Just one week after Member States adopted a new Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the 58th Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) took the next step in shaping how the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) will evolve to help deliver those commitments.
Building on the renewed global political commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, Board members reaffirmed the need for a strong, coordinated global HIV response while advancing discussions on how the Joint Programme should accompany the global response in a changing financial and global health landscape.
Across three days of discussions, Member States, communities and partners broadly agreed that while the current operating model must evolve, the world continues to need strong political leadership, multisectoral coordination, accountability and meaningful community participation. The discussions marked an important milestone in the work of the independent PCB Working Group, which will present final recommendations on the future structure and governance of the Joint Programme in October.
"Even in a complex global political context, UNAIDS still has that unique power to unite the world behind a shared vision to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030," said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. "We will not deliver on that promise through institutions alone. We will deliver it through people, through the communities who refuse to be invisible, through the staff who carry this mission every day, through leaders in governments and partner organisations acting with courage in the face of uncertainty."
At the start of the meeting, the Vice Minister and Director General for International Cooperation for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Pascale Grotenhuis opened the meeting, saying, "The Kingdom of the Netherlands reaffirms the importance of sustainably transitioning and integrating UNAIDS within the UN system and beyond while safeguarding what makes it unique: its community-led approach, grounded in human rights and centered on key populations."
Chairing the meeting Erica Schouten, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations in Geneva, said, "It is time to forge a new vision and narrative for the global HIV response, one that is deeply rooted in the hopes, values, and realities of our current time."
For the Philippines, global commitment is especially urgent. "We continue to experience one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, with close to 50 new HIV infections every day," said Albert Francis Domingo, Philippines Undersecretary of Health and Chief of Staff. "The Philippines recognizes that the global HIV response is at a critical juncture. We therefore support reforms that strengthen efficiency and break down institutional silos. At the same time, these reforms must preserve the Joint Programme's unique comparative advantages."
One such advantage is having civil society representation as part of the UNAIDS board. The position of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is critical for the effective inclusion of community voices in the AIDS response.
"We must invest in communities, protect civic space and human rights and ensure that those living these realities are heard, supported, and meaningfully involved in decision making," said Ulrich Mvate from the NGO Africa delegation.
UNAIDS also thanked its longstanding donors for their steadfast support and expressed gratitude to programme countries who are contributing funds to maintain UNAIDS offices in their countries, reflecting strong national ownership.
The meeting's thematic session focused on sustaining the HIV response and human rights for people who use drugs. Currently 8% of all new HIV infections are among people who inject drugs being and they are 34 times more likely to contract HIV than the general adult population.
"The HIV response is no longer only facing a funding crisis, it is becoming a crisis of survival for many people who use drugs," said Anton Besenkov, Director of International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD), citing a lack of harm reduction supplies, needle and syringe programmes closing and increased criminalization.
"Our message is simple: if communities disappear, the HIV response disappears with them," he said.
The Report to the Board by the UNAIDS Executive Director, and the reports for each agenda item and the PCB's decisions can be found here. There will be a Special session in October followed by a regular PCB in December.
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
