More Than 3,000 People to Meet at UN for High Level Meeting on AIDS

Wednesday marks the start of the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York, a gathering of senior government officials, international organizations, and representatives of civil society groups tasked with assessing progress and developing goals in the worldwide fight against HIV.

More than 30 heads of state will attend the three-day meeting, which includes plenary and panel sessions, as well as 40 individual sideline events. UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss will preside over the opening and closing plenary sessions. On Friday, member-states are expected to adopt a declaration that guides country responses to HIV/AIDS for the next five years.

"We are looking to UN member-states to make bold commitments which will help us reach our shared goal of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths," Deiss said in a release ahead of the meeting.

It has been ten years since the historic UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS, which galvanized the global response to the epidemic. In 2006, member-states committed to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support. While 22 countries have achieved those UN-set targets, others continue to struggle.

"Inequality, discrimination, laws against people living with or at risk of HIV continue to block access to HIV services for people most in need," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe. "We need a response to HIV that is grounded in human rights and one which promotes quality and equity. Achieving this will open the way to a world free from HIV."

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