UNIS/SGSM/1366
29 November 2023
World AIDS Day arrives at a defining moment.
AIDS-related deaths have fallen by almost 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and new HIV infections are at the lowest point since the 1980s.
But AIDS still takes a life every minute.
We can — and must — end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Reaching this goal means heeding this year’s theme: Let Communities Lead.
The path to ending AIDS runs through communities.
From connecting people to the treatment, services and support they need — to the grassroots activism pushing for action so all people can realize their right to health.
Supporting those on the frontlines of the battle against AIDS is how we win.
That means placing community leadership at the centre of HIV plans, programmes, budgets and monitoring efforts.
We must also remove barriers to community leadership, and ensure space for local civil society groups to take forward their vital work.
Above all, we need funding.
The AIDS response in low and middle-income countries needs over 8 billion dollars more per year to be fully funded.
This must include scaled-up funding for local programmes led by people living with HIV, and prevention initiatives led by communities.
AIDS is beatable.
Let’s finish the job by supporting communities to end this scourge in their neighbourhoods, their countries and around the world.
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Members of the media are invited to attend the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) which will be held from 14 to 18 October 2024 in Vienna, Austria.
"Gandhi believed non-violence was the greatest force available to humanity – more powerful than any weapon. Together, let's build institutions to support that noble vision." — António Guterres
"As populations age, care and support systems are vital for older persons to continue actively engaging and enriching their communities." — António Guterres
The Dominican Republic signed the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the "Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships") at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 27 September 2024.
