Intervention of Marta Bazima, Acting Director of UNAIDS in Mozambique, World AIDS Day

1. Her Excellency Nyeleti Mondlane, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Action

2. His Excellency Doctor Manuel Chapo, Governor of Inhambane Province

3. Her Excellency ..........Secretary of State of Inhambane Province

4. Excellency Dr. Francisco Mbofana, Executive Secretary of the National Council to Combat HIV and AIDS

5. Excellency ....... President of the Municipal Council of Inhambane

6. Your Excellencies, Representatives of Civil Society

7. Excellency Dennis Hearne, Ambassador of the United States of America

8. Distinguished Guests

9. Ladies and Gentlemen

10. It is with high esteem that on behalf of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, I am honored to participate in this ceremony celebrating World AIDS Day under the theme: End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics.

11. On this day on this World AIDS Day, special salute goes out to all people living with HIV and solidarity with the entire world as we face the impact of the collision of pandemics.

12. Let me commend the efforts of the Government of Mozambique in advancing the national response to HIV in a challenging context, as we also fight another pandemic, COVID-19.

13. We extend our congratulations to the organizations of society and the community in general for their continued engagement in this period, contributing so that services continue to reach the community.Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen 1. It has been 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported. It has been 4 decades in which we have witnessed enormous progress, particularly in expanding access to treatment. By June 2021, 28.2 million people had access to HIV treatment, up from 7.8 million in 2010, although progress has slowed considerably.

14. This year, the world renewed its commitment to ending AIDS by 2030 in the High Level Political Declaration on AIDS, which sets bold targets that require the commitment of all to achieve them. The new global AIDS strategy establishes an informed roadmap to end AIDS by 2030 and defines the 95-95-95 targets as fundamental to controlling the epidemic.

15. STOP THE DISEASES, STOP AIDS, STOP THE PANDEMICS is a strong exhortation and reminder of the urgent need for concerted action.

16. Tackling inequality is a long-standing global promise whose urgency has only increased. In addition to being central to ending AIDS, addressing inequalities will advance the agenda of human rights and access to quality health services, particularly for People Living with HIV and key populations, who face barriers related to stigma and discrimination. Keeping the promise to address inequalities will save millions of lives and benefit society as a whole.

17. Today we, as the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, issue a strong warning. AIDS remains a pandemic, the red light is flashing and only by moving quickly to end the inequalities that influence the pandemic can we overcome it.

18. New HIV infections are not decreasing fast enough worldwide to halt the pandemic, with 1.5 million new HIV infections by 2020 and rising HIV infection rates in some countries, including Mozambique, which has the second highest number of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa;

19. Infections are also following unequal lines. Six out of seven new HIV infections among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are occurring among adolescent girls. In Mozambique 3 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 are infected with HIV, PER HOUR.

Source: UNAIDS