A Movement for HIV prevention has been established, with the primary target of reducing the number of new HIV infections in Southern Africa by 50% between 2010 and 2015 and an additional target of ending mother to child transmission of HIV.

The Movement is intended as a tool to guide constructive criticism, promote debate and stimulate community mobilization.

For more information, click here to download the 50% by 2015's pamphlet

5 June 2010

Every 4 years, the world turns its eyes to the football World Cup, the biggest sporting tournament on the planet.  This year, the World Cup is being held in South Africa with many top teams and stars taking part. As in years past, UNAIDS will be hosting a web-competition, under the slogan "Give AIDS the Red Card" in order to celebrate the games.  With the help of UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassadors Michael Ballack and Emmanuel Adebayor, the "Give AIDS the Red Card" campaign leads us in the direction of preventing and ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV by the year 2015.

Contestants can win a variety of prizes, including signed memorabilia from players, if they can answer these 3 questions correctly.

Announcement comes after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with President Bingu Wa Mutharika

GENEVA, 29 May 2010 - Calling the pardon "courageous" United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also called on legislators to change the nation's laws on homosexuality. Saying "this outdated penal code should be reformed wherever it may exist."

Press statement

GENEVA, 20 May 2010 - UNAIDS is greatly concerned about the guilty verdict handed down by a magistrate court in Malawi against Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga.

The two men were arrested in December 2009 by police officials on charges of engaging in "indecent practices between males" and "unnatural offenses." Both men were subsequently detained for nearly five months, despite several applications for bail and concerns about their health. They were each sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment and hard labour.

UNAIDS considers the criminalization of individuals based on their sexual orientation as a setback for human rights that threatens public health gains in the AIDS response. Criminalizing sexual behaviour drives people who engage in same-sex relations underground and hampers HIV-related programmes aimed at addressing their needs.

Johannesburg - 4 May 2010 From 27^th-29^th April 2010 in Ezulwini, Swaziland, the Pan African Christian AIDS Network (PACANet) convened a consultation of senior Church leaders, Christian organisations and individuals involved in the response to HIV and AIDS in Africa, hosted by the Swaziland Church Forum on HIV and AIDS. This event was held in collaboration with SIDA, UNAIDS, Christian Connections for International Health, ANHERTHA, and INERELA+. The purpose of the consultation was to provide a forum for key stakeholders to discuss the issue of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships (MCP) as a risk behaviour for HIV. In attendance were 90 participants from 18 countries. The participants represented different church backgrounds, namely the African Instituted churches, the Evangelical movement and the mainline established churches.

Geneva, 26 April 2010 - Grammy award-winning producer, composer and singer Lebohang Morake, known professionally as Lebo M,  has been named as Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Known for the musical blockbuster, The Lion King, Lebo M will use his talent, outreach and deep understanding of HIV to raise awareness about the epidemic globally, including helping to break the cycle of stigma and discrimination associated with the virus.

2010 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet) is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the fourth Annual Award for Excellence in HIV and AIDS Communication in Africa

1. Deadline for nominations: May 15,  2010
2. Eligibility: Individuals and organizations implementing HIV/AIDS strategies, campaigns and tools that advance the field of strategic communication and can be evaluated, adapted and applied as best practices.

JOHNANNESBURG, 25 April 2010 - President Zuma today launched an ambitious campaign that could alter the face of the AIDS epidemic, in South Africa and globally. The campaign aims to test 15 million people for HIV by the year 2011, up from 2.5 million in 2009 - a six-fold increase in just two years. Through the campaign, 1.5 million people will receive antiretroviral treatment by June 2011, up from about 1 million in 2009.

19 April 2010

The mood in South Africa is upbeat, but not just about the forthcoming FIFA World Cup. It is also about the way the country is responding to AIDS. The government and civil society groups are talking and working together. Academics and activists are engaging in evidence-informed discussions with officials to make the right choices about HIV programmes. The government has shown seriousness by investing more than US$ 1 billion in the AIDS response this year.

People can feel the difference. The international community can feel the difference. There is fresh enthusiasm to act and to save lives. Truly South Africa is showing leadership and taking responsibility.

Message from UNAIDS Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé

GENEVA, 24 March 2010 - In this era of increasing access to antiretroviral therapy, it is unacceptable that tuberculosis remains among the commonest causes of illness and death in people living with HIV.

Even though TB is preventable and curable it continues to claim the lives of half a million people living with HIV each year. The HIV community cannot stand by and let this happen. Left unchecked TB and drug resistant TB - which knows no borders - could spread and become an even more severe global health threat.

The world has already committed to reducing new TB cases and deaths under Millennium Development Goal 6. However, I call on the HIV community to go one step further: We must commit to halving TB deaths in people living with HIV by 2015.

LISBON, March 17, 2010 - The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Counties (CPLP) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) formalized their cooperation in response to AIDS in CPLP countries with a Memorandum of Understanding. The cooperation agreement was signed today by CPLP Executive Secretary, Mr Domingos Simões Pereira and by UNAIDS Executive Director, Mr Michel Sidibé.

"This agreement strengthens the cooperation that has existed for several years between CPLP and UNAIDS. We are particularly committed to promoting the human rights of people living with HIV and to preventing infection in those countries where Portuguese is the official language," stated CPLP Executive Secretary, Domingos Simões Pereira.

8 March 2010 - South Africa is transforming its AIDS response. Today, the Deputy President of South Africa HE Mr Kgalema Motlanthe met with Executive Directors of UNAIDS and Global Fund in Johannesburg. He recommitted his government's commitment to meet their universal access targets.

"AIDS is one of the top priorities for South Africa and we will work with development partners and civil society," said Deputy President Mr Motlanthe.

In its annual budget for 2010-2011, the country has proposed a budget of US$ 1.1 billion for the AIDS response, the biggest domestic investment in a developing country. South Africa has recently taken the responsibility of providing antiretroviral treatment from its own budget and aims to provide access to nearly 2.1 million people living with HIV.

8 March 2010 - UNAIDS' Executive Director Michel Sidibé and South Africa's Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, joined the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Michel Kazatchkine for the launch of the Global Fund 2010 Results Report in South Africa which highlights progress made towards these three diseases.

The report also projects that if the current rate of scaling up health investments for the three diseases is maintained then malaria may be eliminated as a public health problem within a decade in most countries where it is endemic and the international target of halving TB prevalence could be met by 2015.

South Africa makes the biggest domestic investment on AIDS by a developing country

PRETORIA, South Africa, 19 February 2010 - UNAIDS welcomes the increased investments by South Africa to the AIDS response. In his 2010 budget speech, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has proposed an allocation of US$ 1.1 billion, a 33% increase from 2009 levels. This is the biggest domestic investment made by any developing country on AIDS to date.

"South Africa can directly change the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic with such bold investments," said Mr Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director. "This budget is pro-people and must serve as a model for increasing investments in health, education and social welfare even in times of economic crisis."

18 February 2010 - UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé is on official visit in Botswana to gain insights into the progress made in the HIV response as well as the challenges being faced by the country to curb new infections and further scale up the response.

During a meeting with Vice President, Lt. Gen. Mompati Merafhe, Mr Sidibé commended the government on the remarkable progress the country has made especially in the provision of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services with 93% coverage.  He encouraged the Vice President to use the country's renowned position on AIDS to advocate Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union leaders to keep HIV high on the political agenda.

Ahead of the UN High-level Meeting on Millennium Development Goals, UNAIDS calls on all countries to review progress and barriers for achieving national targets for universal access.

Gaborone/Geneva, 18 February 2010 - UNAIDS is calling for an international effort to renew commitment for countries to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Countries are urged to undertake an open and inclusive consultation process-bringing together governments, development partners, civil society organizations, networks of people living with HIV and community groups to review the progress made in reaching country targets for universal access. UNAIDS will support countries and regional bodies in convening these reviews.

The call to action was made by UNAIDS Executive Director Mr Michel Sidibé while on an official visit to Botswana.

In his 2010 letter to partners, Mr Michel Sidibé takes stock of his first twelve months in office as UNAIDS Executive Director, and provides his vision for the coming years.  Against the backdrop of an epidemic in transition, he outlines a core set of values that can change the course of the epidemic. These include getting equity, banking on evidence, ensuring rights and dignity, aiming for zero new infections while providing treatment for everyone who needs it and leveraging interconnectedness of health and development.

"Our challenge now is to take the progress that countries have made towards universal access and use it to achieve the Millennium Development Goals," said Mr Sidibé.

15 February 2010 - UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé is in Swaziland on the first leg of a three-country tour of Southern Africa to gain insight on progress and challenges towards achieving the goals of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Mr Sidibé also will also be exploring options for joint action to intensify efforts to reduce new HIV infections.

During his visit Mr Sidibé met with His Majesty, King Mswati III, and commended both him and the Queen Mother for their continued support to the AIDS response.

"There is tangible evidence of progress in the HIV response in Swaziland," said Mr Sibide'. "This is particularly evident in the increase of numbers of people, notably pregnant women, who now have access to antiretroviral treatment. This is a significant achievement in Swaziland's response to HIV," he added

UNAIDS calls for global freedom of movement for people living with HIV in 2010

GENEVA, WASHINGTON DC, 4 January 2010 - UNAIDS strongly welcomes the elimination of travel restrictions based on HIV status by the Republic of Korea, effective 1 January 2010. It also commends the United States for full implementation of the final rule that removes entry restrictions which means that travellers living with HIV can freely enter the United States of America as of today.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated President Lee Myung-bak on the Republic of Korea's decision. "I applaud President Lee for his country's leadership in ending restrictions towards people living with HIV that have no public health benefit," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"I repeat my call to all other countries with such discriminatory restrictions to take steps to remove them at the earliest."

Download

Map of countries, territories and areas that have some form of HIV-related restriction on entry, stay or residence

Johannesburg, 14 December 2009 - Some 30 judges from the highest national and regional courts from 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa met in South Africa on 10-12 December to discuss the role of the judiciary in the AIDS response.

The meeting, convened by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS together with the United Nations Development Programme, the International Association of Women Judges and the International Commission of Jurists included discussions around the latest scientific and juridical developments relevant to the legal response to HIV. In addition to the judges, participants included people living with HIV, representatives of sex workers and men who have sex with men, members of regional parliamentary institutions and non-governmental organisations working on HIV and the law in the region.