‘Let Communities Lead’ on World Aids Day 2023

Despite efforts to eliminate AIDS by 2030, marked by World AIDS Day on 1 December 2023 under the theme “Let Communities Lead,” UNAIDS has stressed that the task is incomplete with its new report suggesting that achieving the ambitious goal is still possible with full support for frontline communities. The Deputy Executive Director for the UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Angeli Achrekar, says that so far, the “job isn’t done.”

In Namibia, where HIV is mainly transmitted heterosexually and through mother-to-child, the prevalence is estimated at 16% among those aged 15–49, with around 260,000 People Living With HIV. World AIDS Day 2023 calls for health worker advocacy, improved resource allocation, and targeted efforts for vulnerable populations.

Globally, HIV has claimed 40.4 million lives, with ongoing transmission, and in 2022, 630,000 people died from HIV-related causes, while 1.3 million acquired HIV. World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shares WHO’s message for World AIDS Day 2023.