Message from Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, for World AIDS Day 2020



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This year, World AIDS Day 2020 will not resemble previous editions.

COVID-19 threatens progress made over the past 20 years in health and development, including progress in the fight against HIV.

It accentuates existing inequalities as other epidemics did before it.

Gender, racial, social and economic inequalities: our world is sinking into inequality.

The cause of HIV has created a mobilization over the past year to defend our achievements, protect people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups, and fend off the coronavirus, and I’m happy.

Campaigns to issue prescriptions for several months of HIV treatment, organizing home delivery of drugs or providing financial assistance, food or accommodation to groups at risk: HIV activists and advocates and affected communities have demonstrated once again their vital efficacy in the response to HIV. Thanks to you !

The dynamics inherent in the communities, initiated by a shared responsibility among their members, it played a pivotal role in our victories against HIV.

Today, we need this force more than ever to overcome the simultaneous HIV and COVID-19 epidemics.

Dear friends, dear friends. In its response to COVID-19, humanity cannot repeat the mistakes of the past in the fight against HIV when millions of people in developing countries have died awaiting treatment.

More than 12 million people are still waiting for HIV treatment today and 1.7 million infections were recorded in 2019 due to lack of access to essential services.

That’s why UNAIDS is pushing hard for a universal coronavirus vaccine.

With global problems, global solidarity.

When the first signs of efficacy and safety for potential COVID-19 vaccines appear, there is hope, others will follow. However, there are serious threats to their fair access. We ask companies to freely share their technology and know-how, as well as to give up their intellectual property rights so that the world can produce effective vaccines on a large scale and at the speed needed to protect everyone. and enable the global economy to recover.

Our goal of ending the AIDS epidemic was already behind schedule before the arrival of COVID-19. We now need to focus on people to get the AIDS response back on track. We need to end the social injustices that put people at risk of HIV infection. And we must fight for the right to health. Governments have no excuse for not fully investing in universal access to health. Obstacles such as user fees to be paid in advance keep some people out of care and need to be removed.

The human rights of women and girls must be respected without exception and the criminalization and marginalization of gay men, transgender people, sex workers and drug addicts must stop.

As 2020 draws to a close, the world is teeming with danger and the months ahead won’t be easy.

Only one global solidarity and shared responsibility it can help us defeat the coronavirus, end the AIDS epidemic and guarantee the universal right to health.

Thanks.

Winnie Byanyima

UNAIDS Executive Director

United Nations Undersecretary General

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries

UNAIDS

The United Nations Joint Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) guides and mobilizes the international community to realize its shared vision: “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths. »UNAIDS combines the efforts of 11 United Nations agencies: UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. It works closely with global and national partners to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. To find out more, visit unaids.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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