A new report released Monday by UNAIDS shows that the world is off track to meeting the commitment of world leaders to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The report, 'The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads', brings together new data and case studies which demonstrate that the decisions and policy choices taken by world leaders this year will decide the fate of millions of lives and whether the world's deadliest pandemic is overcome.
UNAIDS says of the 39.9 million people living with HIV globally, 9.3 million or nearly a quarter are not receiving life-saving treatment.
Consequently, a person dies from AIDS-related causes every minute.
In the Caribbean, there has been substantial progress against HIV since 2010, but the reduction in the annual number of new HIV infections slowed down over the last five years.
At the end of 2023, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, the larger countries in the region, accounted for almost 90 per cent of new infections—with Haiti alone accounting for more than one third or 38 per cent of new HIV infections.
The report finds that if leaders take the bold actions needed now to ensure sufficient and sustainable resourcing and protection of everyone's human rights, the number of people living with HIV worldwide, requiring life-long treatment, will settle at around 29 million by 2050.
But if they take the wrong path, the number of people who will need life-long support will rise to 46 million, compared to 39.9 million in 2023.
The report further shows that decisions taken this year will determine if global targets are met, AIDS is ended as a public health threat by 2030, and a sustainable HIV response is built.
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