The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a political declaration on HIV/AIDS and reaffirmed the commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by the end of 2030.
The declaration, adopted by a vote of 149 in favour, eight against, and 14 abstentions, expresses deep concern that the world did not meet the global 2025 HIV targets and is not on track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
It reaffirms the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS adopted in 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, as well as the target set in the Sustainable Development Goals.
The declaration commits to urgent action over the next five years, through a coordinated, evidence-based and people-centered global HIV response; commits to strengthen country leadership and ownership and ensure integrated, people-centered multisectoral national HIV responses to ensure services and impact beyond 2030.
According to the declaration, the UNGA will convene a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS in 2031 to review progress on the commitments made in 2026 toward the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and sustaining it into the future, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This political declaration is our chance to build on 25 years of commitment and point the way to 2030 to show that multilateralism can deliver,” said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), at the opening of the meeting on Monday.
“We cannot fail, because we know what we must do: commit to multilateralism; sustain international financing as countries mobilize their own resources; protect the rights of people living with HIV; let communities lead for their people; and spur the science, so that innovations reach everyone in need as fast as possible,” she said. “If we do these things, we can end AIDS.”
Data from 2025 released by UNAIDS show that sustained investment, scientific advances and community-led efforts have led to tremendous success against AIDS. Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 56 per cent, new HIV infections decreased by 43 per cent, and 32.1 million people (78 per cent of the 40.9 million people living with HIV) are now accessing treatment.
–IANS
