Ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is within reach, but only if global leaders commit to dismantling barriers to healthcare and upholding human rights, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on World AIDS Day.
Observed annually on 1 December, the World AIDS Day serves as a reminder of the global fight against the pandemic while commemorating lives lost and celebrating progress.
"Every 25 seconds, someone in the world is infected with HIV," Mr. Guterres said.
"One-quarter of people living with HIV - more than nine million people - lack access to lifesaving treatment," he added.
He called for a rights-based approach to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and treatment, highlighting the harmful effects of discriminatory laws and practices that stigmatize women, girls, and minorities.
"The fight against AIDS can be won," Mr. Guterres stressed, "If leaders take a rights-based approach to ensure that everyone - especially the most vulnerable - can get the services they need without fear."
"We will overcome AIDS if the rights of everyone, everywhere, are protected. I call on all leaders to heed this year's theme and take the 'rights' path," he declared.
Keep rights at core
UNAIDS , the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, reinforced the call, urging governments to "take the rights path to end AIDS."
Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, stressed the importance of removing systemic barriers to healthcare.
"To protect everyone's health, we need to protect everyone's rights," she said.
Progress at stake
Its World AIDS Day report showed that respecting and protecting human rights can help ensure equitable access to HIV services and prevent new infections.
It also revealed how gaps in realization of human rights, and abuses and violations obstruct the end of the AIDS pandemic.
The UNAIDS report underscores that progress will stall without a human rights-based approach. In 2023, 1.3 million people were newly infected with HIV globally, three times the target of no more than 370,000 annual infections set for 2025.
