UN urges more efforts to fight AIDS

UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked for continued efforts toward the elimination of AIDS despite momentum in the fight against the epidemic.

The world is making real headway toward ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. But progress is uneven and fragile, Guterres told the UN General Assembly.

On all continents, key populations at higher risk of infection continue to be left further and further behind. And young women remain unacceptably vulnerable where prevalence is high, he noted.

The UN chief asked authorities to empower young people to protect themselves from human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, that causes AIDS.

This includes providing a full range of sexual and reproductive health services and rights, harm reduction for people who use drugs, and access to antiretroviral treatment for young people living with HIV, he said.

Guterres stressed that prevention is the key to breaking the cycle of HIV transmission.

The UN’s 2020 prevention road map focuses explicitly on adolescent girls, young women and at-risk groups. This sharpened focus on human rights, key populations and gender equality is essential, he said.

Greater leadership and investment must follow suit to remove the social and political barriers that keep so many beyond the reach of necessary services, he said.

The world has made steady progress in HIV prevention. More people have access to HIV testing and treatment. Access to antiretroviral therapy has expanded by more than 20 million people since 1990. As mother-to-child transmission continues to decline and fewer children are living with HIV, we are moving closer to bringing about an AIDS-free generation, said Guterres.

“At this pivotal moment, we must renew our focus and shared commitment to a world free of AIDS. The pandemic is not over, but it can be. We must all do our part,” he said.

China’s great role

Meanwhile, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said China is playing a great role in fighting the virus.

The country is making education the central focus, as well as ensuring that sanitation, environment, sporting facilities and other issues are addressed, Sidibe said.

China-Africa is a wonderful partnership, the UN official said, and African health ministers are meeting to discuss what could be the new paradigm for reinforcing relevant service delivery system.

Chinese have gone to Sierra Leone to help Africans deal with Ebola, he said, adding that China, a country with successful experience in “barefoot doctors”, can play a critical role in training community health workers.

KEVIN LAMARQUE / REUTERS Activists mark the second anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, where a gunman killed 49 people in Orlando, at the US Capitol in Washington, on Tuesday.