have access to treatment. Only 22% of the estimated 76 000 people living with HIV in Madagascar had access in 2023.

In northern Manakara HIV testing campaigns by the Ministry of Health have shown urban HIV prevalence rates ranging from 3% to 18% among the population.  There is a need to strengthen comprehensive data gathering to better inform the national HIV response to effectively tackle the pandemic.  

UNAIDS has been actively supporting Madagascar’s HIV response, especially in strengthening the surveillance systems to ensure more accurate and comprehensive data collection. UNAIDS has also been supporting the implementation of HIV testing and counselling services and helping to expand access to antiretroviral therapy.

Madagascar is one of the most unequal countries in the world, a factor which is driving new HIV infections. In 2023, the World Bank estimated the country’s poverty rates at 62.6%. Madagascar has been hit by cyclical natural disasters including drought in the south and cyclones, making it difficult for the country to recover and mount an effective response to HIV.

“Madagascar can scale up its response to HIV but urgently needs technical and financial support from the international community to ensure that HIV prevention commodities, including condoms, testing kits and antiretroviral treatment are available to everyone in need,” said Ms Byanyima.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

GENEVA, 15 October 2024—The Spanish government has today announced a further € 1 million contribution to UNAIDS to support its work to end AIDS by 2030 as part of Sustainable Development Goals. The announcement was made following a meeting between Spain’s Minister of Health Mónica García Gómez and the Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima in the country’s capital Madrid.

“We warmly welcome Spain’s commitment to ending AIDS,” said Ms Byanyima. “We are at a critical moment in the response to HIV, and the path global leaders take this year will determine whether the pandemic continues indefinitely or we end AIDS by 2030. Spain’s solidarity with UNAIDS and the global AIDS response, and its commitment to tackling stigma and discrimination, is testament to their determination to get the world on track to end AIDS and save millions of lives. Spain has set an example for the rest of the world.”

Spain is a long-standing champion of the right to health. During the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2023, Spain made the fight against stigma and discrimination associated with HIV a political priority. Spain also joined the Global Partnership for Action to Eliminate all forms of HIV-related Sigma and Discrimination and is moving forward with its implementation plan to eliminate stigma in health, workplace and education settings.

UNAIDS looks forward to continuing to strengthen its partnership with Spain to advance progress towards global targets, and to build a robust and rights-based response to end AIDS by 2030 and sustain the gains into the future.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 27 September 2024—At the 79^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) and the Summit of the Future in New York, global leaders called for the revitalization of multilateralism to address pressing global crises, drawing on the success of the global AIDS response as a model of hope and global solidarity.

"Multilateralism is not a theory – it is the way we save lives and keep the world secure,” Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, told the General Assembly. “When leaders work together for a common mission – anything is possible.”

At a special event convened by UNAIDS, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria on 24 September 2024, leaders from governments, communities, business, and international organizations all testified to how multilateralism had driven the extraordinary gains made in the fight against AIDS, and how the path to addressing other global challenges had been illuminated by the global HIV response.

“The AIDS response shows what is achievable when leaders unite, when communities are empowered, when inequalities are tackled, when human rights are protected and when science-based policy is backed by political will,” said United Nations Deputy General-Secretary, Amina Mohammed.

UNAIDS data shows that at the end of 2023, more than 30 million people were accessing life-saving HIV treatment, compared to just 7.7 million in 2010. The data also show that since 2010, AIDS-related deaths have been halved, and new HIV infections among children have been reduced by 62%.

Across the week of the UN General Assembly, leaders set out concrete commitments to ending AIDS by 2030. These include closing gaps in access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, ending stigma and discrimination, accelerating innovation and access to new HIV technologies, and mobilizing domestic and donor resources for the HIV response.

UNAIDS set out how ensuring the end of AIDS as a public health threat, and enabling the success of the Sustainable Development Goals, require bold action to tackle global inequalities. Ms Byanyima shone a light on the financing crisis which is choking sub-Saharan Africa, leaving health and HIV services chronically underfunded. "Public debt needs to be urgently reduced and domestic resource mobilization strengthened to fully fund the global HIV response and end AIDS by 2030," said Ms. Byanyima.

Two young HIV activists, Ibanomonde Ngema from South Africa and Jerop Limo from Kenya, supported by UNAIDS to meet leaders at the UN General Assembly, called on governments to work with young people as partners. "Young people are key to ending AIDS. Leaders need to listen to us and include us in policy-making to ensure the progress made is sustained," said Jerop Limo.

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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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.