INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE 2018 - Amsterdam

Remarks of Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund

Good morning! 

Excellencies, 
First Lady Madame Monica Geingos, 
Dr Bernard Haufiku, 
Distinguished panel members, 
Representatives and colleagues, 
Ladies and gentlemen,

Imagine a world where every person has access to the information, the education, and the services that they need to prevent HIV and treat AIDS. 

Imagine a world where every woman and girl lives free from sexual abuse and violence. 

Imagine a world where everyone lives free from discrimination, with their human rights promoted and protected. 

It gives me great pleasure to be here today with all of you to launch the Call to Action for linking sexual and reproductive health and HIV efforts. This will move us closer to our shared vision of universal health coverage, universal human rights, and an end to the AIDS epidemic by 2030. 

It is fantastic to see so many partners joining together for this Call to Action to strengthen our work to link SRH and HIV programmes at policy, systems, service delivery and community levels. 

Together we have achieved tremendous progress in tackling AIDS.

But we are here today because we need to do more and we need to do it better! 

We need to move forward together to confront the HIV prevention crisis!

We must be bold if we are to achieve the ambitious and bold targets of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Together we must keep our promises.

To reduce new HIV infections by 75 per cent by 2020.

To end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. 

To achieve universal sexual and reproductive health care by 2030.

To reach universal health coverage by 2030.

UNIVERSAL means health services and human rights for everyone, without discrimination. It means leaving no one behind! 

And that is why we are here today to launch this Call to Action. 

We commit to working together and taking a more integrated and holistic approach.

We can have a bigger impact when our responses to HIV reach across sectors from health to welfare to education and justice. 

We have a bigger impact when we reach people where they are, in clinics, in hospitals, in sports and music arenas, and in schools and universities. 

We have a bigger impact when we reach people in courtrooms and in prisons, in times of peace, and also during times of humanitarian crisis. 

And we have a bigger impact when we reach people, no matter WHO they are! 

Yes we must maintain HIV prevention, treatment and care programmes, especially within programmes for sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

This integration not only improves our effectiveness in tackling AIDS, it also improves the uptake and quality of services, and leads to better health, social and economic outcomes. 

Let me give you a few examples.

When we expand effective HIV prevention programmes, we reduce HIV transmission among young people and subsequently from mothers to their infants. 

By improving sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, women and adolescent girls gain the ability to care for themselves and be productive members and leaders of society.

When we test and treat young people for STIs we reduce their chances of acquiring HIV, and this expands their horizons and their hopes for the future. 

And when we provide routine family planning, antenatal health services, or screening for cervical cancer, it increases opportunities to offer HIV testing to detect and treat HIV.

Universal health coverage requires integrated health services for all.

And this includes the adolescent girls in Southern Africa who continue to face high rates of HIV infection. To all the young people here today, you are the U in UNFPA.

Today we renew our efforts to link sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV efforts. 

By joining our forces, by being bold, we can meet the bold ambitions of the 2030 agenda.

We look forward to hearing today about some of the successes in building SRH and HIV linkages and advancing towards universal health coverage. 

All of us at UNFPA are excited about working together. 

Allow me to close by inviting each and every one of the world’s treasured young people to heed the words of the great Nelson Mandela:

“You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action.” 

Thank you! 

* * *