UN HLM on AIDS: IPPF Key Message 04

Renew the political commitment to HIV

Recognizing the long-term benefits that have accrued from investing in HIV programmes, governments, international donors and the private sector need to re- commit to meeting the international targets, goals and accountability. Nuanced political commitment to HIV for this new millennium needs to be prioritized.


Rationale: In the last decade the HIV response has been transformed by increased political commitment and a dramatic increase in resources. Progress has been made towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for HIV, which is to have halted and begun to reverse the epidemic by 2015. At a global level, the epidemic is stabilizing. According to the 2010 UNAIDS Global Report, the number of new HIV infections declined by 16 per cent from an estimated 3.1 million in 2001 to 2.6 million in 2009. Improved access to services to prevent mother-to-child transmission has reduced the number of infants infected with HIV from 500,000 in 2001 to 370,000 in 2009. New interventions and emerging technologies, including male circumcision and pre-exposure prophylaxis, have the potential to further enhance HIV prevention efforts, if implemented at sufficient scale.

Current gaps to address:

• Close the funding gap: The funding gap - the difference in the amount of money needed and the amount actually allocated - was $7.7 billion in 2009, compared to $6.5 billion in 2008. Funding is a shared responsibility. Donor and recipient countries must meet their commitments and be held accountable. International donors should ensure full funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and develop additional innovative financing mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability of the response. 
• Continue to scale up access to treatment: An estimated 10 million people who need treatment do not have access to ART. In 20 African countries, more than 80 per cent of treatment depends on donor funding. A recent survey showed that eight countries already face shortages of antiretroviral drugs and a further 22 countries - accounting for more than 60 per cent of people on treatment worldwide - expected an adverse impact on treatment programmes in the future. 
• Commit to a sustainable long-term response: HIV continues to be an exceptional epidemic and thus require an exceptional response. It is still a major threat to health and development and an effective response to HIV is critical to achieving all of the other MDGs. HIV spending is a down payment on a healthy future, yielding immense benefits for future generations, reducing human suffering and averting the large economic and development costs associated with the epidemic.
• Plug the condom gap: Condoms are a critical element of any HIV prevention strategy and are the only dual protection method available for the prevention of HIV, STIs and unplanned pregnancies. Yet, the gap between the number of condoms needed and the number of condoms available for HIV prevention and family planning is high.

Read all of IPPF's key messages for the 2011 UN High Level Meeting on AIDS in the June issue of the HIV Update newsletter: http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Newsletters/HIV+Update+Issue+26.htm