Contribution to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

UNAIDS is mandated to ensure an integrated and coherent approach to lead the HIV/AIDS response within and beyond the UN System. Unique in the UN System, UNAIDS is composed of 11 UN Agencies (cosponsors) which jointly implement the UNAIDS Strategy under the guidance of the UNAIDS Secretariat.

UNAIDS is among SDC’s priority multilateral organizations, as per the Message on Switzerland’s International Cooperation. UNAIDS’ strategic orientation is in line with the Swiss Health Foreign Policy and SDC’s health policies (SDC health policy and SDC’s strategic framework of the global programme health).

• Decline of new HIV infections: A 38% decline of new HIV infections between 2001-2013 (to 2 Mio in 2014), with an acceleration in decline in the last three years, especially due to a reduction of new infections among children.
• Increased access to testing and treatment: AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 35% since 2005 (to 1.2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2014). Of the estimated 36.7 million people living with HIV globally, around 18.2 million accessed HIV treatment as of June 2016. However, a considerable proportion of people living with HIV globally still do not know their HIV-positive status and thus don’t access Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART).
• Steady but slow reduction in stigma, discrimination and inequalities: HIV prevention, treatment and care services are more widely available now than a decade ago. But stigma and discrimination continue to be important barriers to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

• All people, especially young people, reduce HIV-related risk behaviour and access HIV combination prevention services, including primary prevention and sexual and reproductive health services;
• Quality comprehensive sexuality education accessed by all adolescent and young people;
• People living with, at risk of and affected by HIV access integrated services, including for HIV, tuberculosis, sexual and reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health, hepatitis, drug dependence, food and nutrition support and non-communicable diseases, especially at the community level;
• Comprehensive systems for health strengthened through integration of community service delivery with formal health systems.
  

As per the target 3.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda 2030, UNAIDS aims at ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. The progress that will be made in the years leading up to 2020 will determine the impact in the subsequent ten years through 2030. Based on the UNAIDS Strategy 2016-21 “On the Fast Track to end AIDS”, UNAIDS will intensify efforts in the three strategic areas: 1) Reduction of HIV infections; 2) Reduction of AIDS-related deaths; 3) Elimination of HIV/AIDS-related discrimination.

In reference to the SDGs and in order to underline the importance of a multisectoral approach to the HIV/AIDS response, the UNAIDS strategy 2016-21 has defined eight result areas which are related to five SDGs considered particularly relevant for ending the AIDS epidemic: Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Gender equality (SDG 5), Reduce inequalities (SDG 10), Peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16), Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

• Active contribution, as Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) vice-chair (2015) and as member state, to the successful adoption of the UNAIDS Strategy 2016-21; as chair of the PCB Switzerland successfully facilitated the PCB decision making process in 2016;
• Active contribution, as vice-chair and as member state, to the successful adoption of the ECOSOC Resolution on the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (April 2015);
• As co-facilitator of the High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, Switzerland contributed considerably to the adoption of the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS (June 2016).
• Contribution to enhanced understanding and accelerated actions in different thematic areas through active participation in thematic discussions at the PCB (e.g. on the involvement of communities in the AIDS response);
• Contribution to increased participation of young people in policy discussions on sexual and reproductive health and rights through support of the UNAIDS/IPPF led ACT!2015 Initiative.

6th rank (2015)

US, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, UK, Finland, Denmark, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Ireland, Germany, France, Japan, New Zealand, Belgium, China.

Phase 15 01.01.2017 - 31.12.2018   (Completed)