Today is World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to the memory of the many who have succumbed to the disease over the last four decades. For IPPF, the day is an opportunity to reaffirm our solidarity with the 38 million people living with HIV around the world, and for us to unite with shared responsibility in the global AIDS response.
Significant advances have been made – including more options for HIV prevention on the horizon – yet, HIV remains one of the biggest public health challenges the world faces. According to the latest UNAIDS Prevention Progress Report, there are still 1.7 million new HIV infections every year, a number that has remained more or less unchanged over the last five years. The global HIV response is far away from the 2020 prevention targets of 500,000 new infections.
The challenges to control the epidemic has been exacerbated by COVID-19, which has served to widen the existing inequalities and threatening the progress made in the HIV response.
In 2019, IPPF Member Associations delivered 51.2 million HIV-related services, and we will continue to ensure access to critical HIV services including prevention, testing, treatment and care. As a Federation, we stand in solidarity with the communities we serve to tackle the unnecessary stigma, discrimination, criminalization and violence that stops people from getting the health care they need. More needs to be done, and we remain committed ending AIDS.
While there is hope, we must work together to address the existing inequalities that fuel the AIDS epidemic, and to ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights for all ❤️