World AIDS Day

This World AIDS Day reminds us that we have the power to transform lives and futures, and end the AIDS epidemic once and for all. The progress we have made is undeniable. Since 2010, new infections have fallen by 40 per cent. AIDS-related deaths have declined by more than half. And access to treatment is better than ever before. But for many people around the world, the crisis continues. Millions still lack access to HIV prevention and treatment services because of who they are, where they live or the stigma they endure. Meanwhile, reduced resources and services are putting lives at risk and threatening hard-won gains. Ending AIDS means empowering communities, investing in prevention and expanding access to treatment for all people. It means uniting innovation with action, and ensuring new tools like injectables reach more people in need. At every step, it means grounding our work in human rights to ensure no one is left behind. Ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is within ...

Press conference on behalf the observance of the World AIDS Day 2025: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response. HIV is diagnosed through blood or saliva tests that detect antibodies, antigens, or the virus itself. Initial testing is often done with antibody or antigen/antibody tests, while a nucleic acid test (NAT) (also called a PCR test) is used to detect the virus directly in cases of potential recent exposure or acute infection. If a test is positive, further blood tests will be ordered to confirm the diagnosis, monitor the infection, and assess overall health. Watch the UNAIDS Press Conference: World AIDS Day 2025 01:11:47

 Comprehensive sexuality education (or CSE) is defined as “an age-appropriate, culturally relevant approach to teaching about sex and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, nonjudgmental information. Sexuality education provides opportunities to explore one’s own values and attitudes and to build decision making, communication and risk reduction skills about many aspects of sexuality.” Source: International technical guidance on sexuality education. Volume I. Paris: UNESCO; 2009. Comprehensive sexuality education is referred to differently across countries, Many different names are used, reflecting an emphasis on various aspects of CSE by different countries. As with all curricula, CSE must be delivered in accordance with national laws and policies.  

 Essential topics  > Human growth and development  > Sexual anatomy and physiology  > Family life, marriage, long-term commitment and interpersonal relationships  > Society, culture and sexuality: values, attitudes, social norms and the media in relation to sexuality  > Reproduction  > Gender equality and gender roles  > Sexual abuse/resisting unwanted or coerced sex  > Condoms  > Sexual behaviour (sexual practices, pleasure and feelings)  > Transmission and prevention of sexually transmitted infections  Desirable topics  > Pregnancy and childbirth  > Contraception other than condoms  > Gender-based violence and harmful practices/rejecting violence  > Sexual diversity  > Sources for sexual and reproductive health services/seeking services  > Other content related to sexual and reproductive health/sexuality education

Essential topics  > Transmission of HIV  > Prevention of HIV: practicing safer sex, including condom use  > Treatment of HIV  Desirable topics  > HIV-related stigma and discrimination  > Sources of counselling and testing services; seeking counselling, treatment, care and support  > Other HIV and AIDS-related specific content Source: Measuring the education sector response to HIV and AIDS—guidelines for the construction and use of core indicators. Paris: UNESCO; 2013.  UNESCO has developed a set of “essential” and “desirable” topics of a life skills-based HIV and sexuality education programme. The essential topics are those that have the greatest direct impact on HIV prevention, while desirable topics are those that have an indirect impact on HIV prevention but are important as part of an overall sexuality education programme

HIV-sensitive social protection enables people living with HIV and other vulnerable populations to access services together with the rest of the population; this prevents the exclusion of groups. HIV-sensitive social protection is the preferred approach as it avoids the stigmatization that can be caused by focusing exclusively on HIV. Approaches to HIVsensitive social protection include the following: financial protection through predictable transfers of cash, food or other commodities for people affected by HIV and those who are most vulnerable; access to affordable quality services, including treatment, health and education services; and policies, legislation and regulation to meet the needs (and uphold the rights) of the most vulnerable and excluded people. Source: UNAIDS terminology guidelines  2015.

 Young people are people aged 15–24 years (as per the Global AIDS Response Progress Reporting System indicators). Source: Global AIDS response progress reporting , 2015. (accessed 25 September 2015).  WHO identifies adolescence as the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood, from ages 10 to 19 years. Source: Adolescent development: a critical transition. In WHO ( accessed 25 September 2015)