Check against delivery

President, Excellencies and colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. 

The EU and its Member States reaffirm their full commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We stand by the Declaration of Commitment and the Political Declarations on HIV/AIDS.

This annual debate is a critical moment in the global HIV response to reflect on achievements, continued challenges and what remains to meet our shared commitments ahead of the next High-Level Meeting.

We have three messages.

First, since the HIV epidemic began, over 42 million lives have sadly been lost. At the same time, tremendous progress has also been made to date, with more countries nearing the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Yet HIV still remains a major global public health issue. 

The world must stay engaged as new infections rise in many regions. Sub-Saharan Africa still bears the highest burden of new infections, suffering and deaths, with girls and young women becoming twice as likely to become infected with HIV than boys and men – this must be urgently addressed.

Ending AIDS requires a holistic approach. Universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) remains essential but must be paired with primary prevention methods and innovative prevention technologies, such as long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). More efforts to ensure universal access to prevention and testing are needed to bend the curve further downward.

The EU remains committed to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the outcomes of their review conferences and remains committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in this context. Having that in mind, the EU reaffirms its commitment to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of the right of every individual to have full control over, and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, free from discrimination, coercion and violence. The EU further stresses the need for universal access to quality and affordable comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, education, including comprehensive sexuality education, and health-care services.

A truly effective response must prioritise persons in vulnerable situations – among which key populations and adolescent girls and young women, uphold human rights and gender equality, fight stigma and discrimination, and meaningfully involve local communities and community-led organisations to develop effective sociocultural HIV prevention, treatment and care strategies.

Second, the EU is fully committed to multilateralism and a continued global effort towards fighting HIV/AIDS, which remains a global challenge requiring a global response.

We welcome the efforts of low- and middle-income countries to increase domestic financing for HIV/AIDS. This is critical for sustained success, especially in today’s volatile international health financing landscape. At the same time, we recognize that complementary and predictable international funding remains essential to maintain progress and protect hard-won gains. 

The EU has strongly supported WHO, UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. They remain key to effectively fighting HIV/AIDS through reducing the disease burden, fighting stigma and discrimination, and investing in resilient health systems.

Since 2002, the European Commission has disbursed EUR 3.5 billion to the Global Fund and pledged EUR 715 million for 2023–2025, in addition to the important contributions of EU member states. We also support key populations’ and communities’ participating in its governance globally and locally. We call on all actors to support a successful eight replenishment of the Global Fund this fall. 

UNAIDS’s work remains particularly important in guiding the global response towards 2030. We fully support its call for synergy between the AIDS response and broader health efforts. The EU and MS have been closely involved in UNAIDS since the start. As incoming Programme Coordinating Body Chair in 2026, the Netherlands will focus on a future-proof and sustainable Joint Programme, with an emphasis on its role in supporting countries in creating effective-country-owned and country-driven responses.

Our efforts also extend beyond the Global Fund, WHO and UNAIDS. For example, the SafeBirth Africa programme, supported under the Team Europe Initiative on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Africa and implemented by Unitaid and UNFPA, has mobilised over EUR 20 million to improve access to life-saving commodities, reduce maternal mortality, and support the broader sexual and reproductive health agenda.

Finally, in the context of the UN 80 reform process, it will be essential for the Global AIDS response to adapt in order to ensure it continues to deliver for key populations and those most in need. We must build on what has already been achieved but take into account the evolving nature of the epidemic with a focus on community engagement and sustainability at the country level.

The EU and its Member States strongly support the five shifts of the Lusaka Agenda. We recognize that international support must complement, not replace, domestic efforts. We are committed to building a more robust, efficient and lean global health architecture that aligns actions, reinforces multilateralism, delivers better results and emphasises national ownership and leadership over national HIV roadmaps.

We remain engaged in key global health initiatives and encourage their shift towards country-driven integrated health system strengthening and country-driven approaches, fully aligned with the Lusaka Agenda.

This is part of our broader global health commitment, as outlined in the EU Global Health Strategy of November 2022 and the health pillar of the Global Gateway, guiding our sustainable investment worldwide.

Our focus is on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by strengthening health systems, preventing and combating health threats including epidemics, and advancing universal health coverage. The goal is clear: everyone should have access to quality health services without financial hardship or discrimination.

President, Excellencies,

Despite current complex global political landscape, we must remain focused on global health. We should work to not let down those living with, affected by or at risk of HIV, and work to prevent every new infection.

We know what holds us back: intersecting inequalities and structural barriers deepen gaps in access, rights-based approaches, and outcomes. But we also know what works. With new diagnostics, stronger focus on prevention, and accessible treatment measures, we can move closer to zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths.

The EU and its Member States remain fully committed and call on all Member States to maintain momentum and ambition ahead of the 2026 High-Level Meeting and towards 2030 – leaving no one behind.

Thank you.