Africa can end AIDS as a public threat, but to do so African governments and international partners need to ramp up their HIV responses. Actions needed include accelerating treatment for children living with HIV and prevention for adolescent girls and key populations. This was the message from UNAIDS as the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) drew to a close. UNAIDS is also calling on governments to support communities' vital leadership role in the HIV response.
At ICASA, thousands of delegates, including AIDS activists, grassroots communities working to end AIDS, governments and private sector partners, key populations, doctors, scientists, donors and other international and African stakeholders came together to advance progress in the HIV response. Representatives from communities urged authorities to step up investments and policy reforms to end AIDS.
"Emerging from this conference we are clear. To end AIDS, governments and partners need to step up HIV prevention efforts to reach children, young women, girls and key populations. And they need to ensure that every person living with HIV has access to treatment, both current antiretroviral treatments and new longer-lasting injectable medicines, to live long and healthy lives," said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "Collectively we are calling for health justice and equality for all people, including people living with and affected by HIV. Pharmaceutical companies need to put people first over profits by making sure that treatment is affordable and easily accessible."
Accelerate paediatric treatment and prevention for young women and adolescent girls to end AIDS
While progress has been made in ensuring that many people around the world have access to antiretroviral treatment, ensuring that they lead long and healthy lives - too many people are still not accessing treatment. HIV prevention services are also lacking particularly for young women and adolescent girls.
While three million children have been protected from HIV since 2000 by ensuring adherence to antiretroviral treatment for mothers, still there were 110 000 new infections among children (aged 0-14 years) in Africa in 2022. Botswana has shown the way forward by achieving a milestone in the pathway towards eliminating vertical HIV transmission. However, the world is still failing children. In Africa only 55% of children living with HIV are accessing antiretroviral therapy, compared with 83% of adults living with HIV in Africa.
Gender inequalities continue to drive new infections in Africa. Among young people (aged 15-24) 77% of the new infections in that age group (15-24) are among young women and 23% among young men.
"AIDS is an injustice of inequalities. If you look at people who are not receiving treatment and people who are dying of the disease, you will see how inequalities are obstructing their access to prevention and lifesaving treatment to be able to live longer and healthy lives," said Ms Winnie Byanyima. "We can end AIDS by redoubling our efforts to fight the pandemic, including by reaching people who are currently not accessing treatment and ensuring that all people who need access to HIV services, including key populations, have it."
Let Communities Lead
In its World AIDS Day report Let Communities Lead, UNAIDS demonstrated that where communities are at the forefront of the AIDS response, countries were making significant progress in the fight against the disease. The report shows that AIDS can be ended as a public health threat by 2030 if communities on the frontlines get the full support they need from governments and donors, including political and financial backing.
During the conference, communities called for recognition of the important work that they do. They called for the removal of obstructive laws which have criminalized key populations, including LGBTQI people, people who inject drugs, and sex workers. Criminalizing key populations prevents them from accessing HIV services, putting the fight against the epidemic at risk.
Accelerate innovation, science and increase political and financial support to end AIDS
Delegates attending the conference called for accelerated innovation to quickly turn the tide against AIDS. They called for the speedy rollout of long-acting treatment - including injectable cabotegravir which prevents transmission of the virus.
Non-governmental organizations working to end AIDS often have to operate with insufficient budgets and little political or no political support, limiting their full potential to do their work, including providing life-saving services. Governments need to increase political and financial support, especially for community-led responses and civil society organizations working to end AIDS. Authorities need also to guarantee safe operating environments for community-led organizations by removing harmful laws which criminalize key populations.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations-UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank-and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org
