Bloggers, HIV experts and emerging leaders in the social good arena from around the world met in New York to discuss how new technologies can be used to effectively respond to HIV and can help create a new narrative around AIDS for the post 2015 world.

As world leaders prepare to meet at the United Nations General Assembly to review progress towards the MDGs—a new report from UNAIDS shows dramatic acceleration towards reaching 2015 global targets on HIV.

High-level military representatives from 19 countries in West and Central Africa have called on governments to scale up HIV prevention programmes specific for military and security forces to reduce new HIV infections and sexual gender-based violence in conflict and post conflict areas in the region.

On 29 August at the AIDS Vaccine Efficacy Consortium (AVEC) Summit for an AIDS-Free Generation in Thailand, a Thailand-United States partnership working on the development of an HIV vaccine has announced its commitment to build on the success of previous trials, giving a renewed push to vaccine research.

The President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni reaffirmed his country’s commitment to end the AIDS epidemic in a meeting with UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe. The meeting, held on 17 September at the State House in Entebbe, was an opportunity to review recent progress made in Uganda’s AIDS response.

India’s rapid progress in expanding access to antiretroviral treatment over the last five years was heralded as “an example of national commitment and strategic action on AIDS,” by UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Dr Luiz Loures, during a mission to the country from 26-27 August.
The number of people living with HIV in the country receiving anti-retroviral therapy approximately doubled from 2007 to 2009 and then again from 2009 to 2012. India is now ranked second globally in terms of total number of people receiving life-saving drugs. Currently more than 650 000 people living with HIV are receiving treatment in the country and efforts are underway to ensure that 1 million people are covered by the national treatment programme in a short time frame.