Press Release

NEW YORK/GENEVA, 19 September 2022—At the Transforming Education Summit in New York it was announced that 12 African countries* have committed to Education Plus, a bold initiative to prevent HIV infections through free universal, quality secondary education for all girls and boys in Africa, reinforced through comprehensive empowerment programmes. 

Speaking on the Leaders Day of the Summit on behalf of the Education Plus movement, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima said, “School saves lives. We are coming together to champion the right for a girl to be in a classroom and in a safe classroom. Keeping girls in school helps ensure their rights and prevents HIV. We know that if a girl completes secondary education, the risk of infection reduces by 50%. That's why we've teamed up with UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women, with governments and with civil society, to champion the education and empowerment of adolescent girls in Africa to stop new HIV infections.” 

Through Education Plus, champion countries across Africa are bringing sectors together to fight inequalities by ensuring access to and completion of secondary school, protecting girls and young women from HIV infection, sexual violence, teenage pregnancies and early marriages, and creating opportunities for access to education, health, and jobs. 

Sierra Leone, an Education Plus champion, has been reforming its education system since 2018, enrolling an additional one million learners in four years. Speaking at the Summit President Julius Madda Bio said, “We have adopted a radical inclusion policy and have achieved gender parity in school enrollment. Girls can now be educated from primary through to university free of tuition fees, and pregnant girls can once again go to school. Education is not a luxury, it is a right. We must rally the international community behind the global initiatives being launched.”  

International partners shared their backing for the initiative. Franz Fayot, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Luxembourg said, “The risks of acquiring HIV and the challenges in accessing services in sub-Saharan Africa are very real and are compounded by stigma and discrimination, as well as legal and financial barriers. Financing to support education systems to deliver gender-transformative education is urgent. It will save lives and have a hugely positive impact on economies.” 

Joyce Ouma, a young leader from the Education Plus hub, shared why young women’s movements are backing the initiative: “Some of us are still denied sexual and reproductive health information and services and sexuality education because of our age and this has a devasting impact on our lives. As young women living with HIV, we face discrimination, stigma and violence perpetrated within school environments and cannot easily seek essential medical care. Transforming education means we face these gloomy statistics head on. I urge leaders to listen and act on our collective concerns for better systems.” 

UNAIDS latest report, In Danger, released in July this year showed that in sub-Saharan Africa 4 900 young women and girls (15-24 years old) acquired HIV every week in 2021. Once a person contracts HIV they require life-long treatment. In 2021 in sub-Saharan Africa, 22 000 adolescent girls and young women died of AIDS-related illnesses.  

Fostering investments in access to health, education and jobs gives results. Girls—and their communities and countries—reap multiple social and economic benefits from their completion of secondary school. An extra year of secondary school can increase women’s wages by 15-25%. Educating adolescent girls and young women in Africa could add US$ 316 billion or 10% to GDP in the period to 2025 if each country makes advances in gender parity in schooling. 

The United Nations Secretary-General recognized girls’ education and empowerment as crucial for development, "Girls’ education is among the most important steps to deliver peace, security, and sustainable development everywhere," said Antonio Guterres. 

*The 12 African Education Plus champion countries are Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra-Leone, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. 

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.

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.

As AIDS2022 in Montreal comes to a close, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said:

"Thanks to the dedication of thousands of scientists around the world, the determined organizing of civil society groups, and the support of key policy makers, the issues lifted up at AIDS2022 could enable a turning point in the global AIDS response. The new UNAIDS report released at the conference, In Danger, shows how the AIDS response has been blown off course, making action urgent.

The research presented at this conference provides new data, important scientific progress, and further evidence on the biomedical, social, and policy interventions needed to stop the AIDS pandemic. The insights and data shared by community organizations showed concretely how we can stop AIDS from snatching a life every minute and ways to tackle the inequalities driving the AIDS pandemic.

We are deeply saddened by how many researchers, officials, and people living with HIV from Africa, Asia, and Latin America were unable to come to the conference in Canada because they were unable to secure a visa. The host country of the next global AIDS conference, two years from now, must be one that guarantees that this will not be repeated and that those most affected by HIV can be fully at this important table.

Important steps forward were taken in Montreal.

This was a breakthrough conference for new long-acting ARVs to stop HIV. New research showed that injectable PrEP is among the most effective tools for preventing HIV available and that it works well in multiple populations. The World Health Organization released new guidelines and drugmaker ViiV has announced licenses for generic manufacturing of the drug in 90 countries. This could be a game changer if ViiV can provide an affordable price for low- and middle-income countries now, in the tens of dollars not hundreds of dollars, since it will be several years before generic production comes online and if generics are made available beyond these original 90 countries. 

The commitments made by African leaders and by international partners who have come together in the new global alliance to end AIDS in children could, if followed through, ensure that every child living with HIV is on antiretroviral medicine, and that no more children are infected with HIV. 

We thank the ministers and other political leaders who took part in the Conference, appreciate PEPFAR and Global Fund for the commitment demonstrated here, and call upon the many leaders who did not attend to take seriously the findings of this conference.

In particular, we call upon governments to urgently increase funding for the Global Fund and for the UN Joint Programme to enable the findings of this conference to turn into reality on the ground. As UNAIDS new report, In Danger, highlighted, courageous political leadership is essential to end AIDS and save millions of lives.”

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.

Globally, only half (52%) of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment. UNAIDS, UNICEF, and WHO have brought together a new alliance to fix one of the most glaring disparities in the AIDS response.

MONTREAL/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 1 August 2022 – Globally, only half (52%) of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment, far behind adults where three quarters (76%) are receiving antiretrovirals, according to the data that has just been released in the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022. Concerned by the stalling of progress for children, and the widening gap between children and adults, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO and partners have brought together a global alliance to ensure that no child living with HIV is denied treatment by the end of the decade and to prevent new infant HIV infections.

The new Global Alliance for Ending AIDS in Children by 2030 was announced by leading figures at the International AIDS Conference taking place in Montreal, Canada.

In addition to the United Nations agencies, the alliance includes civil society movements, including the Global Network of People living with HIV, national governments in the most affected countries, and international partners, including PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Twelve countries have joined the alliance in the first phase: Angola, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Consultations by the alliance have identified four pillars for collective action:

1. Closing the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women living with HIV and optimizing continuity of treatment;
2. Preventing and detecting new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women;
3. Accessible testing, optimized treatment, and comprehensive care for infants, children, and adolescents exposed to and living with HIV;
4. Addressing rights, gender equality, and the social and structural barriers that hinder access to services. 

Addressing the International AIDS Conference, Limpho Nteko from Lesotho shared how she had discovered she was HIV positive at age 21 while pregnant with her first child. This led her on a journey where she now works for the pioneering women-led mothers2mothers programme. Enabling community leadership, she highlighted, is key to an effective response.

“We must all sprint together to end AIDS in children by 2030,” said Ms. Nteko. “To succeed, we need a healthy, informed generation of young people who feel free to talk about HIV, and to get the services and support they need to protect themselves and their children from HIV. mothers2mothers has achieved virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV for our enrolled clients for eight consecutive years—showing what is possible when we let women and communities create solutions tailored to their realities.” 

The alliance will run for the next eight years until 2030, aiming to fix one of the most glaring disparities in the AIDS response. Alliance members are united in the assessment that the challenge is surmountable through partnership.

“The wide gap in treatment coverage between children and adults is an outrage,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “Through this alliance, we will channel that outrage into action. By bringing together new improved medicines, new political commitment, and the determined activism of communities, we can be the generation who end AIDS in children. We can win this – but we can only win together.”

"Despite progress to reduce vertical transmission, increase testing and treatment, and expand access to information, children around the world are still far less likely than adults to have access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "The launch of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children is an important step forward – and UNICEF is committed to working alongside all of our partners to achieve an AIDS-free future."

“No child should be born with or grow up with HIV, and no child with HIV should go without treatment,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Gheberyesus, WHO Director-General. “The fact that only half of children with HIV receive antiretrovirals is a scandal, and a stain on our collective conscience. The Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children is an opportunity to renew our commitment to children and their families to unite, to speak and to act with purpose and in solidarity with all mothers, children and adolescents.”

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health of Nigeria, pledged to “change the lives of children left behind” by putting in place the systems needed to ensure that health services meet the needs of children living with HIV.

Nigeria, Dr Ehanire announced, will host the alliance’s political launch in Africa at a Ministerial meeting in October 2022.

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 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.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook.

About WHO

Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues, and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Learn more at www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitch.

MONTREAL, CANADA 29 July 2022—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the latest data released by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which demonstrate the life-saving impact of PEPFAR funding and programmes on countries and communities. UNAIDS also applauds the continued, strong bipartisan leadership of the United States in the global response to HIV.

“PEPFAR’s latest impressive results show the outstanding impact and unique contributions of the United States to meeting the 2025 global HIV targets,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. "At a moment when some other bilateral donors retreated from their global commitments, the United States Administration and Congress continued to give strong, and critical support to PEPFAR, enabling countries to transition from epidemic control towards ending their AIDS epidemics,” said Ms Byanyima. “Together we are rallying other donors to follow the United States’s example.”

PEPFAR announced the new data on the opening day of the 24^th International AIDS Conference, presenting the life-saving impact of PEPFAR investments and programmatic support to partner countries.

Ambassador John Nkengasong, United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy said, “Comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment programmes have always been a priority for PEPFAR. Through the reduction of incidence and prevalence of HIV among adolescent girls and young women, women of childbearing age, and adult men, an additional 3.5 million babies were born HIV free between 2004 to 2021 and a total of 5.5 million babies have been born HIV-free as a result of PEPFAR and its partners.”

PEPFAR’s statement can be read at https://www.state.gov/pepfar-shows-impact-with-5-5-million-babies-born-hiv-free-due-to-comprehensive-program-efforts/

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.

At the launch of UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022 global AIDS leaders united in a call to prevent millions of new HIV infections and millions of AIDS-related deaths. 

MONTREAL/GENEVA, 30 July 2022—Global AIDS leaders have joined forces in issuing a strong warning that derailing of progress to end AIDS is putting millions of people in danger. They came together to launch UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022, ahead of the opening of the 24^th International AIDS Conference currently taking place in Montreal, 29 July to 2 August.

“The data we are sharing brings painful but vital news,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The latest findings reveal that the response to the AIDS pandemic has been derailed by global crises, from the colliding pandemics of HIV and COVID, to the war in Ukraine and the resulting global economic crisis. Progress has been stalled, inequalities have widened, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are now at risk.”

Her concerns were echoed by Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States, who stated that the new data are a “wakeup call” and a reminder that the “global plague of HIV continues to rage.”

“There has, without a doubt, been backsliding in the HIV response amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Fauci. “Testing and hence HIV diagnoses decreased in many countries including in my own country, harm reduction services to people who use drugs and other vulnerable people have been widely disrupted. Reduced access to TB diagnoses and treatment resulted in an increase in TB deaths among people living with HIV from 2019 to 2020. What UNAIDS new report calls “faltering progress” means that 1.5 million people were infected with HIV last year, tragically three times the global target that we had hoped for. As the global HIV community meets, the conference theme of re-engage and follow the science could not be a better fit. I am sure that I speak for all my US government colleagues when I say that we remain fully committed to the kinds of engagement needed to get us on a course to reach our goal of a world where HIV infections are uncommon and HIV deaths rare.”

Keren Dunaway from the International Community of Women Living with HIV set out her struggles as a young Latin American woman who was born with HIV, and those of other women living with HIV in her network. She shared the story of a young pregnant woman from Nicaragua who, when she was diagnosed with HIV, was blamed for having HIV by medical staff who even asked her how many men she had been with, and said her baby was already HIV positive without any prior testing.

“The findings in the UNAIDS report and the data we have uncovered are much, much more than numbers, they are the lived realities of young women living with HIV. Young women and key populations continue to confront political agendas that seek to turn the clock back on our fundamental human rights including our right to bodily autonomy,” said Ms Dunaway. “These regressive efforts place younger women in increasingly precarious situations. When women are deprived of our core rights to have a say about our bodies and our rights to sexual and reproductive healthcare, we will all pay the high price in terms of prevention of new infections, and progress towards all goals of the HIV response.”

Stating that thousands of younger women, like herself, are mobilizing and organizing to push back against regressive attitudes and policies and confront the damages inflicted by the pandemic, but also warning that they cannot do it alone. “As young women fighting for our futures, we call on all of you to step up and ensure the HIV response urgently recognizes the dangers that younger women and key populations face – always – but more acutely after the COVID pandemic,” she said.

Ambassador Dr John Nkengasong, United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy, backed the call for transformative action saying, “the HIV response and struggle is at a crossroads. We are seeing remarkable progress in some regions, notably in southern and eastern Africa, but, in some areas of some countries, increases. The timing of this report couldn’t have been more appropriate to remind us that the AIDS pandemic – and I use the word pandemic purposefully - is not a pandemic of yesterday, it is a pandemic of today. We cannot wait to fight the AIDS pandemic until the COVID pandemic is over. It has to be a question of fighting them together. It’s time not only to know your gaps but to close those gaps.”

He said that  PEPFAR looked forward to working with UNAIDS on rights; on addressing the structural determinants of HIV; on issues of stigma and discrimination of key populations; and on turning off the tap to stop new HIV infections, stating the staggering figure of 4000 new HIV infections every day in 2021.

The host of AIDS2022 and President of the International AIDS Society Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman stressed that the world cannot afford to lose more ground in the global response to HIV. “70% of new HIV infections in 2021 occurred among key populations and their partners,” she said. “This illustrates that the most marginalized are also the hardest hit. We urgently need to make resources available, close research gaps, and eliminate the stigma that still pervades thinking. Most crucially, we must ensure that scientists, policymakers and activists come together to achieve progress. It’s time to re-engage and follow the science.”

Andriy Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health in Ukraine emphasised that, “this is the first time UNAIDS has released a global AIDS report with such an alarming title - In Danger. In danger means that we need to act boldly, immediately and with a solid response. Current crises are pushing back the AIDS response. In order to get on track, we need more resources. And the report shows a fundamental mismatch. When new HIV cases are going up in some regions… funding is going down. We need to address this, and we need to fully fund the Global Fund. The success of the AIDS response over the next few years will depend on how successful the Global Fund replenishment will be. Will we raise 18 billion dollars to save 20 million lives or not?”

He added that key factors for a successful response to HIV were supporting human rights, and gender equality. He stressed that it was impossible to support people who use drugs when they are criminalized and put in prison rather than being offered treatment. He warned that much depends not only on funding, but on policy change saying that it was “critical to put science and evidence over ideology and prejudice.”

Champion of women and girls, Ms Anita Vandenbeld MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development (Canada) said, “As UNAIDS new Global AIDS Update 2022 shows, an emphasis on women and girls, on intersectionality, on equality and on the most vulnerable is more important than ever to stopping the spread of HIV. I find it particularly shocking and unacceptable that adolescent girls and young women make up 76% of young people newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. This is an area where we need to double down and do more. The global AIDS response is under threat and that is something that we as political leaders need to respond to. Canada remains firmly committed to ending AIDS using our feminist international assistance policy to guide us.”

MONTREAL/GENEVA, 28 July 2022—UNAIDS welcomes the agreement between ViiV and the Medicines Patent Pool to enable access to generic formulation of long acting Cabotegravir for PrEP to 90 low- and lower-middle income countries.

UNAIDS Deputy Executive a.i. Dr Matthew Kavanagh said:

“UNAIDS applauds this decision by ViiV, and congratulates the Medicines Patent Pool for securing this agreement. Supporting the production of affordable generic CAB-LA could keep millions of people safe from HIV.

Some pharmaceutical companies have claimed that technology sharing undermines the development of technology—but this licensing deal proves that companies can share and prosper.

Progress in the global HIV response is slowing, and in too many countries we are even seeing rising infections. The 2025 targets are in danger, and only bold actions can enable the curve of new infections to be pulled down. We cannot afford to wait for new technologies to be deployed. Further action is essential to ensure that the potential that this announcement brings is fully realised.

First, it is vital that the license be extended to more than the 90 countries named. Middle-income countries are now where the majority of new HIV infections occur and home to many of the key populations most at risk of HIV and who most need access to long-acting ARVs. But many are not included in this license despite considerable need for affordable new health technologies.

Second, as generic production will take several years to come online, it is crucial that ViiV commit to sell CAB-LA in low- and middle- income countries at a price as close as possible to the current cost of Oral PrEP—currently approximately $60. This would enable ViiV to prevent millions of new HIV infections.”

UNAIDS commends the non-exclusivity clauses of the agreement, which allows qualified generic producers all over the world to express the interest in producing it. UNAIDS encourages ViiV and MPP to support generic producers in developing this new technology through a consistent transfer of technology package that goes beyond the licensing aspects.

This agreement could pave the way for sharing of technology on long acting treatment, too.  UNAIDS urges that licensing help develop a path for accelerated market entry of generic formulations of long-acting ARVs not only for prevention, but also for treatment, when normative guidance is established.

UNAIDS calls on businesses, governments and funders ensure that everyone who needs long acting antiretrovirals can access them.

“We urge all companies developing long-acting HIV medicines to commit to sharing technology through the Medicines Patent Pool, and all governments to act rapidly to secure affordable access to the newest technologies for all who would benefit from them,” said Dr Kavanagh. “There must be no repeat by any company of the deadly delays in rolling out HIV products that we saw early on in the AIDS epidemic and that has recently been repeated with COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Sharing technology is essential for stopping pandemics.”

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.

Progress in prevention and treatment is faltering around the world, putting millions of people in grave danger. Eastern Europe and central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa have all seen increases in annual HIV infections over several years. In Asia and the Pacific, UNAIDS data now show new HIV infections are rising where they had been falling. Action to tackle the inequalities driving AIDS is urgently required to prevent millions of new HIV infections this decade and to end the AIDS pandemic. 

MONTREAL/GENEVA, 27 July 2022—New data from UNAIDS on the global HIV response reveals that during the last two years of COVID-19 and other global crises, progress against the HIV pandemic has faltered, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are at risk as a result. The new report, In Danger, is being launched ahead of the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada.

Globally the number of new infections dropped only 3.6% between 2020 and 2021, the smallest annual decline in new HIV infections since 2016. Eastern Europe and central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America have all seen increases in annual HIV infections over several years. In Asia and the Pacific – the world’s most populous region – UNAIDS data now shows new HIV infections are rising where they had been falling. Climbing infections in these regions are alarming. In eastern and southern Africa rapid progress from previous years significantly slowed in 2021. There is some positive news, with notable declines in new HIV infections in western and central Africa and in the Caribbean, but even in these regions, the HIV response is threatened by a tightening resource crunch.

“These data show the global AIDS response in severe danger. If we are not making rapid progress then we are losing ground, as the pandemic thrives amidst COVID-19, mass displacement, and other crises. Let us remember the millions of preventable deaths we are trying to stop,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.

Faltering progress meant approximately 1.5 million new infections occurred last year – over 1 million more than the global targets.

Marked inequalities within and between countries, are stalling progress in the HIV response, and HIV is further widening those inequalities.

New infections occurred disproportionately among young women and adolescent girls, with a new infection every two minutes in this population in 2021. The gendered HIV impact, particularly for young African women and girls, occurred amidst disruption of key HIV treatment and prevention services, millions of girls out of school due to pandemics, and spikes in teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women are three times as likely to acquire HIV as adolescent boys and young men.   

During the disruptions of the last few years, key populations have been particularly affected in many communities – with rising prevalence in many locations. UNAIDS data have shown increasing risk of new infections faced by gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) globally. As of 2021, UNAIDS key populations data show MSM have 28 times the risk of acquiring HIV compared to people of the same age and gender identity while people who inject drugs have 35 times the risk, sex workers 30 times the risk, and transgender women 14 times the risk.

Racial inequalities are also exacerbating HIV risks. In the United Kingdom and United States of America, declines in new HIV diagnoses have been greater among white populations than among black people. In countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, HIV acquisition rates are higher in indigenous communities than in non-indigenous communities.

The report also shows that efforts to ensure that all people living with HIV are accessing life-saving antiretroviral treatment are faltering. The number of people on HIV treatment grew more slowly in 2021 than it has in over a decade. And while three-quarters of all people living with HIV have access to antiretroviral treatment, approximately 10 million people do not, and only half (52%) of children living with HIV have access to lifesaving medicine; the gap in HIV treatment coverage between children and adults is increasing rather than narrowing.

The AIDS pandemic took a life every minute, on average, in 2021, with 650 000 AIDS deaths despite effective HIV treatment and tools to prevent, detect, and treat opportunistic infections.

“These figures are about political will. Do we care about empowering and protecting our girls? Do we want to stop AIDS deaths among children? Do we put saving lives ahead of criminalization?” asked Ms Byanyima. “If we do, then we must get the AIDS response back on track.”

There were significant differences between countries. Some of the countries with the biggest increases in the number of new HIV infections since 2015 included: Philippines, Madagascar, Congo and South Sudan. On the other hand, South Africa, Nigeria, India and United Republic of Tanzania had some of the most significant reductions in the numbers of HIV infections even amidst COVID-19 and other crises. Examples of progress point toward what effective pandemic response requires – with some of the strongest progress where community-led services, enabling legal and policy environments, and equitable services are clearest.

The report sets out the devastating consequences if urgent action is not taken to tackle the inequalities which drive the pandemic. It shows that on the current path the number of new infections per year would be over 1.2 million in 2025 – the year in which United Nations member states have set a goal of fewer than 370 000 new HIV infections. That would mean not just missing the pledge on new infections but overshooting that pledge by more than three times. Millions of avoidable HIV infections every year are making it ever harder and more expensive to ensure people living with HIV have access to lifesaving treatment and the targets to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030 are reached.

Global shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war have further exacerbated risks for the HIV response. Debt repayments for the world’s poorest countries reached 171% of all spending on healthcare, education and social protection combined, choking countries’ capacities to respond to AIDS. Domestic funding for the HIV response in low- and middle-income countries has fallen for two consecutive years. The Ukraine war has dramatically increased global food prices, worsening food insecurity for people living with HIV across the world, making them much more likely to experience interruptions in HIV treatment.

At a moment when international solidarity and a surge of funding is most needed, too many high-income countries are cutting back aid, and resources for global health are under serious threat. In 2021, international resources available for HIV were 6% lower than in 2010. Overseas development assistance for HIV from bilateral donors other than the United States of America has plummeted by 57% over the last decade. The HIV response in low- and middle-income countries is US$8 billion short of the amount needed by 2025. Global trade rules are obstructing low- and middle-income countries’ production of pandemic-ending medicines, including new and emerging long-acting HIV medicines, and keeping prices unaffordably high for these countries to procure at scale.

“When international support has been most needed, global solidarity has stalled. Leaders must not mistake the huge red warning light for a stop sign. This must become a moment for a surge of international support,” said Ms Byanyima.

It is still possible for leaders to get the response back on track. This requires both national action and international solidarity. Last year leaders agreed a roadmap, set out in the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, which can end AIDS by 2030 – if leaders fulfil it. It is eminently achievable and affordable – indeed, ending AIDS will cost much less money than not ending AIDS. Importantly, actions needed to end AIDS will also better prepare the world to protect itself against the threats of future pandemics.

The proven package for success includes; community-led, people-centred services; the upholding of everyone’s human rights, the removal of punitive and discriminatory laws, and the tackling of stigma; the empowerment of girls and women; equal access to treatment including new health technologies; and health services, education, and social protection for all.

“We can end AIDS by 2030 as promised,” said Ms Byanyima. “But what it takes is courage.”

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, 23 July 2022—UNAIDS today called on governments to respond urgently to the World Health Organization declaration of Monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO has received reports over 16 thousand cases in 75 countries. The outbreak is occurring particularly, but not exclusively, among gay men and other men who have sex with men. 

“The World Health Organization has issued an urgent call today based on clear evidence that Monkeypox represents a global threat to the health of communities and requires a global response,” said Dr. Matthew Kavanagh, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director a.i. “This outbreak can be stopped if governments, healthcare providers, communities, and pharmaceutical companies act with urgency. Drawing on the hard-learnt lessons of the response to the AIDS pandemic, effective public health actions must be guided by the principles of solidarity, equality, nondiscrimination and inclusion. The virus, spread through close contact, can affect anyone. But it is currently most impacting gay men and other men who have sex with men, who in many communities face discrimination. Stigma and discrimination undermine epidemic response, sending people with symptoms underground and failing to address the underlying barriers that people face in attempting to protect their own health and that of their community. It can also cause public health authorities to act with insufficient urgency. We urge people to demonstrate compassion to those affected, not discrimination. UNAIDS is urging countries to partner and engage affected communities in the development, implementation, and monitoring of all stages of the response. 

“We are concerned that some low- and middle-income countries are struggling to get access to vaccines being deployed now in high income countries. Repeating vaccine nationalism and inequality will prolong the outbreak and unjustly deepen suffering from this virus.  We call on governments and vaccine manufacturers to work together to ensure that all those in need can access and benefit from vaccines, including people affected in endemic countries.

“UNAIDS would like to acknowledge the leadership of organizations led by communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men that, in many countries, have been stepping forward in responding to the outbreak, raising awareness, challenging misinformation and supporting vaccination efforts.”

The Monkeypox outbreak illustrates that communities will continue to face threats from viruses, and that international coordination and solidarity is essential for public health as viruses can only be overcome globally.

UNAIDS urges all media covering Monkeypox to follow the regular updates being issued by WHO.

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.

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA / GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 18 July 2022—Leaders meeting at the Africa Union summit in Lusaka, Zambia, have pledged their support for the Education Plus initiative at its continental launch, commiting to take action to keep adolescent girls in school, which will dramatically reduce their vulnerability to HIV.

Every week, around 4200 adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV. In 2020, six in seven adolescents aged between 15—19 years old acquiring HIV in the region were girls. More than 23000 young women died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2020, making it the second leading cause of death among women aged 15—29 after maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keeping girls in secondary school and providing them with life skills, training and employment opportunities is key to ending the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Research shows that ensuring that girls complete secondary education reduces their risk of acquiring HIV by up to half, and that combining this with a package of services and rights for girls’ empowerment reduces their risk further still. 

Education Plus calls for free and quality secondary education for all girls and boys in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025; universal access to comprehensive sexuality education; fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights; freedom from gender-based and sexual violence; school-to-work transitions, and economic security and empowerment. 

“My government has committed to the provision of free primary and secondary education for  all,” said President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, who hosted the summit. “Education is the greatest equalizer and with appropriate education, everyone is given an opportunity to explore their full potential and be able to participate in the development process. Access to education empowers both girls and boys as it enhances their ability to access decent jobs and other means of production thus alleviating poverty.”

The President of Senegal and current chair of the African Union, Macky Sall, launched the initiative flanked by three other presidents and  the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.

“It is my pleasure to join you on the occasion of the ceremony to launch the continental “Education Plus Initiative” under the leadership of the Organisation of African First Ladies (OAFLAD) in support to children and young girls in particular,” said President Sall. “There is need for action to promote women’s rights and autonomy, to fight against the discrimination and violence which girls and women face. We must address gender inequality at all stages of life. At the continental level, AU Member States are committed to accelerating the implementation of gender-specific economic, social, and legal measures aimed at combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic by adopting various policy and legal frameworks including the Maputo Protocol.”

The launch was held in partnership with the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, convened by the First Lady of Zambia, H.E Mutinta Hichilema. 

“I am confident that Education Plus will enable us all to protect, provide and preserve the lives of adolescent girls and young women by enhancing education standards and preventing new HIV infections by use of various interventions,” said Ms Hichilema.

“We lend our voice to the transformative call for gender-inclusive education in Africa,” said Leyla Gozo, Executive Secretary of  the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, “First ladies are uniquely positioned to amplify this inititiative.”

The Education Plus initiative has taken on even greater urgency as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed millions of girls out of school. Even before the pandemic, almost 34 million adolescent girls aged 12—17 years old in the sub-Saharan Africa region were not in secondary school. Evidence also shows that girls are less likely to restart school once they have dropped out.

Ten African countries – Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda – have so far committed to the initiative which is jointly convened by five United Nations agencies, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women, and brings together governments, civil society and international partners.

“We are making progress in Africa but not fast enough,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima in her address to the launch. “We need to urgently address the gender inequalities that still plague the continent, with devastating impacts on poor girls and young women. We don’t have a minute to wait.  Working together, we can all end discriminatory laws and harmful social norms, so that our girls are healthy, educated and empowered and can lead our continent, Africa, forward.”

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.