Youth Portal for the Latin America and the Caribbean - WORLD AIDS DAY: 'Universal Access and Human Rights'

Message from: Rt. Hon. Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, President of the World Assembly of Youth (WAY)

There have been many challenges faced in the battle against HIV. Today is World AIDS Day - and this time we are joining hands in supporting the programmes in our hearts and mind in making the possibility a reality.

The theme for this year's World AIDS Day is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. This theme grants us the opportunity to expand and extend help to those in need. More actions can and need to be taken so that help or assistance can be rendered to those in need in places that were once closed and unreachable.

Programmes on the prevention of HIV have been and will continue to be conducted across the borders. Working closely with youth organisation around the world is necessary in developing policies for the prevention of HIV.

Working with youth leaders and training them to encourage the young people not to be involved in high risk behaviours and relationships. We can unite ourselves against this death causing pandemic that is still staring us in the face.

Yes, there have been a lot of progress made and many achievements in the area of slowing its impact upon society. However, the eradication will never become effective as long as we are keeping ourselves at bay.

We must not be afraid to take the necessary action in the prevention of AIDS. As youth leaders, we can be providing more opportunities to assist and educate young people about this life taking pandemic.

Another way of involvement is to come along side and support youth organisation both locally and globally in helping to bring awareness against HIV and its prevention.

Let us unite ourselves to this goal of providing universal access and human right to all human beings around the world.

Through the World AIDS Day we can be united as citizens of the world against AIDS.

'Let us rise to meet the HIV/AIDS Challenge'

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Message from: Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of United Nations (UN)

The world is seeing signs of progress in reversing the AIDS epidemic in some countries. Investments in the AIDS response are producing results and saving lives.

At the same time, in global terms new infections are outpacing the gains achieved in putting people on treatment, and AIDS remains one of the leading causes of premature death globally.

On World AIDS Day this year, our challenge is clear: we must continue doing what works, but we must also do more, on an urgent basis, to uphold our commitment to reach universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.

This goal can be achieved only if we shine the full light of human rights on HIV. That means countering any form of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. It means eliminating violence against women and girls. It means ensuring access to HIV information and services.

I urge all countries to remove punitive laws, policies and practices that hamper the AIDS response, including travel restrictions against people living with HIV. Successful AIDS responses do not punish people; they protect them.

In many countries, legal frameworks institutionalize discrimination against groups most at risk. Yet discrimination against sex workers, drug users and men who have sex with men only fuels the epidemic and prevents cost-effective interventions. We must ensure that AIDS responses are based on evidence, not ideology, and reach those most in need and most affected.

People living with HIV can be powerful role models in guiding us to better approaches to prevention, health and human dignity. We must recognize their contributions and promote their active participation in all aspects of the AIDS response.

On this World AIDS Day, let us uphold the human rights of all people living with HIV, people at risk of infection, and children and families affected by the epidemic. Let us, especially at this time of economic crisis, use the AIDS response to generate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. Most of all, let us act now.

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Message from: Mr. Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of Joint United Nations Programme of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

On this World AIDS Day we are filled with both hope and concern.

Hope because significant progress has been made towards universal access. New HIV infections have dropped. Fewer children are born with HIV. And more than 4 million people are on treatment.

Concern because 28 years into the epidemic the virus continues to make inroads into new populations; stigma and discrimination continue to undermine efforts to turn back the epidemic. The violation of human rights of people living with HIV, women and girls, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers must end.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on 'all countries to live up to their commitments to enact or enforce legislation outlawing discrimination against people living with HIV and members of vulnerable groups'. On this World AIDS Day, let us work urgently to remove punitive laws and practices and put an end to discrimination against and criminalization of people affected by HIV.

On World AIDS Day let us also act on HIV prevention. For every two people put on treatment, five are newly infected. Too often prevention programmes are not reaching those most in need.

We can eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. We can empower young people to protect themselves from HIV. We can stop violence against women and girls. We can protect drug users from becoming infected with HIV. And we can reduce sexual transmission of HIV. Gains made today are fragile and must be sustained. The economic crisis should not be a reason for reducing investments in health. Economic adjustments must be made through a human rights lens that keeps the focus on those most vulnerable. This is the time to increase rather than decrease funding for AIDS.

AIDS provides a powerful mechanism for creating integrated health, human rights and development programmes. We must take AIDS out of isolation and create a broad social movement that will accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals.

World AIDS Day provides an opportunity for all of us 'individuals, communities and political leaders' to take action towards making universal access a reality.

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Message from: Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

The theme of this year's World AIDS Day focuses our attention on the interrelationship between human rights and the goal of Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Clearly, it will not be possible to achieve Universal Access without fully respecting the universality of human rights, regardless of a person's age, sex, ethnicity, occupation, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation, with a particular concern for those most at risk and vulnerable to HIV infection.

All people have the right to education, information and services that will enable them to avoid HIV infection, and for those living with HIV, to have the best possible quality of life free from stigma and discrimination.

In recent years there have been substantial gains in the number of people receiving life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries, totaling 4 million by December 2008, which represents an increase of 1 million from the previous year. More people were counseled and tested for HIV in 2008 than in previous years. Almost half of all pregnant women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries received antiretroviral to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and more children living with HIV are benefiting from treatment and care programmes than ever before.

These gains represent important progress and hope. However, we must do much more to ensure that the over 5 million people needing antiretroviral therapy in lowand middle-income countries gain access to it. We must also not forget that with 33 million people living with HIV and 2.7 million new infections in 2007, the HIV epidemic continues to be a major global challenge.

We must also do more to safeguard the recent gains, which may well be under threat from the global economic and financial crisis. It is at this time that we must demonstrate even greater resolve and commitment, redouble our efforts to prevent new infections, and support those who are infected and affected by HIV.

For UNESCO, as for other partners in the AIDS response, this means working harder and working together, within a framework of respect for human rights as a cornerstone of effective and equitable national responses to HIV.

To ensure genuine multisectoral responses to the AIDS epidemic, we will continue to draw on UNESCO's broad technical capacity to promote approaches that are rights-based and driven by the best evidence available on what works. One example of this is a forthcoming guide developed by UNESCO on the essential characteristics of efficient and effective HIV and AIDS responses. The guide is designed to explain, in a user-friendly and accessible format, what these essential characteristics are, what they mean in practice, and how they can be applied, integrated and institutionalized into HIV and AIDS planning and programme processes. It builds on the strengths and resources of UNESCO's sectors, institutes and field offices, and will support UNESCO staff and other partners to promote responses which are rights-based, scientifically accurate and grounded on evidence, culturally appropriate, gender responsive, age-specific and participatory and inclusive.

When looking at how all of us can maintain and strengthen our engagement in the AIDS response, I am fully committed that UNESCO will continue to address the social and structural factors that fuel the epidemic, including gender inequality and stigma and discrimination, and to empower young people to make healthy, informed decisions. We must build on our strengths, and move forward in concert with our partners.