GENEVA, 13 July 2012—United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Asha-Rose Migiro as his Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.  “Ms Migiro’s experience in responding to AIDS as UN Deputy Secretary-General, combined with her many years as an advocate for health and social justice in Africa, make her uniquely qualified for this important role,” said Mr Ban.

Ms Migiro served as the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General from 2007 to 2012. In that role, she was integrally involved in promoting the AIDS response globally and within Africa, with special emphasis on reducing the vulnerability of women and girls and ensuring the rights of people living with HIV.

“I am honoured to accept this appointment at this crucial moment in the African AIDS response,” said Ms Migiro. “A decade ago, HIV in Africa was almost entirely an epidemic of despair. Today, we celebrate progress against AIDS that we never thought possible. Now is the time to take our efforts to a new level––I am committed to the Secretary-General’s vision that the beginning of the end of AIDS in Africa starts now.”

Ms Migiro served as Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2006 to 2007—the first woman to hold that position since the country’s independence. She was previously the Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children for five years. Prior to Government service, she pursued a career in academia, and, served as a member of Tanzania’s Law Reform Commission in 1997 and as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2000.

“I look forward to working closely with Ms Migiro in helping African countries reduce their AIDS dependency and provide universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “Her experience and leadership will promote African ownership of the AIDS response at the highest levels and reduce the inequities of people affected by AIDS in the continent.”

Africa remains the continent most affected by HIV. In 2010, about 68% of all people living with HIV resided in sub-Saharan Africa. The region also accounted for 70% of all new HIV infections worldwide.

GENEVA, 8 June 2012—The Programme Coordinating Board—governing body of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)—concluded its 30^th session on 7 June calling for a range of recommendations to strengthen the global HIV response. During the three-day deliberations, the Board received progress reports on issues related to the work of UNAIDS and its Cosponsors.

In his report to the Board, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé underscored the progress made towards the targets of the 2011 Political Declaration on AIDS. The Global Plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children and reduce AIDS-related maternal deaths is on track, said Mr Sidibé. UNAIDS and partners are advancing their commitment to empower and protect women and girls, he added.

“Let me be clear: with your continued support, we will end new HIV infections from mother to child by 2015, and we will do all we can to keep women living with HIV alive and healthy,” said Mr Sidibé.

Women and girls

The Board called on Member States to implement programmes that ensure national HIV responses meet the specific needs of women and girls—including those living with and affected by HIV—across their lifespan.

Delegates unanimously welcomed UN Women as the eleventh Cosponsor of UNAIDS. The new partnership with UN Women is expected to further strengthen the UNAIDS family’s work on gender equality and HIV, as well as enhance collaboration with governments, international partners, women’s organizations and the women’s rights movement.

Other key decisions and recommendations

The Board called on Member States to support effective national AIDS responses by intensifying their efforts to create enabling legal frameworks. Countries were requested to review laws and policies that adversely affect the successful, effective and equitable delivery of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes to people living with and affected by HIV.

Recognizing the critical role that civil society organizations play in the HIV response, the Board called on UNAIDS, in collaboration with Member States, to advocate for continued funding for civil society, as well as for enhanced mechanisms for civil society support and accountability within the new funding architecture of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Board members also urged UNAIDS to use its convening role to facilitate more strategic, country-driven and coordinated technical support. They accepted the UNAIDS financial report and audited financial statements for the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011.

A thematic segment focused on combination HIV prevention approaches provided an opportunity for delegates to exchange information and perspectives on the latest developments and strategies to prevent the spread of HIV. Outcomes from the session will feed into discussions at the July 2012 International AIDS Conference, to be held in Washington DC.

The Programme Coordinating Board meeting—chaired by Poland, with India as vice-chair and the United States of America as rapporteur—was attended by participants and observers from UN Member States, international organizations, civil society and non-governmental organizations. The UNAIDS Executive Director’s report, decisions, recommendations and conclusions from the meeting to the Board can be found at: unaids.org.

GENEVA, 29 May 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the announcement by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that Guy Ryder has been elected as the organization’s new Director-General. Mr Ryder will begin his five-year term in October 2012, taking over from current Director-General Juan Somavia.

“HIV has had a huge impact on business, industry, workers and workplaces,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The ILO’s commitment to preventing HIV and promoting human rights at work for people living with HIV continues to play a critical role in the AIDS response. I look forward to working closely with Mr Ryder to increase access to HIV services for people living with HIV both in and beyond the workplace.”

The vast majority of the 34 million people living with HIV are aged 15-49 and are in the prime of their working lives. As two out of three people living with HIV go to work each day, the workplace is one of the most effective settings for responding to the epidemic.

ILO is the cosponsoring organization of UNAIDS which takes the lead on HIV workplace policy and private sector mobilization to protect people living with HIV and achieve zero discrimination in the workplace. The ILO takes action to prevent HIV and ensure access to HIV services for workers and their families who are affected by HIV. It also actively protects the rights of workers, opposing discrimination, and improving occupational safety and health.

GENEVA, 10 May 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expresses its concern over recent actions by Greek authorities involving the arrest, detention, mandatory HIV testing, publication of photographs and personal details, and pressing of criminal charges against at least 12 sex workers. There is no evidence that punitive approaches to regulating sex work are effective in reducing HIV transmission among sex workers and their clients.

The initiation of criminal prosecution against sex workers living with HIV for intentional gross bodily harm raises concerns about the inappropriate application of criminal law, particularly in a context where clients have the social and economic power to insist upon condom use.  In addition, publication of names, photographs and positive HIV status drive sex workers into hiding and reduces their trust in health care services.

UNAIDS is further concerned by a recent amendment to immigration legislation adopted in April 2012 that appears to provide for automatic detention of migrants and asylum-seekers who have an infectious disease, or belong to a group at high risk of infection, without consideration of whether they pose an actual risk. This includes sex workers, people who inject drugs and could be applied to people living with HIV.

To the degree the law assumes that people living with HIV, sex workers and people who use drugs pose a public health threat based only on their health and social status, it is overly broad and discriminatory, and represents an HIV-related restriction on entry, stay and residence.

UNAIDS urges the Greek authorities to review these laws and practices with a view to adopt evidence-based programmes and an enabling legal environment that supports all people—including sex workers and their clients, people who use drugs, migrants and asylum-seekers—to access voluntary and confidential HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services so that they can avoid HIV infection or live a healthier life if HIV-positive.

GENEVA, 9 May 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes today’s announcement by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria that an additional US$ 1.6 billion will be available for new commitments over the next three years.

“This ushers in a new era for the Global Fund and I am pleased to see that it is opening the door to new partnerships,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The Global Fund must keep firmly focused on country successes and continue to leverage resources to ensure that countries can reach their goals and that more lives are saved.”

Resources available for HIV from international sources have been declining in recent years, hampering countries’ efforts to scale-up programmes. Many countries responded to the shortfall with an increase in domestic spending for HIV. The volatility of resource availability has slowed the provision of HIV prevention and treatment services.

The renewed focus on shared responsibility of donors and governments provides an opportunity to build new partnership frameworks which allow countries and communities to take the lead in determining their priorities to meet the 2015 targets as outlined in the 2011 UN Political Declaration on AIDS.

The Global Fund in its reform process must continue to put countries first. UNAIDS urges the Global Fund to make the additional resources available to countries as quickly as possible. UNAIDS will continue to work closely with the Global Fund, countries and communities to ensure the resources are invested transparently in effective and evidence informed programmes to achieve the best results for people.

GENEVA, 1 May 2012—United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed J.V.R. Prasada Rao as his Special Envoy for AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Rao will take over the position in July this year from Dr Nafis Sadik who served in the role since 2002.

“Mr Rao has demonstrated his strong leadership of the AIDS response for 14 years,” said Mr Ban. “I am confident that as my Special Envoy he will help to achieve an HIV-free generation in the region.”

Mr Rao began his engagement with HIV issues when he became Director of India’s National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in 1997. During his time with NACO he successfully made India’s response to the epidemic truly multi-sectoral by engaging a broad range of international partners. Later he became India’s Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, where he played an instrumental role in drafting India’s AIDS Prevention and Control Policy.

His experience and contribution to the AIDS response led him to being appointed as the Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’ (UNAIDS) Regional Support Team in Asia-Pacific and subsequently as Special Advisor to the Executive Director of UNAIDS.

Mr Rao served as Member Secretary of two independent commissions on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. He is currently also a Commissioner of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law.

“Prasada is an excellent and experienced champion for the AIDS response,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “He has an expert understanding of the dynamics of the epidemics in the region and we look forward to working with him in his new role and combining our efforts to end AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.”

The UN Secretary-General announced the appointment in Mr Rao’s home country, India, where he was on an official visit to further his efforts to improve women and children’s health around the world.

GENEVA, 25 April 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to eliminate stigma and discrimination, protect human rights and facilitate access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for workers.

“This MOU will result in further bringing the voice of workers to the AIDS response. An effective engagement of trade unions will enhance the protection of rights at work and contribute to the realization of the goal of getting to Zero,” says Mr Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO.  

One of the commitments adopted by United Nations Member States in the 2011 Political Declaration on AIDS is to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on workers, their families and their dependents, as well as the impact on workplaces and economies. The declaration also calls for the effective implementation of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) standards on AIDS and the world of work.

“The trade union movement is deeply committed to the AIDS response. The involvement of unions enhances and strengthens both the credibility and effectiveness of workplace initiatives. Protection from discrimination at work, and ensuring access to HIV prevention and treatment services are also crucial areas in which unions are fully engaged,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

In 2010 a non-governmental consultation on stigma and discrimination found that more than one third of people living with HIV had experienced loss of employment, denial of health care, social or vocational exclusion and/or involuntary disclosure.

“It is unacceptable that people lose their jobs or source of income because of their HIV status,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Trade Unions are vitally important in the AIDS response to protect workers’ rights and inform workers about access to HIV services.”

UNAIDS and the ITUC, in collaboration with ILO, will unite efforts on a number of specific activities to increase HIV services for workers including advocating to remove travel restrictions for people living with HIV, to enforce laws which protect people living with HIV and access to justice, to mobilize political commitment and to trigger debate on young people, employment and HIV.

GENEVA, 20 April 2012—UNAIDS commends the High Court of Kenya for a ruling today that will safeguard access to affordable and quality life-saving generic medicines. The decision by the High Court found that the definition of “anti-counterfeit” within the 2008 Anti-Counterfeit Act was too broad.

“The Act is vague and could undermine access to affordable generic medicines since the Act had failed to clearly distinguish between counterfeit and generic medicines,” said High Court Judge Mumbi Ngugi in her ruling.

The High Court called on Kenya’s Parliament to review the Act and remove ambiguities that could result in arbitrary seizures of generic medicines under the pretext of fighting counterfeit drugs. The judgment also stated that intellectual property rights should not override the right to life and health.

“A vast majority of people in Kenya rely on quality generic drugs for their daily survival. Through this important ruling, the High Court of Kenya has upheld a fundamental element of the right to health,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “This decision will set an important precedent for ensuring access to life-saving drugs around the world.”

At the end of 2011, about 1.6 million people in Kenya were living with HIV. An estimated 743 000 Kenyans are eligible for antiretroviral treatment, of whom 539 000 are currently receiving it. Kenya’s national HIV treatment programme relies heavily on access to generic antiretroviral medicines.

“We must have both generic drugs and strong anti-counterfeit laws,” said Mr Sidibé. “Generic drugs give more people access to life-saving treatment—while anti-counterfeit laws keep people safe.”

In low- and middle-income countries more than 80% of the antiretroviral drugs used by the 6.6 million people on HIV treatment come from generic manufacturers. Nearly 8 million additional people living with HIV were eligible for treatment at the end of 2010.

GENEVA, 17 April 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the selection of Dr Jim Yong Kim as the 12th President of the World Bank Group. Dr Kim’s dedication to improving the lives of the most vulnerable, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, has enabled him to bring innovations in health and development to scale.

“Jim Kim brings insight, inspiration and a proven track record to this important position,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “I look forward to working closely with Jim, as his selection ushers in a new era for the World Bank and how we approach the future of development.”

The World Bank is a UNAIDS Cosponsor and leads the joint programme’s efforts to support strategic, results-oriented national HIV planning; provide sustained, predictable funding for HIV programmes; and promote more efficient, effective and transparent HIV programme implementation.

Dr Kim currently serves as President of Dartmouth College. As the former Director of the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS department, he led the “3 by 5” initiative, which resulted in a massive scale up of access to antiretroviral treatment. His early leadership has helped make it possible for more than 6.6 million people to access antiretroviral treatment today.

GENEVA, 6 April 2012—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the appointment of Ms Ertharin Cousin as the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Ms Cousin brings more than 25 years of national and international non-profit, government, and corporate leadership experience focusing on hunger, food and resilience strategies.

“I congratulate Ertharin Cousin on taking this leadership role at WFP,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “Food security plays a critical role in reducing HIV vulnerability and uptake of antiretroviral treatment. Together, we will work to end both—AIDS and food insecurity.”

WFP is a Cosponsor of UNAIDS and leads the programme’s efforts on dietary and nutrition support in the AIDS response. WFP’s HIV programmes focus on improving HIV treatment success through food and nutrition support, as well as mitigating the effects of HIV among food-insecure individuals and households.