A/RES/65/277
that provide the information, skills, services and commodities they need to protect
themselves, that only 34 per cent of young people possess accurate knowledge of
HIV, and that laws and policies in some instances exclude young people from
accessing sexual health-care and HIV-related services, such as voluntary and
confidential HIV testing, counselling and age-appropriate sex and HIV-prevention
education, while also recognizing the importance of reducing risk-taking behaviour
and encouraging responsible sexual behaviour, including abstinence, fidelity and
correct and consistent use of condoms;
26. Note with alarm the rise in the incidence of HIV among people who inject
drugs and that, despite continuing increased efforts by all relevant stakeholders, the
drug problem continues to constitute a serious threat to, among other things, public
health and safety and the well-being of humanity, in particular children and young
people and their families, and recognize that much more needs to be done to
effectively combat the world drug problem;
27. Recall our commitment that prevention must be the cornerstone of the global
HIV and AIDS response, but note that many national HIV-prevention programmes
and spending priorities do not adequately reflect this commitment, that spending on
HIV prevention is insufficient to mount a vigorous, effective and comprehensive
global HIV-prevention response, that national prevention programmes are often not
sufficiently coordinated and evidence-based, that prevention strategies do not
adequately reflect infection patterns or sufficiently focus on populations at higher
risk of HIV, and that only 33 per cent of countries have prevalence targets for young
people and only 34 per cent have specific goals in place for condom programming;
28. Note with concern that national prevention strategies and programmes are
often too generic in nature and do not adequately respond to infection patterns and
the disease burden; for example, where heterosexual sex is the dominant mode of
transmission, married or cohabitating individuals, including those in sero-discordant
relationships, account for the majority of new infections but are not sufficiently
targeted with testing and prevention interventions;
29. Note that many national HIV-prevention strategies inadequately focus on
populations that epidemiological evidence shows are at higher risk, specifically men
who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and sex workers, and further note,
however, that each country should define the specific populations that are key to its
epidemic and response, based on the epidemiological and national context;
30. Note with grave concern that, despite the near elimination of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV in high-income countries and the availability of low-cost
interventions to prevent transmission, approximately 370,000 infants were estimated
to have been infected with HIV in 2009;
31. Note with concern that prevention, treatment, care and support programmes
have not been adequately targeted or made accessible to persons with disabilities;
32. Recognize that access to safe, effective, affordable, good quality medicines
and commodities in the context of epidemics such as HIV is fundamental to the full
realization of the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of
physical and mental health;
33. Express grave concern that the majority of low- and middle-income countries
did not meet their universal access to HIV treatment targets, despite the major
achievement of expansion in providing access to antiretroviral treatment to over
6 million people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries, that there
are at least 10 million people living with HIV who are medically eligible to start
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