Message from UNAIDS Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé

GENEVA, 24 March 2011—I am pleased to see that growing collaboration between HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programmes is bearing fruit. Since 2002 there has been an 80-fold increase in the number of TB patients who were tested for HIV.

For TB patients who test positive for HIV, knowing their status will allow them to seek access to life-saving HIV treatment and care.

However, on this World TB day, I am concerned. We are seeing an emerging epidemic of drug resistant TB. It is a sobering thought that an estimated two million people living with HIV could die of TB between now and 2015, if urgent action is not taken.

The tools are now available to prevent many of these deaths––A faster, more accurate TB test has been developed––and access to antiretroviral therapy has been significantly improved. TB and HIV communities must continue to scale-up joint efforts to rapidly roll-out these services and save lives.

Let us not forget that HIV and TB are two diseases –– but we are talking about one life.

UNAIDS has committed to halving TB deaths in people living with HIV by 2015. I believe we can not only achieve this goal, but surpass it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaldyxe3tI8

Delivered by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS

Washington, DC, 2-3 December 2013

I am pleased to send greetings to this important gathering of leaders from government, the private sector, civil society and others supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I thank theUnited Statesfor hosting.

We are at a crucial turning point.  With your support, we have made major advances. Leading economies are providing consistent resources for the response to AIDS, TB and malaria while low- and middle-income countries have also significantly increased domestic expenditures.  I welcome this.

At the same time, financing from the international community remains a lifeline for millions of people.  We must act with resolve to preserve these gains, which remain fragile.  If bed-nets and anti-malarials are not delivered and used in time, malaria will continue to spread.  Drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the increase.  An AIDS-free world is in sight but success depends on our unwavering resolve to bring treatment to the nearly three in ten children and adults who still do not have access to it. We need to work smarter and better to truly end these infectious diseases.

The Global Fund is an essential institution in this battle. It is delivering results with a commitment to reform.  As part of this process, the Global Fund has worked even more effectively with other organizations and groups.  I am especially encouraged that the Global Fund and the UN development system, particularly UNAIDS, continue to deepen their collaboration. This model of partnership can ensure that strong health and community systems can deliver results and address other problems including maternal and child mortality.

This Fourth Replenishment comes at a propitious moment. Financing committed now will straddle the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, sending a clear signal that we will do everything possible to reach our targets.

I applaud all countries and partners that support the Global Fund. As the world continues to grapple with the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, I commend governments and others for stepping up to ensure that progress is preserved.

I urge all stakeholders to continue to demonstrate your unwavering support by making the strongest possible commitment to the Global Fund.  This is a morally and financially sound investment in our shared future.

By Macky Sall, President of Senegal and Chairperson of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee; Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the African Union; and Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

2 December 2013

The international community will decide this week in Washington whether or not to take the next big step on the path to ending AIDS. At a special conference, they will be pledging new contributions to replenish the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This is one of the best investments in global health and development we know.

Over the past decade, Global Fund-supported programs have saved millions of lives. With governments, multi-lateral organizations and civil society working in partnership, this global health response has quite literally changed the course of health and economies in countries around the world.

We believe full replenishment of the Global Fund can reap even greater benefits in the coming years, dramatically reducing HIV infection rates, AIDS deaths and malaria and TB cases. We are close to a “tipping point,” at which investments now could help put these diseases firmly under control—or, if we wait, risks tipping us decades behind. In short, either we can pay now, or pay forever.

This replenishment conference is focused on shared responsibility and global solidarity. Today investing in health is a shared responsibility—with more than half of all HIV-related spending coming from developing countries themselves. As we urge donor governments to sustain and increase their funding, African governments are also recommitting to increase their contributions to end these diseases.

If the measure of a good investment is found in the numbers, we are succeeding. The Global Fund saves more than 100 000 lives every month. Since its founding, the Global Fund has provided HIV treatment to 4 million people, delivered more than 300 million anti-malaria bed nets and diagnosed and treated almost 10 million cases of TB. These lifesaving initiatives have also saved billions of dollars by reducing health care costs, preserving families and growing economies.

The benefits go far beyond pills and bed nets. Early on, policymakers learned from families and communities on the ground that focusing on these diseases in isolation was not enough—we also needed to leverage Global Fund investments to strengthen health systems and provide support to help people affected by HIV, TB and malaria rebuild their lives with dignity.

The African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) are working together to transform Africa. In the spirit of shared responsibility, many countries have stepped up their domestic investments and an increasing number are taking ownership of their health programs. We are seeing the returns on these investments. For example, in Senegal, the number of new HIV infections has dropped more than 50% between 2001 and 2012.

In Ethiopia, Global Fund support has enabled the Ministry of Health to train more than 30 000 extension health workers—nearly all women—to provide basic health care such as immunizations and HIV testing and counseling to families in their homes. With the help of these new health professionals, rates of new HIV infections in adults dropped an astonishing 90% between 2001 and 2011.

To truly understand what these investments mean, you need to talk with someone like Bizunesh Wada, a mother of four in Ethiopia. Bizunesh’s husband had died of AIDS, and she was also diagnosed with HIV. She worried about raising a family on her own. Global Fund-supported programs provided her not only with life-saving treatment but also with entrepreneurship training and a microloan, which she used to purchase a single ox that has since led to a thriving farm that is helping her put her children through school.

The replenishment conference is an inspiring example of what can happen when the world unites around an urgent need. Many donors have been generous, the United States particularly so, contributing a third of the Global Fund’s total funding. With this continued strong support, from the US and all partners, the Global Fund will be well positioned to deliver continued results.

As a result, mothers and fathers remain healthy enough to raise their children. Farmers can continue to tend their crops so their communities don’t go hungry. Young people are staying in school, starting businesses, and generating the new ideas we need to move our economies forward.

In Africa we say: "if you want to go fast, go alone—but if you want to go far, go together". We stand in solidarity with our peers in Africa, Asia, America and Europe to ensure the continued success of the Global Fund. It’s a lifesaving investment with an incomparable payoff: the potential end of the deadly AIDS, TB, and malaria epidemics.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

GENEVA, 11 July 2013—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes the appointment of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).   

Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka was the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President of South Africa. She also played a central role in the government’s HIV programme, serving as chair of the South African National AIDS Council where she took the lead in ensuring broader and more cohesive collaboration with international and civil society partners.

“Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka is a respected leader and brings with her a wealth of experience in promoting the human rights of women and girls,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “She will be an important partner in the AIDS response as women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. We look forward to working closely with her to improve the lives of women and girls everywhere.”

Gender equality and respect for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially for women living with HIV, are essential for an effective response to HIV. Persistent gender inequalities and women’s rights violations are continuing to make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV and prevent them from accessing HIV services. In 2011 there were nearly 17 million women living with HIV and HIV continues to be the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age.

UN Women was established in 2011 to provide a dynamic and powerful voice at national, regional and global levels for women’s rights and equality. It ensures that new opportunities for women and girls are central to UN programmes and that the UN system continues to protect the rights of women and girls around the world.

UN Women also highlights the contributions and priorities of women living with or affected by HIV and has contributed to integrating gender aspects into the plans and policies developed by national AIDS councils in more than 35 countries and regional programmes. UN Women is the newest of UNAIDS 11 Cosponsoring organisations, having joined in June 2012.

 

UNAIDS

 

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Message from UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé

GENEVA, 18 June 2013—Ten years ago, President George W. Bush announced the creation of The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in his State of the Union Address. Its aim was to provide antiretroviral treatment to 2 million people, prevent 7 million new HIV infections and provide care and support to 10 million people by 2010.

On this 10th anniversary of PEPFAR we are able to celebrate its extraordinary success. Not only did it achieve its initial goals but it has surpassed them by a wide margin. By 2012 PEPFAR was supporting treatment for more than 5 million people and providing care and support to 15 million, including nearly 5 million children.  

PEPFAR has embodied the spirit of shared responsibility and global solidarity through its commitment to helping the most vulnerable in society.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has worked closely with PEPFAR since its inception collaborating on expanding access to treatment, stopping new HIV infections in children through the Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive and ensuring a long term, sustainable response to HIV.    

This shared responsibility has been replicated around the world with donor and partner nations making smart investments to save lives. This collective global effort, by government, donors, private foundations, and multilateral institutions such as UNITAID and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has transformed the global AIDS response. Ensuring treatment for more than 9 million people around the world, PEPFAR has also contributed to a 20% decline in AIDS-related deaths and a 25% fall in new HIV infections since the peak of the epidemic.

PEPFAR has been among the leaders setting a strong example for the world in which we all have a role to play. Today, the end of AIDS is coming into sight. Now we must continue to work together to ensure that PEPFAR’s second decade sees an AIDS-free generation.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiD3TFgbUTE

GENEVA, 12 June 2013—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) welcomes new findings announced today that an antiretroviral medicine, taken daily as a prophylaxis, can reduce the risk of HIV infection by 49% for HIV-negative men and women who inject drugs. 

From 2005-2013 the study, conducted by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the United States Centers for Disease Control and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, enrolled 2 413 men and women (80% men and 20% women) who inject drugs in Bangkok, Thailand. HIV-negative volunteers who took a daily dose of the antiretroviral medicine tenofovir as oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were 49% less likely to become infected with HIV than the volunteers who took the placebo.

“Piece by piece scientific advances are paving the way to the end of the AIDS epidemic,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “The full potential of antiretroviral therapy in keeping people alive and well and in preventing new HIV infections is becoming apparent. The results of this study are important and if used effectively in HIV programming could have a significant impact in protecting people who inject drugs from becoming infected with HIV.”

UNAIDS underlines that no single intervention is completely protective in preventing HIV transmission, which is why UNAIDS advocates strongly for combination prevention. Successful combination harm reduction services, including provision of clean needles and syringes, opioid substitution therapy, accessible health care services together with the removal of punitive laws and collaboration with police and law enforcement strategies have proved effective in preventing new HIV infections among people who inject drugs.

The announcement today complements results from several PrEP trials released over the past few years. In 2010, the iPrEx study found that an antiretroviral drug combination, taken daily as a prophylaxis, in conjunction with use of condoms, reduced the risk of HIV infection by an average of 44% for HIV-negative men and transgender women who have sex with men. In 2011, the Partners PrEP study found that an antiretroviral tablet taken daily by people who are HIV-negative could reduce their risk of acquiring HIV by up to 73%, and the TDF2 trial in Botswana found a that once-daily antiretroviral tablet reduced the risk of acquiring HIV by around 63% in HIV-negative heterosexual men and women.  Two other studies (Fem-PrEP and VOICE) showed no protective effect­­—although this could largely be explained by low levels of adherence to the trial products.

To the millions who have come together with compassion and determination on this World AIDS Day, we say: “Your blood, sweat and tears are changing the world.” We have moved from despair to hope. Far fewer people are dying from AIDS. 25 countries have reduced new infections by more than 50%. I want these results in every country.

The pace of progress is quickening. It is unprecedented—what used to take a decade is now being achieved in just 24 months. Now that we know rapid and massive scale up of HIV programmes is possible, we need to do more. Friends, we only have a thousand days left before the deadline of the 2015 global AIDS targets.

So today, on World AIDS Day, let us renew our commitment to getting to zero. Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.

Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director

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World AIDS Day 2012

• The UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2012 was launched on 20 November 2012 in multiple locations around the world
• Ahead of World AIDS Day CEOs call to end HIV travel restrictions (28 November 2012)
• UNAIDS encourages Haiti to eliminate HIV in children (1 December 2012)
• UNAIDS to host Google+ Hangout ahead of World AIDS Day 2012 (23 November 2012)
• UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership join forces to stop HIV/TB deaths (27 November 2012)
• New generation of fashion designers supports UNAIDS in “Getting to Zero” (9 November 2012)
• UNAIDS and Standard Bank Group partner to bring HIV awareness to the workplace (29 November 2012)
• Peru launches campaign to increase HIV testing among men (29 November 2012)
• UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan supporting pregnant women living with HIV on World AIDS Day (29 November 2012)
• Haiti’s HIV successes and challenges acknowledged on World AIDS Day (2 December 2012)
• UNAIDS and Italian football team up against AIDS (29 November 2012)

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Reports

  

World AIDS Day report: Results, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is producing results for people. The report shows that a more than 50% reduction in the rate of new HIV infections has been achieved across 25 low- and middle-income countries––more than half in Africa, the region most affected by HIV.

The following slides are a compilation of the epidemiology data and graphics contained in the 2012 Global Report: Epidemiology slides -  en | fr | es | ru

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UNAIDS report press conference

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UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

It is with profound sadness that UNAIDS mourns the death of staff member Mr Sam Were who recently passed away in Kampala, Uganda. Sam lived openly with HIV and served as a role model by declaring his HIV-positive status at a time when few people living with HIV were willing to disclose.

UNAIDS today acknowledges the life and legacy of Dr Jonathan Mann, a formative force in the fields of HIV, health and human rights. Dr Mann and his wife, AIDS researcher Mary-Lou Clements-Mann were on their way to Geneva when their plane crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada on 2 September 1998.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expresses deep concern over the safety of three individuals who were arrested at the HIV/AIDS Implementers Meeting held in Kampala, Uganda, 3-8 June 2008, and who are currently involved in ongoing court proceedings on charges of trespass.