DESPITR huge progress, the world is not yet on track to end AIDS as a public health threat, the UN agency said on Tuesday. Of the 39.9 million people living with HIV, 9.3 million people are still not accessing life-saving treatment. Last year, 630,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses, and 1.3 million people around the world newly acquired HIV. In at least 28 countries, the number of new HIV infections is on the rise. To bring down the trajectory of the pandemic, it is imperative that lifesaving programmes can be reached without fear by all who need them.
When girls are denied education; when there is impunity for gender-based violence; when people can be arrested for who they are, or who they love; when a visit to health services is dangerous for people because of the community they are from—the result is that people are blocked from being able to access HIV services that are essential to save their lives and to end the AIDS pandemic. To protect everyone’s health, we need to protect everyone’s rights.
Science continues to innovate against AIDS. Long-acting medicines that only need to be injected a few times a year could tip the scales but only if a human rights approach is taken to share the technology to bring down prices and enable production in every part of the world.
UNAIDS new report brings together the latest research, case studies, and recommendations for getting the world on track. It includes guest essays by Elton John, by Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba, by Irish President Michael D. Higgins, by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, and by former President of the International AIDS Society Adeeba Kamarulzaman amongst others. It provides a clear roadmap: Take the rights path to end AIDS. – UN Multimedia Newsroom
