International AIDS Awareness Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia, Saima Wazed, has called on leaders and citizens around the globe to champion the fundamental right to health on World AIDS Day 2024. The theme for this year, “Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right!” emphasizes the importance of accessible, rights-based healthcare for those affected by HIV/AIDS.

Wazed highlights the need to confront inequalities that hinder the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals target of ending AIDS by 2030. She stresses the importance of addressing stigma, discrimination, and barriers to accessing prevention, treatment, and care, particularly among marginalized populations such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, and people who inject drugs.

While progress has been made in reducing HIV/AIDS rates, challenges persist, especially among young people. Wazed notes that many young key populations lack comprehensive sexual education, leading to increased vulnerability and fear of seeking testing and treatment.

She calls for the inclusion of young people in policy-making processes and the provision of youth-friendly services to address their unique needs. Wazed also emphasizes the importance of combatting HIV-related stigma and ensuring the availability of new biomedical tools like PrEP and PEP.

In conclusion, Wazed reaffirms the WHO South-East Asia Region’s commitment to achieving the 2030 target of ending AIDS and urges collaboration among governments, international organizations, donors, healthcare providers, and civil society. She encourages everyone to advocate for health equity and empower communities to stand up for their rights, declaring, “My Health, My Right!”

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Photo credit www.who.int