Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell joined UK, international and youth activists this week at a Parliamentary event organised by STOPAIDS, to mark World AIDS Day on 1st December.
This year marked the 27th anniversary of World AIDS Day, which is held each year for activists and people living with HIV from across the world to come together in the fight against HIV, show their
support for people living with the condition, and commemorate those who have died.
At this week’s event, Catherine – who is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/AIDS – spoke with activists about the incredible progress made so far in the AIDS response, as well as the financial and political commitment needed to make ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Some 36.9million people around the world are living with HIV – but only 15.8million of them have access to treatment, and 1.2million people died of AIDS in 2014. Yet, effective treatment can reduce the amount of virus in the blood to near zero – almost eliminating the chance of it being transmitted to others.
The UK Government welcomed the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015 during the UN General Assembly in New York, with SDG 3 pledging to ensure healthy lives for all, and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. UNAIDS estimates that in order to end AIDS by 2030, global funding must increase from $19billion to $32billion annually.
Catherine said: ‘The UK must remain at the forefront of the global push to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 because, for the first time, the end of AIDS is achievable.
‘We have the tools to end this epidemic, but to meet the ambitious global targets our Government signed up to in September, we must not leave anyone behind.
‘Britain must increase its support to ensure access to HIV testing and immediate treatment for all, including the most marginalised groups in the UK and globally.’
STOPAIDS, who organised this week’s event in Parliament, is a network of 80 UK agencies working together since 1986 to secure an effective global response to HIV and AIDS.