The text of speech delivered by FAITH OLANIRAN OLUWALOSE At 2011 World’s AID DAY Organized by Niger State Agency for Control HIV/AIDS (NGSACA) At the Handball Court, Stadium road Minna, On 1st of December; 2011

GETTING TO ZERO


Backed by the United Nations the “Getting to Zero” campaign runs until 2015 and builds on last year’s successful World AIDS Day “Light for Rights” initiative encompassing a range of vital issues identified by key affected populations.”The potential for creative, connected and meaningful campaigning is really exciting,” says World AIDS Campaign Africa Director, Linda
Mafu. It’s time to use our imaginations and let everyone know Getting to Zero is a must.”The global HIV response is at a pivotal moment, where huge strides forward are at serious risk and current approaches are reaching their limits. Only one third of the 15 million people living with HIV in need of life long treatment are receiving it.

New infections continue to outpace the number of people starting treatment, while the upward trend in resources suffered a serious downturn this year.”Zero New HIV Infections” and “Zero Discrimination” are equally as likely to spark high impact events from small scale community vigils to nation wide events using the universally recognised shape of zeros and the power of light to get life and death issues the attention they deserve. For December 1st 2011 right up until 2015 it’s envisioned that different regions and groups will each year chose one or all of the Zeros that best addresses their situation.

It is paramount that new HIV infections be stopped. We need to achieve a transition that will see fewer people newly infected than are newly placed on treatment. Doing so will require decisive action guided by a groundbreaking vision: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, zero AIDS-related deaths.

Although this vision may be inspirational, the journey towards its attainment is laid with concrete milestones: 10 goals for 2015. In pursuit of this vision and these goals, UNAIDS will leverage its collective assets to set a strategic agenda for the global HIV response and will maximize its resources to deliver results.
We believe that by taking the right decisions now, we can achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

 REVOLUTIONIZE HIV PREVENTION

More than 7000 people are newly infected with HIV every day. A revolution in prevention politics, policies and practices is critically needed. This can be achieved by fostering political
incentives for commitment and catalyzing transformative social movements regarding sexuality, drug use and HIV education for all, led by people living with HIV and affected communities, women and young people. It is also critical to target epidemic hot spots, particularly in megacities, and to ensure equitable access to high-quality, cost-effective HIV prevention programmes that include rapid adoption of scientific breakthroughs.


Vision: To get to Zero New Infections
Goals for 2015:
• Sexual transmission of HIV reduced by half, including among young people, men who have sex with men and transmission in the context of sex work
• Vertical transmission of HIV eliminated and AIDS-related maternal mortality reduced by half
• All new HIV infections prevented among people who use drugs
The state government can support the attainment of these goals by:
1) Generating commitment to prevention throughout society by improving its political palatability;
2) Ensuring that strategic information on epidemics, socioeconomic drivers and responses serve to focus prevention efforts where they will deliver the greatest returns to investment;
3) Incorporating new technologies and approaches as they are developed;
4) Facilitating mass mobilization for transforming social norms to empower people to overcome stigma and discrimination and their risk of HIV infection, including through comprehensive sexuality education and the engagement of networks of people living with HIV and other key populations


 CATALYZE THE NEXT PHASE OF TREATMENT, CARE AND SUPPORT
A total of 1.8 million people died from AIDS-related causes in 2009. Access to treatment for all who need it can come about through simpler, more affordable and more effective drug regimens and delivery systems. Greater links between antiretroviral therapy services and primary health, maternal and child health, TB, sexual and reproductive health services will further reduce costs and contribute to greater efficiencies.

Enhanced capacity for rapid registration will increase access to medicines, as will countries’ abilities to make use of TRIPS flexibilities. Nutritional support and social protection services must be strengthened for people living with and affected by HIV, including orphans and vulnerable children, through the use of social and cash transfers and the expansion of social insurance schemes
Vision: To get to Zero AIDS-related Deaths
Goals for 2015:
• Universal access to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV who are eligible for treatment
• TB deaths among people living with HIV reduced by half
• People living with HIV and households affected by HIV are addressed in all national social protection strategies and have access to essential care and support
The state government can support the attainment of these goals by:
1) Catalyzing the development of simpler, more affordable and effective treatment regimens and tools;
2) Strengthening national and community systems to deliver decentralized and integrated services, such as by reducing factors that put people at risk of HIV-related TB and promoting the sexual and reproductive health and rights of people living with HIV;
3) Working with partners to scale up access to tailored care and support for people living with and affected by HIV through state social protection programmes.

 ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY FOR THE HIV RESPONSE

Social and legal environments that fail to protect against stigma and discrimination or to facilitate access to HIV programmes continue to block universal access. Governments at all levels must make greater efforts: to realize and protect HIV-related human rights, including the rights of women and girls; to implement protective legal environments for people living with HIV and populations at higher risk of HIV infection; and to ensure HIV coverage for the most underserved and vulnerable communities. People living with and at higher risk of HIV should know their HIV-related rights and be supported to mobilize around them. More investment should be made to address the intersections between HIV vulnerability, gender inequality and violence against women and girls.

Vision: To get to Zero Discrimination
Goals for 2015:
• Countries with punitive laws and practices around HIV transmission, sex work, drug use or homosexuality that block effective responses reduced by half
• HIV-related restrictions on entry stay and residence eliminated in half of the countries that have such restrictions
• HIV-specific needs of women and girls are addressed in at least half of all national HIV responses
• Zero tolerance for gender-based violence
The state government can support the attainment of these goals by:
1) Intensifying work with people living with HIV and at higher risk of HIV infection to know and claim their rights, for governments to realize and protect these rights, they must implement evidence-informed, actionable and human rights–based recommendations of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law;
2) Advancing state capacity to reduce stigma and discrimination and ensure equitable access to services, including by working with civil society networks to affect policy change informed by the People Living with HIV Stigma Index;
3) Supporting NGSACA and partners in fully implementing the agency agenda for Accelerated Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV.
CONCLUSION
The global vision can be actualized in the state by equipping the State Agency for Control HIV/AIDS and partnering with. The state government should further increase its commitment to working with people living with and affected by HIV—putting people first. The Joint Programme with MDGs, CSOs, FBO and other international organization in the state will foster wide advocacy actualizing the goals in the state by 2015.

REFERENCE
1. Institute of Medicine. Preventing HIV infection among injecting drug users in high risk countries: an assessment of the evidence. Washington, DC, National Academies Press, 2007.

2. Outlook report. Geneva, UNAIDS, 2010 (http://www.unaids.org/outlook, accessed 9 December 2010).

3. Africa’s orphaned and vulnerable generations: children affected by AIDS. New York, UNICEF, 2006.

4. Treatment 2.0: is this the future of treatment? Geneva, UNAIDS, 2010 (http://data.unaids.org/pub/Outlook/2010/20100713_outlook_treatment2_0_en.pdf, accessed 9 December 2010).

5. Removing punitive laws, policies, practices, stigma and discrimination. Geneva, UNAIDS, 2010 (http://www.unaids.org/en/Priorities/03_06_Punitive_laws_stigma.asp, accessed 9 December 2010).