The Path That Ends AIDS: UNAIDS Report Projects AIDS Could End by 2030

A report published on July 13, 2023, by UNAIDS, a global effort to end acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), projects and outlines a plan to end AIDS by 2030. The 196-page report is divided into three primary sections:

1. Pathways to Success in the HIV Response
2. Breaking Down Barriers: Removing the Obstacles That Hold Back HIV Responses
3. Opportunities for Quicker Progress Toward Ending AIDS

Approximately 20 years ago, the AIDS epidemic was running rampant, with no end in sight. At the time, 2.5 million people were acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the precursor to AIDS, each year. Annually two million people were dying from AIDS.

Today, the AIDS epidemic has become more manageable. As science and medicine advance and develop, HIV is no longer a death sentence. Antiretroviral therapy and other prevention strategies have made HIV a livable disease that no longer leads to AIDS.

According to the report, 39 million people are living with HIV globally. Approximately 29.8 million of those people with HIV are receiving some form of life-saving treatment that prevents disease progression. Each year from 2020 to 2022, an additional 1.6 million people could access HIV treatment.

Considering the recent increase in access to HIV treatment and management, UNAIDS predicts that — if this trend persists — AIDS could be obsolete by 2030.

UNIAIDS identified multiple building blocks for a successful HIV response, including the following:

• Accessible HIV prevention and treatment services
• Prioritizing and protecting human rights
• Addressing societal and structural HIV-related inequalities
• Using innovative approaches to enhance and develop HIV treatment and prevention strategies

“The end of AIDS is an opportunity for a uniquely powerful legacy for today’s leaders,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, in the press release. “They could be remembered by future generations as those who put a stop to the world’s deadliest pandemic. They could save millions of lives and protect the health of everyone. They could show what leadership can do.”