News Releases

Global Fund Marks World AIDS Day

30 November 2018

JOHANNESBURG – To mark World AIDS Day, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is celebrating tremendous progress against HIV and embracing new efforts by partners to take action toward ending the epidemic.

On 1 December, the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the Global Fund is joining partners in South Africa and beyond with collective action to expand treatment and prevention, with an added focus on lowering infection rates in young women and other key populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV.

“We must act right now, with more resources and more innovation, to save lives and to end the epidemic by 2030,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “It takes collective effort, and that’s what World AIDS Day is all about.”

In Johannesburg, the Global Fund and the government of South Africa are jointly convening an event on 1 December to celebrate World AIDS Day by focusing on investing in women and girls. On 2 December, the Global Fund will also take part in Global Citizen Festival Mandela 100, with musical artists joined on stage by leaders to make commitments.

South Africa still has the largest number of people living with HIV, and provides more treatment, than any country in the world. Antiretroviral treatment is a pillar of the government’s health policy.

Winning the fight against HIV requires determined action by all partners, including governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases. This week, a new report by PEPFAR illustrated the scale of what can be achieved with collective action, saving millions of lives, preventing millions of new infections, and transforming the global AIDS response with innovative programs like DREAMS.

The Global Fund is committed to continuing to work with partners in South Africa and everywhere to continue to scale up antiretroviral treatment, to reach key and vulnerable populations including adolescent girls and young women, strengthening communities all over the world.