Monaco takes part in 38th meeting of UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board

H.E. Ms Carole Lanteri, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Principality to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva  ©UNAIDS

Monaco took part in the 38th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) in Geneva from 28 to 30 June, three weeks after the UN High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, at which H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie represented the Principality. UNAIDS is the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

The Monegasque delegation was led by H.E. Ms Carole Lanteri, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Principality to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva.  

As a member of the Board, the Principality represented its constituency, which includes Germany, France and the Principality of Liechtenstein, as it did previously in 2008 and 2011. 

This meeting was particularly important as an opportunity to ensure the full implementation of the UNAIDS acceleration strategy, which seeks to end the epidemic by 2030, as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Despite the considerable progress made in recent years, particularly with regard to treatment, AIDS remains a deadly disease, with more than a million people dying from causes linked to AIDS in 2015. Currently, there are 37 million people living with HIV and more than 2 million new infections were recorded in 2015.

It should be noted that the heaviest burden is borne by particularly vulnerable populations: adolescents and women. It is therefore crucial to strengthen the response, placing particular focus on prevention and combating discrimination.