United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has said that the world is heading for a generation free of AIDS, after the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reported a 35-percent drop in new HIV infections from 15 years ago.
Ki-moon said this during a global development summit in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
He said “The world has delivered. We have achieved and exceeded the goals regarding AIDS. We have 15 million people on HIV treatment.
“We are on the way to a generation free of AIDS. “The world has delivered on halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic. Now we must commit to ending the AIDS epidemic.”
UNAIDS chief, Michel Sidibe in a report entitled “How AIDS changed everything,” said “After a decade of unprecedented growth, financing for the AIDS response has levelled off. At the same time, the world now has compelling evidence that people with HIV benefit by accessing anti-retroviral therapy as early as possible.
“Stigma, discrimination and punitive laws continue to affect the people most impacted by HIV and to block their access to HIV services in every region of the world.
“The criminalisation of sex work, drug use and same-sex sexual relationships among consenting adults hinders attempts to reach people at higher risk of HIV infection.”
Sidibe added that he was hopeful the next decade will provide the next decade will give us a more effective vaccine.