The Board also approved measures for greater internal efficiency and effectiveness and examined issues such as gender-sensitivity of AIDS responses, 'AIDS, security and humanitarian responses' and 'food and nutrition security and HIV'. 

GENEVA, 8 December 2010—The governing body of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), has adopted a new UNAIDS strategy to advance global progress in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services and to halt and reverse the spread of HIV.

The strategy, for the period 2011-2015, was endorsed during the 27th Board meeting, which took place in Geneva from 6-8 December. The AIDS response is a long term investment and the strategy aims to revolutionize HIV prevention, catalyse the next phase of treatment, care and support, and advance human rights and gender equality.

Priority areas highlighted in the strategy include: stopping new HIV infections; integrating the AIDS response into other health and development efforts; setting goals to end stigma and discrimination; promoting new and innovative partnerships; and focusing on accountability and country ownership of national responses.

In his report to the Board, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said: “Now more than ever, the AIDS response must deliver value for money. This strategy has been designed to produce high-quality, high value results far into the future.”

The UNAIDS strategy is a roadmap for the Joint Programme with concrete goals marking milestones on the path to achieving UNAIDS’ vision of “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.”

The strategy will also be used as a reference in the lead up to the High Level Meeting on HIV in June 2011. United Nations Member States will come together next year to review progress made since the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and commit to actions in taking the response forward.

In putting the strategy into operation, UNAIDS will focus on value for money in the effective and efficient delivery of business practices. It will also ensure that resources are focused for results and guided by the Unified Budget and Accountability Framework.

At the PCB meeting, Board members strongly supported the decision to move to a single administrative system for the UNAIDS Secretariat. It encouraged ongoing efforts to use the most effective administrative policies and to minimize administrative costs by seeking the most cost-effective provision of services. 

During the meeting, the Board was presented with a comprehensive report on UNAIDS’ activities in relation to gender and HIV. This included a review of the action framework and implementation of UNAIDS’ operational plan for women and girls. The links between sexual and reproductive health and HIV were also covered.

Dr Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Co-Chair of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention and Nobel Prize laureate for Medicine in 2008 for her role in the discovery of HIV, addressed the PCB as its keynote speaker. The Board also held a thematic session, led by UNAIDS Cosponsor the World Food Programme, focused on food and nutrition security and HIV.

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 the Netherlands with El Salvador acting as vice chair and Japan as rapporteur. In 2011, El Salvador will assume the role of chair, and the Board elected Poland 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 27th PCB can be found at: http://www.unaids.org/en/AboutUNAIDS/Governance/27_PCB_Meeting.asp

BRASILIA, 1 December 2010—Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was awarded today the 2010 “UNAIDS Award for Leadership” in recognition of his contribution to social and economic development as well as the AIDS response.

The award, presented on World AIDS Day by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, recognizes the key role that Mr da Silva has played in building social justice, reducing poverty and accelerating the country’s progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

“President Lula is a leader whose bold action on AIDS has changed lives around the world,” said Mr Sidibé, at the award ceremony in Brasilia. “He is a partner to developing nations, stands up against discrimination and a remover of barriers.”

Upon receiving the award, Mr da Silva said, “I am very happy to have had the opportunity to advance the Millennium Development Goals and to have helped other countries to do so. The fact that our efforts are being recognized means a lot to me. I would like to share this award with all those who have contributed to reaching these goals."

The “UNAIDS Award for Leadership” recognizes a person or an organization that has made a major and lasting contribution to restoring dignity and improving people’s lives. UNAIDS recognizes the key role leadership plays in creating an environment for positive social change and for accelerating progress in the AIDS response, health and development. The award includes a citation and a medal.

UNAIDS award citation
The citation reads as follows: “President Lula’s commitment to the idea that economic development must come with social sustainability created powerful partnerships inside Brazil and throughout the world particularly focusing on South-to-South cooperation. His search for equity significantly advanced Brazil’s economy and accelerated the country’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.”

About the medal
Renowned British artist David Poston designed the award, which is carved from lime wood and plated with gold. This original work of art embodies the rippling of water and its far-reaching effect—a symbolic link to leadership and its catalytic role in the AIDS response.

Members of the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention unite on World AIDS Day to mobilize leaders for reducing new HIV infections

GENEVA, 1 December 2010—On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2010, the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention has released a Declaration calling on world leaders to accelerate the decline in new HIV infections and spark a prevention revolution.

The Declaration was released by the co-chairs of the HIV prevention Commission, Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on behalf of the 19 members of the Commission.  

“It is more important than ever before to work on HIV prevention because scientists have developed an array of effective tools which if implemented could reverse the AIDS epidemic,” said Professor Barré-Sinoussi. “It is unacceptable that many countries have not made these life-saving HIV prevention tools widely available.”

A new UNAIDS report has shown that 56 countries have either stabilized or achieved significant declines in rates of new HIV infections. However, the High Level Commission finds that ebbing financial investments, lack of political commitment and ineffective prevention priorities are challenging this progress.

“HIV prevention activism is indispensible to overcome the epidemic,” said Archbishop Tutu. “Communities must receive the support and encouragement they need to mobilize against the epidemic with courage and fearless commitment.”

The UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention was established in July 2010 and is composed of political, business, civil society and philanthropic leaders. The members have been tasked with building conviction among their peers that success in HIV prevention is possible with their support. The launch of the Declaration begins their campaign of global engagement.

The Declaration calls for a prevention revolution and features four key elements: rapid scale-up of successful prevention tactics; routinely measuring new HIV infections; assessing the commitment of political, business and non-governmental leaders to HIV prevention based on data; and protecting human rights to overcome inequities and reduce the threat posed by HIV to specific populations.

“I welcome this declaration made by the High Level Commissioners on HIV prevention,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “With their support we can move towards a world with zero new HIV infections.”

Members of the commission will participate in a series of World AIDS Day activities on 1 December to reinforce the HIV prevention message. Three members will join the UNAIDS Executive Director in Brazil to take part in World AIDS Day activities in Brasilia alongside Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

NEW YORK, 30 November 2010 - Achieving an AIDS-free generation is possible if the international community steps up efforts to provide universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, and social protection, according to “Children and AIDS: Fifth Stocktaking Report 2010,” which was released today in New York. Attaining this goal, however, depends on reaching the most marginalized members of society.

While children in general have benefited enormously from the substantial progress made in the AIDS responses, there are millions of women and children who have fallen through the cracks due to inequities rooted in gender, economic status, geographical location, education level and social status. Lifting these barriers is crucial to universal access to knowledge, care, protection, and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) for all women and children.

“To achieve an AIDS-free generation we need to do more to reach the hardest hit communities.  Every day, nearly 1000 babies in sub-Sarahan Africa are infected with HIV through mother to child transmission,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF’s Executive Director.  “Our Fifth Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS highlights innovations like the Mother Baby Pack that can bring life-saving ARV treatment to more mothers and their babies than ever before,” said Lake.

The World Health Organization (WHO) revised its guidelines earlier this year, to ensure quality PMTCT services for HIV-positive pregnant women and their infants. In low- and middle-income countries, 53 per cent of pregnant women living with HIV received antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent mother-to-child transmission in 2009, compared to 45 per cent in 2008.   One of the most significant increases occurred in Eastern and Southern Africa, where the proportion jumped ten percentage points, from 58 in 2008 to 68 per cent in 2009.

“We have strong evidence that elimination of mother-to-child transmission is achievable," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO’s Director-General. “Achieving the goal will require much better prevention among women and mothers in the first place.”

AIDS is still one of the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age globally and a major cause of maternal mortality in countries with generalized epidemics. In sub-Saharan Africa, 9 per cent of maternal mortality is attributable to HIV and AIDS.

“Around 370,000 children are born with HIV each year. Each one of these infections is preventable,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS. “We have to stop mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV. That is why I have called for the virtual elimination of mother to child transmission by 2015.”

WHO also issued new ARV guidelines for treating infants and children, paving the way for many more children with HIV to be eligible for immediate antiretroviral treatment (ART).

In low and middle-income countries, the number of children under the age of 15 who received treatment rose from 275,300 in 2008 to 356,400 in 2009. This increase means that  28 per cent of the 1.27 million children estimated to be in need of ART receive it.

Infants are particularly vulnerable to the effects of HIV, which has lent an urgency to the global campaign for early infant diagnosis.  While the availability of early infant diagnosis services has increased dramatically in many countries, global coverage still remains low, at only 6 per cent in 2009. Without treatment, about half of the infants infected with HIV die before their second birthday.

In most parts of the world, new HIV infections are steadily falling or stabilizing. In 2001, an estimated 5.7 million young people aged 15–24 were living with HIV. At the end of 2009, that number fell to 5 million. However, in nine countries – all of them in southern Africa – at least 1 in 20 young people is living with HIV.

Young women still shoulder the greater burden of infection, and in many countries women face their greatest risk of infection before age 25. Worldwide, more than 60 per cent of all young people living with HIV are female. In sub-Saharan Africa, that figure is nearly 70 per cent.

“We need to address gender inequalities, including those that place women and girls at disproportionate risk to HIV and other adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes” said Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO. “While we are encouraged by a decline in HIV incidence among young people of more than 25 per cent in 15 key countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2001 and 2009, we must do everything possible to sustain and increase such positive trends in order to achieve Universal Access to prevention, treatment, care and support.”

Adolescents are still becoming infected with HIV because they have neither the knowledge nor the access to services to protect themselves. Attaining an AIDS-free generation means erasing the inequities that fuel the epidemic and protecting those who continue to fall through the cracks.  Social protection initiatives – including cash transfers and efforts to promote access to services – play an important role in breaking the cycle of vulnerability. The report also emphasizes the importance of tailoring education programmes to target the most vulnerable youths – those who are out of school – with information about HIV prevention.

"We must increase investments in young people’s education and health, including sexual and reproductive health, to prevent HIV infections and advance social protection," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. “Reaching marginalized young people, including vulnerable adolescent girls and those who are not in school, must remain a priority"

New UNAIDS report shows AIDS epidemic has been halted and world beginning to reverse the spread of HIV. New HIV infections have fallen by nearly 20% in the last 10 years, AIDS-related deaths are down by nearly 20% in the last five years, and the total number of people living with HIV is stabilizing.

GENEVA, 23 November 2010—A new report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), released today, shows that the AIDS epidemic is beginning to change course as the number of people newly infected with HIV is declining and AIDS-related deaths are decreasing. Together, this is contributing to the stabilization of the total number of people living with HIV in the world.

Data from the 2010 UNAIDS Report on the global AIDS epidemic shows that an estimated 2.6 million  [2.3 million–2.8 million] people became newly infected with HIV, nearly 20% fewer than the 3.1 million  [2.9 million–3.4 million] people infected in 1999.

In 2009, 1.8 million [1.6 million–2.1 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses, nearly one-fifth lower than the 2.1 million [1.9 million–2.3 million] people who died in 2004. 

At the end of 2009, 33.3 million [31.4 million–35.3 million] people were estimated to be living with HIV, up slightly from 32.8 million[1] [30.9 million–34.7 million] in 2008. This is in large part due to more people living longer as access to antiretroviral therapy increases.

 “We are breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic with bold actions and smart choices,” said Mr Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Investments in the AIDS response are paying off, but gains are fragile—the challenge now is how we can all work to accelerate progress.”

Prevention is working

The 2010 report contains basic HIV data from 182 countries and includes country-by-country scorecards. The report gives new evidence that investments in HIV prevention programming are producing significant results in many of the highest burden countries.

From 2001 to 2009, the rate of new HIV infections stabilized or decreased by more than 25% in at least 56 countries[2] around the world, including 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the five countries with the largest epidemics in the region, four countries—Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe—have reduced rates of new HIV infections by more than 25%, while Nigeria’s epidemic has stabilized.

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region most affected by the epidemic with 69% of all new HIV infections. In seven countries, mostly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, new HIV infection rates have increased by 25%.

Among young people in 15 of the most severely affected countries, the rate of new HIV infections has fallen by more than 25%, led by young people adopting safer sexual practices. In South Africa, the rate of new HIV infections among 18-year-olds declined sharply from 1.8% in 2005 to 0.8% in 2008 and among women 15–24 years-old it dropped from 5.5% to 2.2% between 2003 and 2008.

In 59 countries including 18 of the 25 countries with the highest HIV prevalence, less than 25% of men reported having sex with more than one partner in the last 12 months. Eighty-four countries reported the same behaviour trends for women.

Condom use and availability have increased significantly. Eleven countries—from Burkina Faso, to India, and Peru—report more than 75% condom use at last higher-risk sex. Data from 78 countries show that condom use among men who have sex with men was more than 50% in 54 countries. Reports of condom use by sex workers are also encouraging. In 69 countries, more than 60% of sex workers used a condom with their last client.

Access to HIV prevention services including harm reduction programmes for people who inject drugs has reached 32%—far short of what is needed to protect drug users from HIV worldwide. Even though many countries have included male circumcision in their prevention programmes, uptake at a population level remains low, and has not made a significant impact on the rate of new HIV infections.

New HIV infections slowing but still outpace treatment success by 2:1

Even though the number of new HIV infections is decreasing, there are two new HIV infections for every one person starting HIV treatment.

Investments in HIV prevention programmes as whole have not been adequate or efficiently allocated. HIV prevention investments comprise about 22% of all AIDS-related spending in low- and middle-income countries.

Declines in AIDS-related deaths

More people are living longer and AIDS-related deaths are declining as access to treatment has expanded. The total number of people on treatment increased by seven and half times over the last five years with 5.2 million people accessing life-saving drugs in 2009, compared to 700 000 in 2004. Over the course of the last year alone, an additional 1.2 million people received treatment—a 30% increase compared to 2008. In addition, there has been a secondary dividend of stopping new HIV infections with increased access to HIV treatment.

However, nearly twice the number of people—10 million—are waiting for treatment. New evidence shows that scaling up treatment has led to reductions in population mortality in high-prevalence settings. The results could be better—most people receiving antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa start treatment late, which limits the overall impact of HIV treatment programmes. Countries have made slow but good progress in integrating tuberculosis and HIV programmes.

Significant progress in the virtual elimination of HIV to babies—handful of countries hold key to success

As more countries are using effective treatment regimens to prevent HIV transmission to babies, the total number of children born with HIV has decreased. An estimated 370 000 [230 000–510 000] children were newly infected with HIV in 2009, representing a drop of 24% from five years earlier.

Significant gains were observed in sub-Saharan Africa where new HIV infections among children have fallen 32%.

Just 14 countries now account for more than 80% of the gap in providing services to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Nigeria alone contributes to 32% of the worldwide gap.

Human rights are part of AIDS strategies but not fully implemented

The report also contains new data which shows that human rights efforts are increasingly being integrated into national AIDS strategies, with 89% of countries explicitly acknowledging or addressing human rights in their AIDS strategies and 91% having programmes in place to reduce stigma and discrimination. However, punitive laws continue to hamper access to AIDS-related services—79 countries worldwide criminalize same sex relations and six apply the death penalty. In the Asia-Pacific region, 90% of countries have laws which obstruct the rights of people living with HIV.

Resource demand outstripping supply

UNAIDS estimates that a total of US$ 15.9 billion was available for the AIDS response in 2009, US$ 10 billion short of what is needed in 2010 and funding from international sources appears to be reducing. Donor governments’ disbursements for the AIDS response in 2009 stood at US$ 7.6 billion, lower than the US$ 7.7 billion available in 2008. Declines in international investments will affect low-income countries the most—nearly 90% rely on international funding for their AIDS programmes.

The report highlights the urgent need to sustain and scale up good investments and for countries to share the financial burden of the epidemic. Many countries are under-investing and need to increase their domestic financial commitments to sustain and scale up the AIDS response. A new Domestic Investment Priority Index developed by UNAIDS shows that almost half of the 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are spending less than their capacity— commensurate to their disease burden and availability of government resources. The index also shows that some developing countries with strong economies can meet a substantial portion of their resource needs from domestic sources alone.

[1] The 2008 estimate for the number of people living with HIV was revised to 32.8 million [30.9 million–34.7 million] within the range of the previous estimate. The revision was based on new data from countries, including data from population-based surveys such as in Mozambique.

[2] A total of 63 countries were studied. For some countries with complex epidemics including multiple population groups with different risk behaviours as well as major geographic differences, such as Brazil, China and the Russian Federation, this type of assessment is highly complex and could not be concluded in the 2010 HIV estimation analysis.

GENEVA, 20 November 2010—UNAIDS welcomes the reported statement of Pope Benedict XVI calling for “a humane way of living sexuality” and that the use of condoms are justified "in the intention of reducing the risk of HIV infection".

“This is a significant and positive step forward taken by the Vatican today,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “This move recognizes that responsible sexual behaviour and the use of condoms have important roles in HIV prevention.” 

UNAIDS has worked closely with the Vatican, in 2009 Mr Sidibé held far-reaching discussions with Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski on HIV prevention issues including the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, protecting young people and reducing sexual violence against women and girls. “This will help accelerate the HIV prevention revolution, in promoting evidence-informed and human rights based approaches to achieve universal access goals towards HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” said Mr Sidibé. “Together we can build a world with zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.”

With more than 7000 new HIV infections each day, UNAIDS advocates the use of a combination HIV prevention approach that utilizes all proven methods for HIV prevention including use of male and female condoms, choosing to have sex later, having fewer multiple partners, male circumcision, reducing stigma and discrimination, and the removal of punitive laws. The male latex condom is the single, most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Decrease from US, offset by increased philanthropic giving from Europe, yields level response in time of AIDS funding crisis

Washington, D.C. and Brussels, 16 November 2010 – The European HIV/AIDS Funders Group (EFG), Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA), supported by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV (UNAIDS), released new reports today on HIV/AIDS-related funding from US and European philanthropic donors. The reports show that while total funding decreased slightly (by 2%), most philanthropic donors increased commitments to the AIDS response in 2009.

HIV/AIDS-related funding from European and US philanthropic donors was USD 738 million in 2009, a slight decrease from USD 752 million the previous year. The findings are being released amidst a continued economic recession, flat or declining funding from governments, and a growing need for increased HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.

Overall funding from European-based philanthropies increased significantly, reaching over €120 million (USD 152 million) in 2009, compared to €91 million in 2008. Expenditures increased by 25% in 2009 compared with 2008 among the same set of European HIV/AIDS funders, an unprecedented increase despite the current fiscal constraints.

The total given by US-based philanthropies decreased from USD 618 million in 2008 to USD 585 million in 2009, a reduction of 5% and the first decrease on record since FCAA began tracking disbursements in 2005. Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which represented 57% of all US-based philanthropic HIV/AIDS-related funding in 2009, decreased to $334 million in 2009 from $378 million in 2008, while disbursements from all other funders increased from $237 million to $252 million (or 5%) from 2008 to 2009.

FCAA and EFG, joined by UNAIDS, commend the achievements of private donors who increased their support in 2009, but express concerns about any decrease in funding.

 “As the economy rebounds we hope that philanthropies will continue to expand their investments in the AIDS response,” said Paul De Lay, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS. “Investments on AIDS are starting to bear fruit as fewer people are becoming infected and with increased availability of treatment, fewer people are dying—evidence that AIDS is a smart and proven investment that will reduce costs in the long term.”

 According to a report released by UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation in July, donor government funding for HIV/AIDS, which represents a much larger share of global resources for HIV/AIDS than the philanthropic sector, was also essentially flat, decreasing from $7.7 billion in 2008 to $7.6 billion in 2009.

 “Because private funding represents a relatively small percentage of resources for HIV when compared with other larger public sources, philanthropy must exercise its unique advocacy and leadership roles in holding governments accountable, and leveraging public funds to provide an adequate response to HIV,” said John Barnes, Executive Director of FCAA.

 The rapid and unprecedented increase in financial support for HIV in previous years has saved and prolonged millions of lives, reversed years of declines in average life expectancy in many nations, and reinstilled hope in individuals and communities. Decreases in funding now could stop or reverse that hard-won progress.

 “Philanthropy can make a significant impact, especially in times like these,” said Astrid Bonfield, Chief Executive of The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and EFG Chair. “Increased commitment, engagement, and financial support from private philanthropic donors can send a strong message about leadership and commitment in the fight against HIV.”

Other key findings include

• In both the US and Europe, HIV/AIDS-related philanthropic funding remained concentrated among a relatively small number of funders in 2009, with the top 10 funders (ranked by total expenditures) accounting for 83% of all HIV/AIDS-related expenditures in both regions.
• The majority of funding by both US and European-based philanthropies in 2009 was directed to addressing the epidemic outside of these regions (81% of all US and 65% of all European HIV/AIDS-related philanthropic expenditures).
• Projections by US-based funders for 2010 suggest that HIV/AIDS-related funding will decrease, with 33% of funders forecasting anticipated decreases for 2010, including the top funder, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which represented over half of all US philanthropic disbursements in 2009. Among European-based funders, projections suggest that HIV/AIDS-related philanthropy funding levels may increase, with 38% of funders forecasting anticipated increases for 2010, including six of the top ten funders. 

UNAIDS, FCAA and EFG emphasize that philanthropy has a critical role to play in the AIDS response on the basis of flexibility, ability to innovate and take risks, and political independence. The FCAA and EFG annual resource tracking reports intend to inform stakeholders about the overall distribution and trends of US and European HIV/AIDS philanthropic funding, to facilitate greater coordination and transparency among funders and encourage expanded philanthropic support for HIV work.

To download the complete reports:

• U.S. Philanthropic Support to Address HIV/AIDS in 2009 at www.fcaaids.org
• European Philanthropic Support to Address HIV/AIDS in 2009 at www.hivaidsfunders.org

About EFG

The European HIV/AIDS Funders Group (EFG) is a knowledge-based network dedicated to strengthening European philanthropy in the field of HIV/AIDS. The group aims to mobilise philanthropic leadership and resources to address the global HIV/AIDS pandemic and its social and economic consequences and to promote an enabling environment for strategic and independent giving in this field as well as fields closely connected to HIV/AIDS such human rights, global health, and global development. 

About FCAA 

Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA) was founded in 1987 with the goal of mobilizing the philanthropic leadership, ideas and resources of U.S.-based funders to eradicate the HIV/AIDS pandemic –domestically and internationally– and to address its social and economic consequences. FCAA is the only U.S.-based organization comprised of and for private philanthropic institutions concerned about, engaged in, or potentially active in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

About UNAIDS

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program 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.

World leaders call on South-South cooperation to reverse the AIDS epidemic and lead an integrated approach to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals

NEW YORK, 22 September 2010—World leaders gathered at the United Nations called for a new model of partnership to strengthen the AIDS response and achieve broader health and development outcomes. Without synergy between AIDS and other health and development initiatives, the leaders agreed sustainable progress towards global goals to end poverty and ensuring healthy societies will not be achieved.

A high-level meeting co-hosted by China, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and UNAIDS brought together world leaders including the Premier of China, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Ministers from South Africa, Nigeria, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Rwanda. They were joined by heads of international organizations and civil society.

"The era of health and development programmes operating in isolation is over,” said Mr Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, who chaired the meeting. “We have to work together to make this one movement—we cannot afford to have a fragmented approach to health and development. This Africa-China partnership can be the engine that accelerates progress towards the MDGs.”

Developing countries are joining hands to push for a combined approach to health and development and giving communities a strong voice in defining their health needs. The new South-South partnership will promote innovation, local solutions that make a difference, sharing of technology, and building local capacities.

The AIDS epidemic is stabilizing globally and new infections are steadily declining around most of the world. This has been possible as the international community has made significant progress in achieving goals towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

"We cannot turn a deaf ear to the call of life, and we must not be slow in reaching out,” said H.E. Wen Jiabao, Premier of China. “We should redouble our effort to advance the global campaign against HIV/AIDS and ensure that the related MDGs be met on schedule. China has been actively involved in the international cooperation on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment."

Endorsing the UNAIDS approach of “AIDS plus MDGs”, the leaders called for the AIDS movement to take the lead in bringing about integration and innovation.

“The ‘AIDS plus MDGs’ approach seeks to bring about change that will create a new dimension of performance. Not just in the response to AIDS, but also in efforts to achieve other MDGs, accelerating progress on those that are trailing behind,” said Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, UN Deputy Secretary-General. “Progress towards reversing the HIV epidemic is therefore central to the broad international development agenda.”

Investments in AIDS have contributed to strengthening health systems and primary health care as well as better access to social welfare programmes in many countries. In Ethiopia, a strong, results-driven alliance between the Ethiopian Government and its key development partners is producing win-win results by channelling more than US$ 300 million of AIDS resources to strengthen the county’s health systems.

“Ethiopia’s strategy to integrate AIDS and health issues has not only decreased the burden on health facilities, but it has also enabled the health system to reach the vulnerable and poor,” said H.E. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. “Community ownership of development has helped us achieve progress that is sustainable over time.”

South Africa has integrated HIV and TB services under one roof, reducing both AIDS and Tuberculosis-related deaths. Under its ambitious programme to test 15 million people for HIV, it is offering comprehensive health checkups for women and girls. In 2009, nearly 90% of all pregnant women were able to access treatment to protect their babies from being born with HIV.

“We have to strengthen primary health care services that integrate HIV, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health into development,” said Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, Health Minister of South Africa. “Communities must own the health agenda which is at the centre of their own development.”

However, HIV continues to hamper progress in reducing maternal and child mortality in many sub-Saharan countries. More than 40% of all maternal mortality in countries such as Botswana (77%), Swaziland (75%), Lesotho (59%) and Zimbabwe (53%), Namibia (50%), South Africa (43%) is attributable to HIV.  Where health services are integrated, the results have been spectacular. In Pampaida, Nigeria, a Millennium Development Village in Kaduna state, there have been very few maternal deaths or children born with HIV in recent years, thanks to an integrated approach to health care delivery.

“We are saving mothers and children by strengthening the health system,” said Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Health Minister of Nigeria. “We are investing in health using resources from debt relief because access to good quality health care is a necessity and a basic human right, not a luxury.”

In 2000, world leaders adopted the Millennium Declaration. This milestone in international cooperation inspired development efforts that have improved the lives of hundreds of millions of people globally. Five years remain to move forward to meet the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

New UNAIDS data show significant progress towards Millennium Development Goal 6: to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV by 2015.

GENEVA, 17 September 2010 — Ahead of the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on 20-22 September 2010, UNAIDS today released data on progress towards MDG 6 and called for leveraging the AIDS response to support all MDGs.

The data shows that countries with the largest epidemics in Africa—Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe—are leading the drop in new HIV infections. Between 2001 and 2009, 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have seen a decline of more than 25% in new HIV infections. The number of new HIV infections is steadily falling or stabilising in most parts of the world.

“We are seeing real progress towards MDG 6,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “For the first time change is happening at the heart of the epidemic. In places where HIV was stealing away dreams, we now have hope.”

However challenges remain. Eastern Europe and Central Asia continue to have expanding HIV epidemics, and in several high-income countries there has been a resurgence of HIV infections among men who have sex with men.

There are now 5.2 million people on HIV treatment, which is a 12-fold increase in six years. AIDS deaths have dropped significantly since the widespread availability of treatment—there were 200,000 fewer deaths in 2008 than in 2004. Young people are leading the prevention revolution by choosing to have sex later, having fewer multiple partners and using condoms, resulting in significantly fewer new HIV infections in many countries highly affected by AIDS.

Among adults, male condom use has doubled in the past five years. Tradition is giving space to pragmatism, as communities embrace male circumcision. Research has shown that male circumcision has the potential to reduce HIV infection among men by nearly 60%. New HIV prevention research reported efficacy in a microbicide controlled and initiated by women.

“To sustain the gains we are making, further investments in research and development are needed—not only for a small wealthy minority—but also focused to meet the needs of the majority,” Mr Sidibé said.

Many countries are showing good progress in the AIDS response. For example, in Asia, where the epidemic is concentrated among high-risk populations, China has scaled up access to harm reduction programmes for people who use drugs. Data from its national sentinel surveillance show that the percentage of drug users who used sterile injection equipment the last time they injected drugs increased from 40.5% in 2007 to 71.5% in 2009.

South Africa is rapidly accelerating efforts to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. New HIV infections among adults and young people have dropped by more than 25% and record numbers of women are accessing treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV from previous years. The country has also significantly increased its domestic investments for the AIDS response in the current fiscal year. However in many low- and middle-income countries, the lack of resources is seriously hampering the scale up of programmes.

US $10 billion shortfall for the AIDS response

In 2009, an estimated US$ 15.9 billion was available for the global AIDS response, which is US$ 10 billion short of the estimated need. In 2009 international investments for AIDS were down from investments made in 2008.

“At this turning point flat-lining or reductions in investments will set-back the AIDS response and threaten the world’s ability to reach MDG 6,” said Mr Sidibé. “Investing for AIDS is a shared responsibility—between development partners and national governments.”

UNAIDS recommends national governments allocate between 0.5% and 3% of government revenue on HIV, depending on the HIV prevalence of the country. Domestic investments for AIDS have increased over the past decade, but for a majority of the countries severely affected by AIDS, domestic investments alone will not suffice to meet all their resource needs.

On the other hand, AIDS programmes can be made sustainable and affordable by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of HIV programmes. This means knowing what to do and investing resources in the right direction—task shifting among health care workers, reducing unit costs, and focusing on effectiveness are all options that will help lower global resource needs in the long run. In addition, the resource availability must become predictable. Countries cannot respond effectively to the epidemic on a fiscal year basis.

Leveraging the AIDS response for all Millennium Development Goals

Current strategies for resource investments are failing the AIDS response. AIDS programmes must be taken out of isolation. By situating the AIDS response within the broader development agenda and integrating AIDS with other health, development and human rights efforts, the world can accelerate progress across the array of MDGs, optimize efficiency in the use of resources and save and improve more lives.

For example, new UN estimates show that there were 42,000 deaths due to HIV among pregnant women in 2008. About half of these deaths were estimated to be maternal.

“Integrating HIV investments for maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, as well as child health will leverage better results for millions of people most in need,” said Mr Sidibé. “As we move ahead, the HIV response can help accelerate progress across all eight development goals.”

UNAIDS will co-host the event AIDS plus MDGs along with China, Nigeria and South Africa on 22 September at the UN Summit. The aim is to look at ways of integrating the AIDS response with other health and development efforts.

“World leaders and UNAIDS are joining together to give the message that we must invest strategically to address multiple MDGs. Releasing the power, capacity and innovation of the AIDS movement may provide one of the best opportunities to ‘do the MDGs’ differently,” said Mr Sidibé.

The AIDS movement should be the bridge that connects other movements: maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, sexual violence and the fight against women’s cancer.

GENEVA, 14 September 2010— The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s announcement of the appointment of Ms Michelle Bachelet as head of UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

The new entity, which was created in July 2010, has been established to provide a powerful voice for women and girls and will be instrumental in helping to achieve UNAIDS’ vision of zero discrimination, zero new HIV infections and zero AIDS-related deaths.

“Gender inequities, violence, lack of access to education, health and economic opportunities make women particularly vulnerable to HIV,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “I look forward to working closely with Ms Bachelet to restore the dignity and rights of women all over the world and advance the response to HIV.”

Nearly half the people living with HIV in the world are women and AIDS is the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age worldwide.