STATEMENT BY CHAIR OF THE AFRICAN GROUP AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS

STATEMENT BY H. E. Ghislain Ondias Okouma

PERMENANT REPRESENTATIVE OF GABON TO THE UN

NEW YORK, 5TH JUNE 2025

Mr. President,

Distinguished Delegates,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues,

1. On behalf of the African Group, I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important meeting on the review of progress towards realizing the targets and commitments set out in the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS to ensure an equitable response to end AIDS pandemic by 2030 and to assess work that still lies ahead of us to achieve this goal. We applaud achievements thus far, fewer people acquired HIV in 2023 than at any point since the late 1980s. 

2. Over 30 million people were receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy, reducing AIDS-related deaths to their lowest level since the peak of 2004. Significant gains have been made in sub-Saharan Africa, underscoring the power of existing interventions to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. 

Mr. President,

3. We realize that we go through a critical moment in the global HIV response, since beginning of this year, we experience gradual reduction on external partners commitment, assistance and investment on HIV, amid these recent challenges and the fragility of the HIV response, the world falls behind to achieve the 2025 HIV targets. Obstacles to accessing treatment, insufficient prevention programming, a failure to adequately support the work of communities, rising inequalities and a lack of political will and financial support threaten the response. we appeal for urgent action to protect hard-won gains and accelerate progress towards ending AIDS as a public health threat.

Mr. President,

4. The African Group is of the view that as the international community pull up its collective efforts to prepare for the 2026 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, we need sustained political leadership and commitment to end AIDS and build the foundations for a sustainable HIV response beyond 2030, and in doing so, we would advance the achievement of the SDGs. In this connection, in the February African Union summit, the African states demonstrated strong political commitment and adopted “the African Union Road Map to 2030 and Beyond: Sustaining the AIDS Response, Ensuring Systems Strengthening and Health Security for the Development of Africa”, they renewed the Abuja Declaration commitment to allocate 15% of their budget to health. The African Group requests   our partners to support this strategy in line with the Addis Ababa action Agenda on Financing for Development.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

5. The African Group is concerned that though there is positive progress in containing HIV and AIDs, in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women are still at three times higher risk of acquiring HIV than adolescent boys and young men. Antiretroviral coverage is still too low, especially for children. In addition, in a world marked by intersecting inequalities, not everyone benefits in receiving the antiretrovirals and or cash transfers. 

6. Millions still miss out on HIV treatment, stigma and discrimination continue to be major barriers, there is untapped potential for HIV prevention, while the funding gap continue to widen. This is against the 2021 Political Declaration, adopted by the General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, where Member States committed to achieve global targets that would put the world on the landmark goal of ending AIDS by 2030. We therefore urge for availability and access to prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) products in our countries.

Excellences,

7. The African Group is disappointed that the remarkable gains are not reaching everyone, everywhere, AIDS remains the fourth leading cause of death in Africa. Equally worrying is that other countries and regions are experiencing increases in annual HIV infections because of the lower treatment coverage. We appeal for concrete interventions to increase HIV prevention, diagnostics and treatment to reverse this increase. We believe that the 95-95-95 targets could be achieved, everyone should benefit equally across the globe from the expanded provision of HIV diagnostics, prevention, testing and treatment. 

8. More importantly, we realize that people living with HIV have an increased risk of mental health, especially depression, across the life course and require access to screening, diagnostic and treatment and psychosocial support.  As people living with HIV age, they are again likely to encounter a growing range of comorbidities, including noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, these require care, it is important to holistically treat HIV to achieve universal health coverage through the principle of equity. Equity between and within States is vital to ensure everyone has access to healthcare.

Mr. President, Excellences,

9.  In concluding, the Group affirms the importance of promoting health as an enabler for sustainable development, given the linkages between health, social justice and equity across the globe. The African Group recognizes the necessity of renewed political leadership commitment and willingness to invest on HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and cure, it is more than two decades of HIV existence, it is important to collaborate our efforts and find the solution to cure HIV which continue to claim lives. We appeal for strengthened health care systems, commitment in funding, access to preventive medicines including PREp, treatment and cure given the differences in health structures and development across countries globally.

I thank you all for your attention!