At #UNGA81, Florence Anam of @gnpplus spoke about why continued UNAIDS political leadership matters to the communities at the centre of the response. “The community work we do cannot be debated. It will exist with your help. It has always existed with UNAIDS political leadership and must continue to.” Watch Florence’s message on the role of UNAIDS leadership and communities in the next chapter of the HIV response.

At #UNGA81, African leaders, scientists, communities, governments and global partners came together to discuss how Africa can strengthen its capacity to produce the medicines and health technologies it needs — for HIV, AIDS and future pandemics. UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima @Winnie_Byanyima opened with a challenge: “Amazing science without access will not improve people’s health.” The science is moving fast — from long-acting HIV medicines to new diagnostics and shorter treatments. But the question is how to make sure that innovation reaches people everywhere. For Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Director General of AUDA-NEPAD @nardosbthomas, the direction is clear: “The vision is not missing. What’s needed now is alignment and investment.” That means stronger African markets, local manufacturing, technology transfer and regulatory capacity. Côte d’Ivoire’s Vice President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné stressed that health sovereignty does not mean isolation. Countries need to work together to expand production, innovate and transfer technology. And the conversation kept coming back to people. Florence Anam, Co-Executive Director at the Global Network of People Living with HIV [@gnpplus], reminded the room: “Availability isn’t access.” Stigma, discrimination and barriers to health services still determine whether people can benefit from scientific progress. South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Health, Joseph Phaahla [@HealthZA], highlighted another piece of the puzzle: local manufacturing needs predictable demand, pooled procurement and investment to be sustainable. From Brazil, Adriano Massuda, Executive Secretary, Ministry of Health, Brazil [@Adriano_Massuda ], reinforced the point: “Scientific progress alone is not enough.” Strong public health systems, community leadership and local production matter too. And international partners called for a different model of cooperation — one that invests in African institutions and ensures Africa is part of the process from the beginning. The message from the room was clear: Africa cannot just buy. Africa must be able to produce, innovate and shape the future of global health. The systems being built through the HIV response can also strengthen Africa’s preparedness for the pandemics of tomorrow.

From protecting progress on HIV to rethinking pandemic readiness and building more resilient, self-reliant systems, Day 1 of #UNGA81 brought these conversations together around a common question: how do we make sure people and countries are better protected for the future? At Power of Partnership: Communities at the Heart of the HIV Response, hosted by Devex and ViiV Healthcare, Angeli Achrekar, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, highlighted progress in the HIV response while pointing to UNAIDS data showing the gaps that remain in treatment and care for children. Speakers also stressed that integration must not leave people behind or make HIV invisible, and that partnerships are essential to addressing challenges no single organisation can solve alone. At the launch of the NUS-Lancet Pandemic Readiness through Institutions, Mobilising Communities and Equity (PRIME) Commission’s report, Transforming Pandemic Readiness for Equity, Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, joined global health leaders in challenging the world to think beyond preparedness towards readiness — asking whether people are actually protected. The discussion highlighted inequality, trust, communities, social protection and equitable access as essential to pandemic readiness. At The Accra Reset: Full Circle / Resetting Global Development One Year On, the conversation centred on local solutions, sovereignty, resilient systems and accountability to the people served. @AchrekarAngeli, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, connected these principles to lessons from the HIV response, highlighting the importance of local leadership and solutions that start at home and grow from there. @Winnie_Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, also met with Representative Mark Pocan, Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, to discuss the fragile progress towards ending AIDS and the importance of continued political support for the global HIV response. Across the day, UNAIDS brought the experience and lessons of the HIV response into wider conversations on global health — connecting political leadership, country ownership, resilient systems, equity and strong partnerships to the work of protecting progress and building a more sustainable response for the future. #UnitedToEndAIDS #UNGA81

At #UNGA81, UNAIDS joined the Accra Reset Full Circle event, one year after the initiative was launched. UNAIDS recognizes the leadership of H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, in mobilizing the Accra Reset. UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director @AchrekarAngeli shares 3 takeaways from the session 📷