We are in a history-making moment; let's work together to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat

Statement by the Ambassador John N. Nkengasonga on World AIDS Day:

1 December is World AIDS Day - we have commemorated it every year on 1 December since 1988 to honour the memory of those we have lost and to recommit ourselves to ending the pandemic and caring for all those affected by it.

Our theme for this year is 'Taking Action Together': a reminder that we must not relent in the fight against an infectious disease that has claimed the lives of 42 million people and for which there is no vaccine or cure. The largest collective action by one country to fight one disease was the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which I proudly lead. 

PEPFAR continues to deepen partnerships across civil society, faith-based organizations, partner country governments, and the private sector that are committed to sustaining the gains we have made in the HIV response, accelerating progress toward ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, and ensuring that the response in 2030 and beyond is led and implemented by governments or domestic actors in our partner countries.

Since PEPFAR's inception in 2003, U.S. government agencies and our partners around the world have dramatically changed the course of the pandemic - saving 26 million lives and enabling 7.8 million babies to be born HIV-free. Available UNAIDS estimates show that in 2023 there will be 52 % fewer new HIV infections in PEPFAR-supported countries than in 2010, while globally there will be a reduction of 39 %. AIDS-related deaths decreased by 59 % in PEPFAR-supported countries over the same period, compared to 51 % globally.

Ensuring that people living with or affected by HIV receive the treatment and care they need is essential to accelerate progress. PEPFAR currently supports 20.6 million people receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment in 55 countries.

Preventing new HIV infections requires a combination prevention strategy that harnesses the power of community engagement and maximizes the impact of innovation. New data released today shows that PEPFAR has increased new registrations for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by more than 500 % since 2020 - providing protection from HIV infection to more than 2.5 million high-risk individuals in fiscal year 2024 alone. This year, PEPFAR began rolling out long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for PrEP, a transformative innovation that provides two months of protection against HIV infection. In February, Zambia became the second country in the world, after the United States, to begin treating clients with CAB-LA. The PEPFAR program has introduced CAB-LA in five countries and plans to introduce treatment in six more countries by the end of 2024.

If we want to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, it will be the communities most affected by this pandemic that will lead the way. This year marks the 10th anniversary of PEPFAR's flagship prevention program, DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe). Approximately six out of seven new infections among adolescents aged 15-19 in sub-Saharan Africa occur among girls, and girls and young women aged 15-24 are twice as likely to be living with HIV as their male counterparts. In 2024, PEPFAR through DREAMS reached 2.3 million adolescent girls and young women in 15 countries and reduced new HIV infections through a package of interventions that includes access to PrEP, secondary school attendance support, and violence prevention. This year, PEPFAR also announced new initiatives to deepen engagement with youth, key populations, and nurses leading the HIV response in their communities. 

Sustaining an effective HIV response requires continued bipartisan support at home and increased programmatic ownership by PEPFAR-supported countries. PEPFAR and its partners are proud to continue to earn the bipartisan support the program has received since its inception. A clean, five-year reauthorization of PEPFAR will allow the program to consolidate a major, American-led triumph over one of the most challenging viruses humanity has ever encountered and allow for a smooth transition to country-led programs with government accountability and community leadership at their core. 

We are at a history-making moment; let us work together to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.

state.gov/ gnews - RoZ