At the 2026 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, a large majority of Member States adopted a timely Political Declaration reaffirming their collective commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and setting out strategic priorities and targets for accelerated action over the next five years.
Held in New York on 22–23 June 2026, the High-Level Meeting marked the final United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS before the 2030 deadline for achieving global AIDS targets. The adoption of the Declaration sends an important signal of continued political commitment to sustain progress against HIV, address emerging challenges, and protect hard-won gains in the global response.
Through the Declaration, Member States committed to:
- reaffirm the commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 through the full implementation of existing global HIV commitments and a sustainable response beyond 2030;
- strengthen country ownership and leadership to ensure integrated, multisectoral and people-centred HIV responses, supported by sustainable domestic and international financing;
- mobilize adequate, predictable and sustainable resources for HIV responses, including increased domestic investment and achievement of global financing targets;
- achieve the 95–95–95 targets by 2030 through universal access to HIV testing, treatment and viral suppression services;
- integrate HIV services within universal health coverage and primary health-care systems, ensuring continuity of care and stronger health systems;
- accelerate equitable access to comprehensive HIV prevention, including evidence-based biomedical, behavioural, structural and community-led interventions;
- eliminate vertical transmission of HIV and end paediatric AIDS, ensuring integrated maternal, newborn and child health services;
- promote and protect human rights, gender equality and access to justice, including the elimination of HIV-related stigma, discrimination, violence and restrictive legal barriers;
- ensure equitable access to affordable medicines, diagnostics and health technologies, while strengthening local production, innovation and research, including for an HIV vaccine and cure; and
- strengthen and resource community leadership and participation, ensuring meaningful engagement of people living with, affected by and at risk of HIV in decision-making, service delivery and accountability mechanisms.
The Declaration is the culmination of weeks of intensive negotiations among Member States and extensive engagement with communities, civil society organizations, people living with HIV and development partners. Its adoption underscores the determination of countries to maintain momentum toward ending AIDS despite a rapidly evolving global health and financing landscape.
Speaking during the thematic panel on "Sustaining the HIV response" at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO's Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections emphasized the urgency of maintaining momentum in the global response. "WHO reaffirms its commitment to providing global strategic and technical leadership, in close collaboration with the UN cosponsors and Secretariat of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, governments, civil society and communities to translate the commitments of this Political Declaration into tangible action," said Dr Kasaeva.
Recognizing the importance of sustained accountability beyond the 2030 milestone, Member States also agreed to convene a new United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS in 2031 to review progress, identify remaining gaps and chart the future course of the global response.
On the sidelines of the High-Level Meeting, the World Health Organization convened a high-level event in collaboration with Brazil, Indonesia, UNDP and UNICEF, "Accelerating progress towards ending HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections: New approaches to end major epidemics." The event explored how integrated approaches across HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections can accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals while delivering better health outcomes for individuals and communities.
