"really encouraging" results, but a drop in "resources"

Three out of five AIDS carriers around the world now have access to treatment for this disease. "This is the product of global solidarity", reacted Wednesday, July 18 on Franceinfo, Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, the UN body in charge of the fight against AIDS . "C solidarity between states, civil society, the private sector, has enabled us, through a shared responsibility, to put 22 million people under treatment today." Who would have thought? he explains. "We want to go fast, we want to ensure that in 2020, the goal of 30 million people under treatment is possible" he added.

Michel Sidibé quotes the example of South Africa, where "barely 90 people", were on treatment in 2001. They are 4.3 million today. "It's really encouraging, but at the same time, these results are not promising, because I see that there is a certain complacency that sets in, we are a victim of our results" nuance-

The Executive Director of UNAIDS regrets "a reduction in the resources mobilized" . The UN body in charge of the fight against AIDS has a deficit of 7 billion dollars a year. "Last year, we had a drop of 8%, and if this decline continues, we risk not being able to sustain these gains, and we are unfortunately in danger of having a rebound in the epidemic. would be a shame because we are really able to control it " insists Michel Sidibé. According to him, if the resources of UNAIDS fall by 20%, "44 countries will be unable to continue to maintain the results of today, because these countries are dependent to 75% of the external aid"

But access to treatment is not only a matter of means: "In many parts of the world we have bad laws that do not allow people to come to services, because that these people are discriminated against, are excluded " explains the executive director of UNAIDS, according to which 47% of new infections concern drug users, bad workers and homobaduals. "As long as we do not have less punitive laws that will allow these people not to hide, it will be difficult to go as fast as you want" note Michel Sidibé.

Si the African continent remains the most affected by the epidemic, it is nevertheless "the least worrying" according to the executive director of UNAIDS, because there is "results and a commitment ". He is much more concerned about the situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, affected by "the world's fastest infection" . "When you have Russia, which is practically the third country with the most important new infections in the world, it worries me" Michel Sidibé points out