UN: High-level meeting on AIDS to be held soon

Tehran, Jun 1: A high-level meeting on AIDS is going to be held at a time when investments in HIV response are paying off and the world is witnessing the reversal of the spread of the disease, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Iran has said.

The UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS will be convened in the United Nations Headquarters from June 8-10, Consuelo Vidal said on Tuesday.

Coming 30 years into the epidemic and 10 years since the historic UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the meeting will see countries converging to review progress and chart the future course of the global response.

More than six million people worldwide were accessing lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment at the end of 2010, up from 5.2 million at the end of 2009, she said.

Further, in 33 countries, including 22 in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV incidence fell by at least 25 per cent between 2001 and 2009.

Iran has been one of the countries in the region with the most noteworthy AIDS response, she said adding that useful steps had been taken in delivery and expansion of HIV/AIDS services throughout the country and the international community acknowledged its response to HIV.

"The UN agencies in Iran have contributed to Iran's response to HIV in different ways. We have supported many initiatives, mediated transfer of knowledge, facilitated inter-sectoral collaborations and contributed to implementation of many projects/programs," she said.

PTI (IRNA)