KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMOR
The red ribbon symbol as a form of concern for people with HIV/AIDS is used by a teenager who took part in a parade to commemorate International AIDS Day on December 1 in a motorized vehicle-free area on Jalan MH Thamrin, Jakarta, Sunday (1/12/2019). They include campaigning to stay away from free sex, stay away from drugs, and ask the public not to stay away from AIDS sufferers.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY — The world seeks to get back on track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 through a Political Declaration with ambitious targets to be achieved by 2025. The adoption of this Political Declaration took place at the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS or UNHLM on HIV/ADIS in New York, United States, Tuesday (8/6/2021), coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the world’s first AIDS case.
Ambitious targets in the Political Declaration include lowering the number of new HIV infections to below 370,000 and bringing AIDS-related deaths to below 250,000. Then ensure that 95 percent of people at risk of HIV get HIV prevention options, 95 people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of people who know their status are on HIV treatment, 95 percent of those who seek treatment have suppressed the virus, and eliminate new cases of HIV in children. .
These global targets and commitments are very crucial, especially for countries that have not yet achieved the targets set for 2020.
The adoption of this Political Declaration is an important step towards ensuring we leave no one behind in the process towards the end of AIDS by 2030.
“Progress towards the end of AIDS in ASEAN remains uneven, although some countries have made significant progress, some are still experiencing an increase in new HIV infections, especially among the most vulnerable groups and young people,” said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in a statement. representing ASEAN at UNHLM-HIV/AIDS.
“ASEAN recognizes that inequality has contributed to the uneven achievement of HIV targets in our region. Some groups—people living, at risk and affected by HIV—still have a high vulnerability to HIV infection,” added Budi.
Access to HIV/AIDS control 2020
Several countries in ASEAN, including Indonesia, have failed to achieve the 90-90-90 target by 2020. This target is that 90 percent of people with HIV know their status, 90 percent of people with HIV access antiretroviral treatment, and 90 percent of people seeking treatment achieve levels of viral suppression to the point of not being able to transmit the virus to others.
At the global level, as many as 1.5 million new HIV infections occurred in 2020 or three times higher than the same year. The target of reducing AIDS-related deaths was also not achieved. There will still be 690,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2020.
In his statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the global target set by the Political Declaration on ending AIDS at the 2016 UN General Assembly was far off the mark. The 1.7 million new HIV cases in 2019 were three times higher than the 2020 target of under 500,000 cases. In addition, as many as 690,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2019 also far exceeded the 2020 target of reducing deaths to below 500,000 a year.
Stigma
According to UNAIDS data, 98 new HIV infections in Asia Pacific occur in key population groups, namely men who have sex with men (MSM), clients of sex workers and partners of key populations, injecting drug users, sex workers and transgender people. They are also vulnerable to violence, stigma, discrimination, and discriminatory laws.
Krittayawan Boonto, Director of UNAIDS Indonesia, said that key populations in Indonesia still experience stigma and discrimination that prevent them from enjoying their right to health. Ending AIDS cannot be done without ending inequality as a driving force for the world’s epidemic. “The adoption of this Political Declaration is an important step towards ensuring we do not leave anyone behind in the process towards the end of AIDS by 2030,” he said.
Also read: The Sad Fate of Living with HIV
In the Political Declaration, countries commit to ensuring that fewer than 10 people with HIV and at risk of HIV experience stigma and discrimination by 2025.
The Political Declaration also underscores the important role of communities in the HIV response. “The HIV community and key populations in Indonesia know best the needs of people living with HIV and people at risk of HIV. We are working together with public services to reach people for tests and make sure they are still on treatment. We welcome the global commitment to increase the role of community leadership with the principle of greater involvement of people with HIV/AIDS,” said Meirinda Sebayang, National Coordinator of the Positive Indonesia Network (JIP).
Also read: Full Community Involvement Becomes Hope in HIV Control
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