UNAIDS calls for inclusion and full participation of civil society organizations at the 2016 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS

From 8 to 10 June 2016, world leaders, government representatives, HIV programme implementers and civil society organizations from across the world will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America, to chart the way forward to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

It is crucial that the voices and perspectives of individuals and organizations be heard at this United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, including the voices of people living with HIV and people most affected by the epidemic, including women and girls, sex workers, people who use drugs, gay men and other men who have sex with men and transgender people. Nongovernmental organizations working on the ground to ensure that no one is left behind must have the opportunity to contribute to this important forum.

Millennium Development Goal 6 of halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic and reaching the historic milestone of 15 million people on treatment by 2015 could not have been reached without the meaningful engagement and participation of people living with and affected by HIV.

The High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS should be guided by the principles on which the successes of the AIDS response are built—inclusion, participation and dignity. As enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the doors of the United Nations should be open to all.