UN calls for renewed action to fight HIV/AIDS

Washington, 24 Jul - (ANA) - United Nations has called for an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic once and for all, as over 20,000 delegates from all over  the world gathered in Washington for the XIX International AIDS  Conference. “This conference will stand as a historic milestone on our journey to end this epidemic,” the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Michel Sidibé, said. “We are entering a new era in the AIDS response.” Delegates will spend the next few days participating in a series of discussions focusing on mobilizing governments and communities to achieve the vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. In his remarks, Mr. Sidibé highlighted the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in getting to zero. “For the first time, we have more people on treatment than people who need treatment. We have broken the trajectory on new infections, with a worldwide decline of 20 per cent since 2001, and mortality is also declining,” he said. (ANA)

FA/ANA/24 July 2012---------