World AIDS Day: UN hails gains in combating virus, urges greater action towards 'zero discrimination' --- 1 December 2013 – While welcoming the solid progress being made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, United Nations officials marked World AIDS Day with urgent appeals for the international community to work even harder to end stigma, discrimination and complacency, to stop new HIV infections among children and to ensure access to care and treatment for all those that need it. -- “On this World AIDS Day, I am more optimistic than ever. Much of the world is accelerating progress in responding to HIV,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with major drops in new infections and deaths and progress in realizing the target of ensuring 15 million people have access to antiretroviral treatment by 2015. “This is crucial to halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic for good,” he added. -- But, the UN chief continued, as revealed in the UNAIDS 2013 World AIDS Day Report, there are still worrying signals that some regions and countries are falling behind. While advances are being made in reaching vulnerable populations through efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination, there is still much to do to end this problem. -- “We must recommit to breaking the remaining barriers, including punitive laws and social exclusion, so we can reach all people who lack access to HIV treatment and services.” -- For the AIDS response, discrimination towards people living with HIV and key populations at higher risk of HIV is a major obstacle to expanding access to HIV services. Country surveys found that 1 in 7 people living with HIV have reportedly been denied access to healthcare and more than 1 in 10 people living with HIV have been refused employment because of their HIV status. - More, UN.org - at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46632&Cr=HIV&Cr1=AIDS