AIDS Meeting Was Bold but Disappointing, Organisations Say

A Rainbow flag is displayed in the window of the United States Mission to the United Nations during LGBT Pride Month. Credit: Phillip Kaeding / IPS.By Tharanga YakupitiyageUNITED NATIONS, Jun 13 2016 (IPS)Though the High Level Meeting on Ending AIDS ended with the adoption of bold and life saving targets, many organisations have expressed their disappointment in its outcomes.During the meeting, the international community adopted a new Political Declaration that lays down the groundwork to accelerate HIV prevention and treatment and end AIDS by 2030.UN member states committed to achieving a 90-90-90 treatment target where 90 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 90 percent who know their HIV status are accessing treatment and 90 percent of people on treatment have suppressed viral loads. Reaching the treatment target will prevent 75 percent of new infections and ensure that 30 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) have access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) by 2020.Though many organisations that IPS spoke to were encouraged by the commitments, they also expressed concern and disappointment in the Declaration’s shortfalls.“I think what the high level meeting showed us was the gap between reality and politics at the UN,” said International Women’s Health Coalition’s (IWHC) Director of Advocacy & Policy, Shannon Kowalski.“The Political Declaration didn’t go far enough to address the epidemic that we face today,” she continued. “If we are ser...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Aid Civil Society Conferences Development & Aid Editors' Choice Featured Gender Gender Identity Global Geopolitics Global Governance Headlines Health Human Rights Inequity IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse LGBTQ Population Po Source Type: news