Today, we commemorate the 22nd World AIDS Day under the theme “Universal Access and Human Rights”. The critical need to strengthen human rights in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and in ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, care and treatment has become increasingly clearer over the past decade, a period within which studies have shown a stronger link between the high incidence and the spread of HIV/AIDS among groups already experiencing discrimination and lacking human rights protection. This includes groups that have been marginalized socially, culturally and economically.
Human rights are fundamental to any response to HIV/AIDS. The promotion and protection of these rights are necessary to empower individuals and communities to respond to the epidemic.
World AIDS Day 2010 provides an opportunity for all of us to take action to ensure that the human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS are protected and that we continue to strive towards meeting the universal access targets for prevention, treatment and care.
Progress is being made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The number of new HIV infections is steadily declining or stabilizing in countries. However, the rate at which new infections are occurring is still very high and remains a matter of great concern.
Significant progress has been made in scaling up access to HIV/AIDS treatment. Up to 3.9 million people with AIDS were reported to be accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2009. This represents a 13-fold increase over the last six years.
While the progress is encouraging, there should be no place for complacency as there are still huge gaps in providing access to key interventions. Social and health care providers should be more responsive to the specific needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). They should ensure confidentiality and prevent stigma and discrimination. It is also incumbent upon PLWHA to exercise their rights by seeking counselling, testing and support.
I urge countries to protect the basic human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS including their rights to employment, access to financial services, and other basic conditions that would enable them to fulfill their social and economic needs.
Let us dedicate ourselves to the elimination of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.
Let us join forces to make Universal Access to Care a reality worldwide.
I thank you.