Rio de Janeiro, 19 October 2011—Ronaldo de Assis Moreira—the Brazilian football star also known as Ronaldinho—has accepted an invitation from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Brazil’s Ministry of Health to promote AIDS awareness through sport.

“Ronaldinho is a great inspiration to young people the world over,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “His voice will reach millions of people and bring new energy to our vision of achieving zero new HIV infections.” 

Drawing on his years of experience in professional football, Mr de Assis Moreira will use sport as a means of engaging young people and raising awareness around AIDS. “I am honoured to stand together with UNAIDS and the Ministry of Health of Brazil in the response to HIV,” said Mr de Assis Moreira. “I am delighted to make a small contribution to this important cause by doing what I do best: playing football.”

Globally there are more than 5 million young people living with HIV and every day, 2400 young people become infected with the virus. Although young people are increasingly learning how to protect themselves, only one-third of young people globally have accurate and comprehensive knowledge of how to protect themselves from HIV.

Brazil has pioneered an effective response to HIV for many years. The Brazilian Minister of Heath, Mr Alexandre Padilha said, “Ronaldinho will be an excellent role model for young people around the world and is passionate about his new role. I am confident that he will be a real asset to the global AIDS response.”

Countries with the highest rates of new HIV infections in children will meet in South Africa to assess opportunities for scaling up programmes.

Johannesburg, 28 September 2011—The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) announced today that with political will and focused resources—countries can meet the 2015 target to eliminate new HIV infections amongst children and ensure mothers living with HIV remain healthy through pregnancy, delivery and after the birth of their child. 

UNAIDS estimates about 90% of new HIV infections amongst children are concentrated in 22 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and India. In June 2011, a global pan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive was launched at the United Nations High Level meeting on AIDS. The plan was developed by a Global Task Team Co-Chaired by UNAIDS and United States President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).   

Speaking from the Zola clinic in Soweto, South Africa one of the 22 most affected countries with 14% of the global burden, Michel Sidibé said, “Mother by mother, clinic by clinic, and country by country we can reach pregnant women with HIV services, to ensure their babies are born free from HIV and to improve their own health.

During the country visit to South Africa, Mr Sidibe met with parents and healthcare workers to talk about what can be done to accelerate progress. Zola clinic sees about 15 pregnant women each day, the majority do not know their HIV status. South Africa has an ambitious HIV testing and counselling programme that has reached more than 13 million people from April 2010 to September 2011.

Representatives from the 22 high burden countries will meet in South Africa next week to assess country plans. The two-day meeting will focus on country gap analysis and creating momentum. Since the launch, global interest in supporting the elimination goal is high—with innovative fundraising organizations such as (RED) joining to promote and raise needed resources. The African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank are also considering funding national plans in support of the Global Plan.

Fiji latest country to remove entry barriers for people living with HIV

GENEVA, 7 September 2011—The British business pioneer Sir Richard Branson has thrown his support behind a global drive to rid the world finally of the remaining discriminatory laws that keep people from visiting, or living and working in countries solely because they are HIV positive. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has called for the global freedom of movement for people living with HIV.

Sir Richard Branson said, “I applaud UNAIDS' tireless efforts to encourage countries to remove travel restrictions on people living with HIV. Everyone should have the chance to travel freely, and I welcome the opportunity to work together on such an important issue.”

Last month, Fiji became the latest country to lift its restrictions on entry, stay or residence based on HIV status.

“I am very proud to say as the Head of State, that the Fiji Government has taken strides into changing laws that are discriminatory including decriminalizing men who have sex with men and amending legislation on travel related restrictions involving people living with HIV and promoting consultations around creating an enabling environment for sex workers,” the President of Fiji Ratu Epeli Nailatikau stated in his opening address at the International AIDS Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific on Friday 26 August.

Sir Richard Branson said, “Fiji's leadership sends a strong message, and my hope is that other governments will follow their example.”

With the removal of Fiji’s HIV travel restrictions, UNAIDS counts 47 countries, territories and areas that continue to impose some form of restriction on the entry, stay and residence of people living with HIV based on their HIV status. At least 128 countries have no such restrictions.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said, “With the support of tireless advocates such as Sir Richard Branson—we will bring about a new era of equal mobility for people living with HIV.”

Sir Richard Branson is Founder of the Virgin Group of companies. Virgin is one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands and has expanded into many diverse sectors from air and ground travel to telecommunications, health, space travel and renewable energy through more than 200 companies worldwide. In 2005, Branson started Virgin Unite, the Group’s non-profit entrepreneurial foundation, which works with partners to create new  approaches to social and environmental issues. Virgin Unite has also helped to incubate a number of global leadership initiatives, including the Elders, the Carbon War Room, and the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

UNAIDS

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative United Nations partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Learn more at unaids.org.

Virgin Unite

Virgin Unite is the non-profit entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group.  Founded in 2005, Virgin Unite unites people to tackle tough social and environmental problems in an entrepreneurial way, with the aim to help revolutionize the way businesses, government and the social sector work together – driving business as a force for good.  This is based on the belief that this is the only way to tackle the scale and urgency of the challenges facing the world today. For more information please visit www.virginunite.com. 

GENEVA/MENLO PARK, Calif., 16 August 2011—Funding disbursements from donor governments for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries fell in 2010, dropping 10% from the previous year’s level, according to an annual funding analysis conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The study found that donor governments disbursed US$ 6.9 billion in 2010 for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support—US$ 740 million less than in 2009. The decrease was due to a combination of three main factors: actual reductions in development assistance, currency exchange fluctuations, and a slowdown in the pace of U.S. disbursements, which was not a budget cut.

Of the 15 governments surveyed, seven—Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United States—reported a year over year decrease in their disbursements as measured in their own currencies. The figures presented in the report are in US dollars, consistent with international standards and other reporting mechanisms.

Due to currency fluctuations, when measured in US dollars, Australia showed a slight increase in its AIDS funding contribution even though it contributed less in its own currency. Conversely, there was a slight decrease in Denmark’s contribution despite the country’s increased funding level in its own currency.

“AIDS is a smart investment even in this difficult economic environment. We have to look beyond the near-term costs and recognize the long-term benefits,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Donors need to make and follow through on commitments today to reduce costs in the future.”

The overall drop in disbursements was primarily attributed to a reduction in disbursements by the United States, the largest donor nation, which accounted for 54% of total donor disbursements in 2010. While the United States Congress appropriated similar levels of funding for the AIDS response in 2010 as in 2009 (approximately US$ 5.5 billion in each year), disbursements from the United States declined from US$ 4.4 billion in 2009 to US$ 3.7 billion in 2010. This slowdown stems from new requirements established by Congress for the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Some funds appropriated in 2010 will be disbursed in later years.

“With U.S. funding delayed but not eliminated to this point, this year’s drop in spending may be a temporary blip, though its impact on services may be real,” said Drew Altman, Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO.

To reach universal access goals towards HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, UNAIDS estimates that an investment of at least US$ 22 billion will be needed by 2015. Raising this level of funding could avert more than 12 million new HIV infections and more than seven million deaths, according to UNAIDS.

At the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS in June 2011, UN Member States committed to bold new targets for the AIDS response which include increasing investments for AIDS to between US$ 22-24 billion by 2015.

According to the latest estimates from UNAIDS, 34 million [30.9 million–36.9 million] people were living with HIV at the end of 2010 and nearly 30 million [25 million–33 million] have died from AIDS-related causes since AIDS was first reported 30 years ago.

Flexible, agile and generous funding structures needed to ensure development and delivery of lifesaving new options for HIV prevention

Rome (19 July 2011) – In the last year, promising trial results and critical scientific breakthroughs have changed the HIV prevention landscape, providing new opportunities for both a broader response to the epidemic with new prevention options and broader clinical and laboratory agendas with new research targets. At the same time, investment in biomedical HIV prevention research remained stable despite the effects of the recent global economic downturn, according to a new report released today in Rome at the 6th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. 

Capitalizing on Scientific Progress: Investment in HIV Prevention R&D in 2010 is the seventh annual report from the HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group documenting investments in biomedical HIV prevention research from public, philanthropic and commercial sectors. This year’s report argues that capitalizing on recent promising scientific breakthroughs will require substantial additional and sustained investment from a broader set of donors.

The major, and surprising finding of the report, given the global funding environment, is that overall investment in HIV prevention R&D had actually increased, with the modest exception of a 1 percent decline in vaccine R&D. The report documented a total US$1.19 billion investment in research and development (R&D) for four key HIV prevention options: preventive vaccines, microbicides, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) using antiretroviral drugs, and operations research related to medical male circumcision. Even in the aftermath of a global recession, this investment approached the previous historical high of US$1.23 billion reached in 2007 for these four prevention technologies.

Yet to capitalize on the recent exciting prevention breakthroughs being discussed at the IAS conference, more investment will be needed across prevention technologies and from bench research to operational and implementation research.

“Certainly in this era of economic restraint it is good news that donors continue to see the value of investing in prevention research,” said Paul DeLay, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. “But as we capitalize on the recent breakthroughs and move quickly to make new forms of prevention available to those who need them most, we need donors to also move quickly to ensure that funding shortfalls do not become roadblocks.”

There is an urgent need to direct resources to accelerate promise into progress. Yet the report recognized that funders continue to confront budgetary constraints, with some having reduced or eliminated their HIV prevention research programs altogether. Funding for HIV prevention research also remains highly concentrated among relatively few funders, and the Working Group warns that this narrow base of funding will threaten the sustainable research effort required at this critical time and highlights the need for broadening that base, importantly including emerging economies.

“The recent promising results of PrEP and treatment as prevention trials tell us that thirty years into the epidemic we may finally be on the path to ending AIDS,” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC executive director. “New prevention options – medical male circumcision, PrEP, microbicides and eventually vaccines – will play a critical role in reducing the cycle of new infections. As we look toward the next 30 years of AIDS, investment in prevention research has never been more important. Going forward we need funding structures that are flexible, agile, and generous enough to adapt rapidly to new opportunities.”

"We have seen tremendous progress in HIV prevention research over the last two years," said Margaret McGlynn, President and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). "Sustaining the momentum built through these advances depends on access to stable funding that can be flexibly applied to the most promising areas of research. This will allow us to build upon the field's successes and to move promising concepts from the pipeline into clinical trials as swiftly as possible."

“The recent exciting results in the PrEP and microbicide fields are proof that investment in HIV prevention research is bringing women and men around the world much closer to having a broad range of effective HIV prevention options,” said Zeda Rosenberg, CEO of the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM). “Wise investments now in laboratory and clinical research, and in efforts to roll out new interventions will pay off as HIV infections decline significantly in the coming decades.”

The report is available online at: www.hivresourcetracking.org.

New York/Geneva/Rome – Tuesday 19 July 2011 – Data collected for the first time on global investments in HIV treatment-related research and development showed that at least US$ 2.46 billion was available in 2009. The Treatment Action Group, AVAC, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) issued the report which was released today at the International AIDS Society's 6^th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment in Rome, Italy. 

The report, An Exploratory Analysis of HIV Treatment Research and Development Investments in 2009, found that 48 funders worldwide (of 144 surveyed) reported investing $US 2.46 billion across six HIV-related research categories—basic science, drug discovery and development, operational and implementation science, antiretroviral prevention, applied/infrastructure and HIV diagnostics.

“Recent scientific breakthroughs have shown that antiretroviral therapy not only saves lives, it can also prevents new infections. This is a game changer for the AIDS response and will increase demand for treatment,” said Paul De Lay, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS. “New investments are urgently needed to produce better, cheaper medicines to ensure the 9 million people still in need of treatment for their own health gain access and that the new demand for treatment for prevention is met.”

An estimated 6.6 million people currently have access to antiretroviral treatment and a further 9 million are still in need. In a political declaration adopted at the recent United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York, UN member states committed to expanding access to treatment for 15 million people by 2015.

“This report marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to monitor global investments in HIV treatment research. It complements the existing efforts of the HIV Vaccines and Microbicides Resource Tracking Working Group which has been reporting on HIV prevention technology investments since 2004", said Kevin Fisher of AVAC.

Public-sector funders accounted for almost three-fourths of reported HIV treatment research and development spending, with the U.S. National Institute of Health as the leading public-sector investor worldwide in HIV treatment research and development, investing US$ 1.6 billion in 2009.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies reported investing US$ 591 million in 2009. However, the participation from the private sector in the survey was particularly low and the report outlines that this figure is likely to be substantially higher, possibly reaching over US$ 1 billion.

“HIV drug discovery and development has never been more urgent. While the discovery and development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine is ongoing, it is clear that use of antiretroviral therapy is among the most powerful tools to prevent new HIV infections, preserve health, and lengthen life expectancy” said Eleonora Jimenez-Levi, TAG’s Project Coordinator.

With new evidence showing the benefits of early initiation of HIV treatment in preventing HIV transmission, the report recommends new drug regimens be developed to be simpler, less toxic, resilient, more forgiving of treatment interruption, less prone to promote the emergence of drug resistance and have fewer complications with other drugs commonly used by people with HIV.

TAG’s Executive Director Mark Harrington concludes, “The HIV treatment research landscape is changing. Thanks to recent treatment scale-up and prevention science breakthroughs and the new global treatment target of 15 million by 2015, there is real momentum to bring the epidemic under control and ultimately end it. To capitalize on these scientific gains continued investment and innovation are necessary to prevent new infections, to ensure people currently on treatment are able to continue, and to scale up treatment to reach all those who will benefit from earlier initiation of ART.”

The report is available on-line at: www.treatmentactiongroup.org.

The HIV Treatment Research and Development Resource Tracking Project is a collaborative initiative of the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and AVAC, directed and managed by TAG, in collaboration with UNAIDS.

ABOUT TAG

Treatment Action Group (TAG) is an independent AIDS research and policy think tank fighting for better treatment, a vaccine, and a cure for AIDS. TAG works to ensure that all people with HIV receive lifesaving treatment, care, and information.

www.treatmentactiongroup.org

ABOUT AVAC

Founded in 1995, AVAC is a non-profit organization that uses education, policy analysis, advocacy and a network of global collaborations to accelerate the ethical development and global delivery of AIDS vaccines, male circumcision, microbicides, PrEP and other emerging HIV prevention options as part of a comprehensive response to the pandemic.

www.avac.org

GENEVA, 23 June 2011—The governing body of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Programme Coordinating Board, met in Geneva from 21-23 June to review progress and put in place new measures to ensure greater efficiency and accountability in the AIDS response.

UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, presented his progress report on the first day of the meeting in which he highlighted the successful outcome of the 2011 United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS. He also stressed the significance of the adoption of a new Security Council Resolution on AIDS which addresses the link between violence against women and HIV in conflict and post conflict settings.

At the High Level Meeting on AIDS, UN Member States adopted a new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS which sets bold new targets in responding to HIV. “This declaration has set the agenda for the future of the AIDS response and provided a roadmap for ending the epidemic,” said Mr Sidibé.

During his speech the Executive Director of UNAIDS also outlined the need to reinforce the concept of shared responsibility in responding to AIDS, particularly at a time when international resources for AIDS are declining. “We need a new type of partnership, a new way to do business which will mean a shift away from donor dependence, towards country owned and country led responses,” he said.

The main item on the agenda of the 28^th Meeting of UNAIDS’ Programme Coordinating Board was the Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework 2012-2015, which was unanimously endorsed by the Board. The Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework has been designed to improve the coherence, coordination and impact of the UN’s response to AIDS, to maximize the impact of the UNAIDS family at country level.

The Accountability Framework will ensure accountability in both programmatic results and in delivering value for money. The Board requested the UNAIDS Secretariat to produce annual reports on the implementation of the framework.

The meeting also included discussions on ensuring that food and nutrition security are integrated into HIV programming. The Board requested UNAIDS to review national AIDS strategies to identify gaps and needs in including food and nutrition and to implement an action plan to address the needs.

More than 300 participants and observers from UN Member States, international organizations, civil society and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting, which was chaired by El Salvador with Poland acting as vice chair and Egypt as rapporteur.

The UNAIDS Executive Director’s report to the Board, the decisions, recommendations and conclusions, and an overview of all documents presented at the 28th PCB can be found at: unaids.org  

NEW YORK, 7 June 2011—As the world marks 30 years of AIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) unveils OUTLOOK 30, a book with a compilation of 30 milestones, images, tributes, breakthroughs, art and inspirations in the epidemic’s 30-year history.

“AIDS has united the world, broken the conspiracy of silence, connected the north and the south to find solutions, and forged a social movement,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. “AIDS has mobilized the world to deliver an unprecedented response which has saved millions of lives.”

The book was released ahead of the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS taking place in New York from 8-10 June. More than 3000 people are expected to assemble at the meeting, which will be instrumental in moving the AIDS response forward. More than 30 Heads of State and Government will join Ministers, private sector partners, civil society and people living with HIV from 8-10 June, to shape the future of the response to HIV.

AIDS timelines

The special edition of OUTLOOK illustrates timelines on three issues that have shaped the AIDS response—the evolution of access to antiretroviral treatment; HIV/Tuberculosis (TB) and the use of condoms.

The treatment timeline traces the path that has led to a record number of people living with HIV receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy —6.6 million in 2010, a nearly 22-fold increase since 2001—thanks to the combined efforts of government, civil society and the international community.

The HIV-TB timeline presents major developments in the joint response to HIV and TB. These include the first reports in 1983 of an association between TB and HIV among people living with AIDS in Haiti; a finding 20 years later, in 2003, that only about 3% of people with TB are tested for HIV; and the release of 2009 estimates showing that TB continues to be a leading cause of death among people living with HIV, accounting for about 380 000 deaths.

The condom timeline traces the history of the condom—from ancient Egypt through modern times. “Many people made their own condoms at home before the 20th century,” says historian Aine Collier. “In fact, it was very much a cottage industry, as most condom ‘manufacturers’ worked from their own kitchens.”

Art and AIDS

The book presents a range of posters from around the world that show the diverse visual strategies used over the years to communicate messages on AIDS awareness and safer sex.

It also features a selection of paintings by celebrated New York artist Keith Haring, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1990, as well as Canadian graphic designer Morgan McConnell and New Delhi-based artists Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra. The publication also includes a reproduction of the Keiskamma Altarpiece, an extraordinary message of peace through art which was created by a group of 130 women from Hamburg and neighbouring villages in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, an area deeply affected by the AIDS epidemic.

Faces of AIDS

Two chapters in the book bring out the human face of the epidemic. Six activists who have lost their lives to AIDS are remembered through their writings, speeches and recollections by their friends. The book also profiles people living with HIV. These include Olympian Greg Louganis, Miss Positive from Russian Federation Svetlana Izambaeva, a student form Brazil, Micaela Syrina, a Constitutional Judge from South Africa, Edwin Cameron and Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom Chris Smith.

“I wanted my story to motivate the people living with HIV to be responsible and to understand that life isn’t over yet,” said Mr Louganis. “Some people don’t think that AIDS has touched their lives. A lot of people saw me at the Olympics and they were cheering for me. All those people cannot say that they have not been affected by AIDS.”

Looking into the future

The book also presents an analysis of current HIV prevention approaches, human rights and AIDS, gender disparities, HIV data, resources available for the AIDS response and recent advancements in the field of science.

“OUTLOOK 30 will inspire a new generation to learn from the lessons of the last three decades and take the AIDS response forward,” said Mr Sidibé. “The book is both a reminder of the past and I hope an inspiration for the future.”

Unprecedented numbers Heads of State and Government and Vice Presidents to attend UN meeting on AIDS in New York

New York/Geneva, 31 May 2011—As the AIDS response reaches a critical turning point, world leaders are showing renewed commitment to AIDS as more than 30 Heads of State and Government and Vice Presidents are expected to convene at next week’s UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS. The top level support is coming at a decisive moment in the AIDS response as more people than ever before are living with HIV but international funding for AIDS is seen to be declining.

The top level leaders will join ministers and other UN Member State representatives to commit to new ways forward in responding to AIDS. There will also be strong participation from civil society and other actors from the AIDS movement who will join discussions on how to take the AIDS response to the next level.

“The commitment we are seeing for this meeting from world leaders is an extremely positive signal and is coming at a critical time,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “This meeting will provide a real opportunity for countries to take ownership of the response and produce a strong and visionary declaration to guide global efforts in reaching universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2015.”

Negotiations have already begun around the text for the final declaration which is expected to be adopted on the last day of the meeting.

Since the first Special Session on AIDS was held at the United Nations in 2001 significant progress has been made in reducing numbers of new HIV infections, in accessing treatment, in reducing the number of AIDS-related deaths and in addressing stigma and discrimination. However, if efforts in responding to the epidemic are not sustained and scaled-up, the important results which have been accomplished risk being reversed.

“The AIDS response is a shared responsibility,” said Mr Sidibé. “There are more people in need than resources available. To address this need, both donor and low- and middle- income countries need to contribute their fair share.”

The meeting is being held at the United Nations in New York from 8-10 June. For more information including the official programme and details of media accreditation, see the following link: http://www.un.org/en/ga/aidsmeeting2011/

GENEVA, 13 May 2011—UNAIDS today launched a television and social media campaign to create a groundswell of support for the AIDS response in the lead-up to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS. This key meeting of UN Member States and civil society, from 8-10 June 2011, is an important opportunity for global leaders to move the AIDS agenda forward.

“The aim of this campaign is to reenergize the global AIDS movement and encourage leaders around the world to recommit to the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” said Tim Martineau, UNAIDS Director of Programme Effectiveness and Country Support, at a campaign launch event in Geneva.

The campaign, called Move It!, uses the bicycle as a vehicle to raise awareness around HIV— the spinning wheels symbolizing the movement and force of the AIDS response. Designed by the Geneva-based branch of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, simple animations on spinning bicycle wheels communicate the message: Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination, Zero AIDS-related deaths. As part of the campaign, a public service announcement will be broadcast across Africa.

“Through this campaign, people can decorate their own bikes with animations and share photos of their creations on the UNAIDS page of Facebook to support this great cause,” said Leon Jacobs, a creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi. “We are pleased to support UNAIDS in their efforts to roll out this campaign across Africa and the world,” he added.

UNAIDS fans on Facebook can vote for the “best bike” and winners be announced at the High Level Meeting in June.