Countries across Latin America and the Caribbean have reaffirmed their commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 following the adoption of a new Political Declaration at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York.
The declaration, endorsed by UN Member States at the close of the high-level meeting, establishes a roadmap for the global HIV response between 2026 and 2031. It outlines new commitments to expand equitable access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment, close funding gaps, strengthen health systems, protect human rights, promote gender equality and ensure greater involvement of communities in the global AIDS response.
UNAIDS described the agreement as a significant milestone at a time when the global HIV response is being challenged by shrinking international funding, widening inequalities in healthcare access, and persistent stigma and discrimination affecting people living with and at risk of HIV.
“We welcome the adoption of the new Political Declaration, which serves as a road map to guide the HIV response over the next five years, and which received strong support from governments across our region. This is undoubtedly an important signal that countries remain committed to the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,” said Luisa Cabal, UNAIDS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We recognise the work of all actors in the HIV response—from communities to governments—in helping us reach this renewed commitment,” she added.
The high-level meeting brought together governments, multilateral organizations, civil society groups and community representatives, including a strong delegation from Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants underscored the importance of maintaining HIV as a regional health and development priority despite increasing financial pressures.
Representatives from across the region agreed that progress made over the past two decades must be protected and accelerated as countries confront declining donor support and barriers that continue to limit access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care.
Leslie Wade, Permanent Observer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to the United Nations, said the declaration sends a powerful signal of continued global resolve.
“The adoption of this Political Declaration sends a strong message that the world remains committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, and that the tools and knowledge needed to achieve this goal are within our reach. While the Caribbean has made significant progress, those gains remain fragile in the face of financial challenges, persistent inequalities, stigma, discrimination and barriers to access,” Wade said.
“CARICOM continues to call for renewed global solidarity, sustainable financing and equitable access to HIV prevention, treatment and innovation. What is needed now is renewed political leadership and collective action to turn commitments into action and ensure that no one is left behind.“
Brazil also welcomed the declaration, describing it as an acknowledgement of both the progress achieved and the work that remains.
“Brazil expresses its deep appreciation for the strong support shown for this Political Declaration on HIV, which reflects our shared recognition of the progress achieved to date while acknowledging that important challenges remain,” said Mariângela Simão, Secretary of Health and Environmental Surveillance at Brazil’s Ministry of Health.
She noted that UNAIDS would continue supporting countries in implementing and monitoring the commitments outlined in the declaration to ensure measurable and lasting results.
Community organizations attending the meeting stressed that meaningful progress toward the 2030 targets will depend on the continued involvement of people living with HIV and grassroots organizations.
“Communities have been at the heart of the HIV response and must continue to support the implementation of the commitments made. Our role has been essential in ensuring that these agreements translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives,” said Mariana Iacono, representative of ICW Latina.
“Community experience has helped bring public policies closer to people living with HIV, key populations and all those who continue to face structural barriers to fully exercising their human rights. We stand ready to work alongside governments to turn the 2030 targets into reality and end AIDS as a public health threat.”
At the close of the meeting, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said the overwhelming support for the declaration demonstrated that multilateral cooperation remains vital in addressing one of the world’s most enduring public health challenges.
“The fact that so many Member States voted in support of this Political Declaration at this moment is recognition that our progress remains worth protecting and that there is a willingness to sustain the actions needed to achieve the 2030 goal,” Byanyima said.
The United Nations first committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. UNAIDS reports that while expanded access to antiretroviral therapy and prevention programmes has dramatically reduced AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections worldwide, progress has slowed in recent years due to funding constraints, inequality and discrimination.
The newly adopted Political Declaration is expected to guide national and international HIV strategies through 2031, with governments pledging to translate the commitments made in New York into concrete action to ensure that no one is left behind in the global effort to end AIDS.
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