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World leaders pledge support for the fight against HIV/AIDS
Thousands of delegates and dignitaries gathered in Mexico City in August for the XVII International AIDS Conference.
MEXICO CITY – Various global public health officials, political leaders and dignitaries expressed their support for the fight against HIV/AIDS at the XVII International AIDS Conference, held here.
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At the conference’s opening ceremony, notable public figures, including Peter Piot, PhD, UNAIDS executive director; Margaret Chan, MD, MPH, director general of the World Health Organization; and Ban Ki-Moon, secretary general of United Nations, spoke about the ongoing challenges involved in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Piot said the epidemic was now entering a new phase and continued cooperation from the world health community was needed to remain vigilant against the disease. Piot said tremendous strides against HIV/AIDS have been made in recent years, but he urged that complacency will put populations at risk.
“For the first time, fewer people are dying of AIDS and fewer people are becoming infected with HIV,” Piot said. “For the first time, we have empirical evidence that our brilliant coalition can move mountains. This is cause for encouragement, but not cause for complacency – nor for declaring victory, because the end of AIDS is nowhere in sight. Every day, almost three times as many people become newly-infected with HIV as those who start taking antiretroviral treatment.”
Piot said social change must be used throughout the world as a tool to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS. “Combination prevention also involves mobilizing for social change: no more stigma around HIV, no more homophobia, no more gender based violence and no more ostracism of sex workers,” he said.
Piot also urged broadening the scope of the fight against HIV/AIDS. “If we are to sustain a robust AIDS response for the longer term, we need not only unity, but also to enlarge our coalition,” he said. “This means reaching out far more than before to those who are strengthening health systems and are in charge of drug control. It means building stronger linkages with those working on tuberculosis and sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health. It means involving far more young leaders.”
Assessing achievement
Chan praised the achievements the global health community has made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “AIDS is the most complex, the most challenging and probably the most devastating infectious disease humanity has ever had to face,” she said. “And we have faced this disease, head on. We have rallied. Since the beginning, the response has been led by the courage, determination and vision of civil society and the advocacy of activists – and I thank them.”
Chan said that the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic has changed health systems throughout the world. “The AIDS response expanded the frontiers of public health and showed the power of a can-do attitude,” she said. “It changed the face of public health in profound ways, opening new options for dealing with multiple other health problems. Treatments can be found. Prices can drop. Funds can be secured. Services can be delivered in resource-constrained settings. Attitudes can change. With sufficient will, commitment and resources, a bleak and depressing situation can be transformed into one of optimism and hope.”
But Chan also said that the fight against HIV/AIDS will continue for many years. “We have cause for optimism, but we dare not let down our guard,” she said. “This is an unforgiving epidemic that can strike back in surprising, sometimes startling ways. The epidemic is not over. We are in this for the long haul.”
Chan stressed that prevention may be one of the most important weapons to fight HIV/AIDS. “We must do a much better job of prevention,” she said. “This is the only way to get ahead and ensure an adequate long-term response. We urgently need to scale up the use of proven context-specific prevention methods. We also need to expand linkages between sectors — for example, to introduce and scale up comprehensive sexuality education for young people.”
United Nations support
Ki-Moon told conference delegates that the international community was supportive of the fight against HIV/AIDS, but he expressed concern that a lack of resources remain a detriment for many patients with HIV/AIDS throughout the world.
“As the fight against AIDS nears the end of its third decade, we are still facing a huge shortfall in resources,” Ki-Moon said. “The responses to HIV/AIDS require long-term and sustained financing. As more people go on treatment and live longer, budgets will have to increase considerably over the next few decades. In the most affected countries, donors will have to provide the majority of the funding.”
Ki-Moon also said ending stigma is of the utmost importance in helping to fight HIV/AIDS and that he supported the recent anti-homophobia campaign in Mexico. “In most countries, stigma against people living with HIV remains a grave challenge,” Ki-Moon said. “One-third of countries still do not have laws to protect people living with HIV. In most countries, discrimination remains legal against women, men who have sex with men, sex workers, drug users and ethnic minorities. This must change. I call on all countries to live up to their commitments to enact or enforce legislation outlawing discrimination against people living with HIV and members of vulnerable groups. I call on them to follow Mexico’s bold example and pass laws against homophobia.”
Ki-Moon promised that he would do everything in his power to support the worldwide effort to fight HIV/AIDS. “When I first spoke in the General Assembly about AIDS, I promised that the United Nations will deliver as one on AIDS,” he said. “I will do all I can to make that happen. I will work to mobilize funding and to ensure that AIDS remains a system-wide priority for the United Nations. You can count on me.”
International pledge
Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, also pledged his support for the efforts of the International AIDS Society. Although not present at the conference in Mexico City, Sarkozy sent a message confirming collaboration from France and the European Union.
“There is no nobler or more just fight than yours, fighting day after day to save the lives of millions of men, women and children struck down by the scourge of AIDS,” Sarkozy said. “There is no nobler or more just cause than fighting for human rights and against all forms of discrimination against minorities, vulnerable people and all those rejected by society. Today I want to pay you a special homage and solemnly express to you the support and solidarity of the citizens of France and the European Union.”
Sarkozy also encouraged health systems to better fight against HIV/AIDS and said universal access to treatment should be a global priority. “You can count on France and the European Union to be by your side in the determined battle against AIDS in the months and years to come,” he said. “To succeed, we must help strengthen health systems, particularly through support for the human resources which are so cruelly lacking. On this depends the achievement of universal access to treatment in developing countries.” – by Jay Lewis
For more information:
- Chan M. HIV/AIDS: Universal action now.
- Ki-Moon B. Address to the International AIDS Conference.
- Piot P. Don’t give up the fight!
- Sarkozy N. Message from the President of France to the International AIDS Conference convened by the International AIDS Society in Mexico City.
- All presented at: the XVII International AIDS Conference; Aug. 3-8, 2008; Mexico City.