Warning of Unprecedented Disruption, Severe Funding Cuts, Secretary-General Urges Solidarity to End AIDS as Public Health Threat by 2030, at High-Level Meeting

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, to the opening plenary of the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, in New York today:

A special shout-out for our partners and civil society who are on the front lines daily, and deep appreciation to my sister, Winnie Byanyima, and her great team for the work that they do every day.

In the 45 years since the first case of AIDS was reported, the world has demonstrated uncommon resolve and solidarity.  It wasn’t easy.  The early days of the response were marked by a wall of barriers, misunderstanding, lack of knowledge and science, discrimination and stigma, and — perhaps most deadly of all — political hesitancy.

But year by year, this emergency was transformed into remarkable public health progress — a story of hope that was written by people living with HIV, together with committed community and front-line healthcare heroes, by tireless generations of scientists and researchers, by Governments who showed political commitment and resolve in the face of a fast-growing pandemic and sustained the efforts through increasing domestic investments, and by generous global partners who invested in the global response and carried our shared mission forward.

AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 70 per cent since their peak in 2004 — and by 54 per cent in 2010.  HIV prevention and treatment services have reduced new infections by 40 per cent in the same period.  Today, more than 32 million people living with HIV are receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy.  And we now collectively benefit from the public health lessons that were learned in the fight against HIV.

We learned that national leadership is essential, that solutions and impact come from communities, that scientific innovation, when funded and supported, will find a way forward, that we can deliver testing and treatment to even the hardest-to-reach populations — and carve out new delivery pathways for other critical interventions.

We learned to use the social determinants of health in the response — most of all we learned that when the world acts together, it can save lives.

Let’s be clear:  AIDS is not over.   As my recent report demonstrates, we remain far from achieving the targets we established in the 2021 Political Declaration.  At the end of 2024, 9.2 million people in need still lacked access to HIV treatment — and 1.3 million acquired HIV.  Most tragically, 630,000 lives were lost in AIDS-related deaths.

Funding cuts are directly affecting prevention efforts, and the community systems that are so essential to the response.  Meanwhile, financial constraints and rising debt burdens in developing countries are diverting funding away from the HIV response.  And shrinking civic space and regression in human rights protections are placing hard-won gains at risk.

This is a meeting that is taking place to find solutions, and once again summon the political will to accelerate and finish the global HIV fight.  Five acceleration pathways will be essential.

First — we need to close the widening gaps in access to prevention, treatment and care services.  We have the tools to prevent and treat HIV over the long term.  Governments need to intensify support to ensure breakthroughs reach all people — especially in the most marginalized and our underserved communities and countries.  This means ensuring HIV responses are integrated across the public health and development systems, to build more sustainable and resilient responses.

Second — we must continue ensuring the leadership of communities in the HIV response.  The new Global AIDS Strategy emphasizes country ownership, people-centredservices, and community leadership. Community-led organizationsremain indispensable partners in reaching those that are furthest behind.  They need our full support.

Third — human rights.  From the start, inequalities, stigma and discrimination fuelled the epidemic.  But they also fuelled our determination to protect and save lives by responding effectively, particularly for the most vulnerable communities and populations.  At a time when several populations and vulnerable communities in many parts of the world — including LGBTQI+ people — are facing growing stigma, discrimination and criminalization, we must stand firm in protecting their rights and their dignity.

Laws, policies and social exclusion that push people to the margins not only violate human rights — they also risk undermining public health efforts and place lives at great risk.  Human rights and equality must continue to guide our response.

Fourth — financing.  The world must support developing countries as they build stronger systems for health and social protection.  Now is not the time to step back from investing in the response.

I urge countries to keep their promise under the Sevilla Commitment:  to unlock financing; address unsustainable debt with new tools and solutions; and reform today’s unfair and outdated global financial system so developing countries can receive the resources they need — and the voice and representation they deserve.

Finally — we need to revive the multilateral spirit that has driven the HIV response from the very start.  The HIV response has shown that solidarity across borders and sectors can overcome fear, inequality and injustice.  And it has proven that global, regional and local institutions are all essential to deliver together.

At a time when division and distrust are rising, this meeting must send a powerful message:  no country or community can end AIDS alone.

The United Nations has always been a proud partner on this journey.  Over the last 30 years, the dedicated staff of UNAIDS have been unswerving in their perseverance and commitment to the people and communities affected by HIV around the world.  But that progress is now under threat in the face of severe funding cuts and unprecedented disruption.

Through the UN80 Initiative, we have established a vision to preserve and to strengthen the UN HIV response by integrating capacity and expertise across the UN development system and beyond.  This transition is about protecting the gains we have made and ensuring that support continues to reach people and communities who need it most.

The structures may evolve, but the United Nations will never retreat from the commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat.  Work on this transition is moving steadily forward — including through the Working Group that has been established by the UNAIDS Programme Coordination Board — to ensure a safe, responsible and an orderly transition.

This does mean elaborating a division of labour among the co-sponsoring organizations to absorb UNAIDS capacities, while developing governance arrangements that safeguard the space for civil society and ensure that the voices of key populations continue to be heard.

But this is more than about health.  It is about human rights.  It is about dignity.  It is about inclusivity and bringing everyone along on this journey.  And it is about keeping our promise to leave no one behind. I very much look forward to the successful outcome of the Working Group and the continued engagement of all our stakeholders as this work progresses.

This meeting is a chance to demonstrate that, even in difficult times, the international community can rally, once again, around science, around human dignity, solidarity and shared responsibility.  The responsibility to end AIDS as a public threat by 2030 belongs to each and every one of us.  Let’s move forward together — with a sense of urgency, with solidarity and with ambition.