Since dozens of countries have achieved or exceeded their 2020 targets in their fight against AIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) plans to set brand new targets for 2025 – and eradicate the virus by 2030.
“High-performing countries have provided paths for others to follow,” says Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Their adequate funding, genuine community engagement, rights-based and multisectoral approaches, and the use of scientific evidence to guide focused strategies have reversed their epidemics and saved lives.”
Progressive laws and policies, and inclusive health systems are key to putting an end to AIDS, such as decriminalizing same-sex sexual relationships and giving access to health or social services to gays, sex workers, transgender people, inmates, and drug addicts. In its report, UNAIDS shows that over the last decade, the number of people who are treated has more than tripled, and consequently, the number of deaths has fallen. Thanks to affordable treatment, some 16.2 million deaths have been avoided since 2001. If the new targets are reached, HIV services will be brought to 95% of those who need them.
