Fast-Track Cities Initiative Announcement
Mayors from around the World Sign
Paris Declaration to End AIDS by 2030
PARIS, FRANCE, 1 December 2014 - On World AIDS Day 2014, Mayors from around the world came together in Paris,
France, to sign a declaration to end the AIDS epidemic in their cities. In signing the 2014 Paris Declaration, the Mayors commit to
putting cities on the fast-track to ending AIDS through a set of commitments. Those commitments include achieving the UNAIDS
90-90-90 targets, which will result in 90% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 90% of people who know
their HIV-positive status on antiretroviral treatment, and 90% of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads,
keeping them healthy and reducing the risk of HIV transmission.
"Ending the AIDS epidemic is achievable if the world's major cities act immediately and decisively to fast-track their AIDS responses
by 2020," said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). "A
fast-track AIDS response in cities will also encourage new, cutting-edge service delivery programmes that can pave the way for
cities to address other public health challenges, including tuberculosis, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and
child health, gender-based violence and noncommunicable diseases."
At the World AIDS Day event in Paris, hosted by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the Mayors joined UNAIDS, the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) in signing the Paris
Declaration. "Cities all over the world are key players that can fast-track the response in order to ultimately end the
AIDS epidemic," said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris. "Our duty is above all a human one. As elected
representatives, our choice is to demonstrate solidarity. In Paris, we are determined to take our
responsibilities and to live up to our commitments."
The meeting is taking place 20 years after the Paris AIDS Summit, at which world leaders and communities agreed to a set of principles
for the greater involvement of people living with HIV. Known as the GIPA principles, the historic commitment continues to guide the
global AIDS response today.
During the event, UNAIDS released a report on HIV in cities, which outlines the important role that urban areas will play in ending
AIDS by 2030. The OUTLOOK: Cities Report shows how cities and urban areas are particularly affected by HIV, with the 200
cities most affected by the epidemic estimated to account for more than a quarter of the 35 million people living with HIV
around the world. In many countries, cities are home to more than half of all people living with HIV across the country.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 45% of people living with HIV reside in cities.
According to the report, more than half the world's population lives in cities, with the proportion set to expand to 60% by 2050. The
vast majority of megacities, defined as having populations of more than 10 million people, will be in low- and middle-income countries.
Fast-tracking HIV responses in cities - without neglecting efforts in rural and other areas - will therefore be crucial to ending AIDS.
The 2014 Paris Declaration includes commitments to focus on the communities most affected by HIV, to mobilize resources for the better
integration of public health and development, to build and accelerate urban HIV strategies and to use the AIDS response as a catalyst
for positive social transformation.
"Cities provide ready, flexible and creative platforms that can contribute to ending the AIDS epidemic in a pragmatic, balanced
and efficient way," said Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-Habitat. "Cities can act as the fora where the linkages, trust,
respect and inclusiveness that are part of any sustainable solution can be built."
The Cities Report shares the city photography of renowned photographer Richard Silver. It also features testimonies from
community activists, health workers and public officials who have been at the forefront of the AIDS response in the world's cities.
Their stories show how the same urban centres that have been most affected by HIV from the beginning of the epidemic are now
uniquely positioned to end AIDS. It also highlights the importance of ensuring that people who are marginalized and often
stigmatized - including sex workers, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men - have access to HIV
prevention and treatment services.
Tackling poverty and inequality will also be essential. Globally, an estimated 1 billion people live in poverty, with access to only a
few services. Poverty and inequality are further tested by multiple health challenges, including HIV and related diseases, such as
tuberculosis, the leading cause of death among people living with HIV.
"We must seize this moment of unprecedented scientific opportunity to rapidly reduce the number of new HIV infections and end
AIDS-related deaths, without ignoring significant barriers to achieving the 90-90-90 targets in cities, including stigma and
discrimination," said José M. Zuniga, President/CEO of IAPAC. "Achieving these targets requires thinking
globally and acting locally; leveraging existing city programmes and resources; and implementing locally relevant,
locally tailored and locally led interventions to address HIV prevention, testing, and treatment gaps."
Ending AIDS in the world's cities will require leaders who can inspire and harness the compassion and generosity of ordinary urban
citizens in order to bring about lasting change. It will depend upon energized communities accelerating and sharpening the focus
of local AIDS responses and sharing best practices across urban centres.
In addition to the 90-90-90 targets, UNAIDS also calls for reducing the annual number of new adult HIV infections by more than 75%,
to 500,000 in 2020, and achieving zero discrimination. UNAIDS estimates that reaching the 90-90-90 fast-track targets will prevent
almost 28 million new HIV infections and 21 million deaths by 2030.
###
Click here for information about the Fast-Track Cities Initiative, including:
###
International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC)
IAPAC envisions a world in which people at risk for and those living with HIV/AIDS may access the best prevention, care, and treatment
services delivered by clinicians and allied health workers armed with cutting-edge knowledge and
expertise. www.iapac.org
###
Source: International Association of Providers of AIDS Care
Reproduced with permission -
"International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC)"
International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC)
For more HIV and AIDS News visit...
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News
|
