Almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals are linked in some way to health, so achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which include ending the AIDS epidemic, will depend heavily on ensuring the right to health.

Remarkable progress is being made on HIV treatment. UNAIDS has launched a new report showing that access to treatment has risen significantly. In 2000, just 685 000 people living with HIV had access to antiretroviral therapy. By June 2017, around 20.9 million people had access to the life-saving medicines. Such a dramatic scale-up could not have happened without the courage and determination of people living with HIV demanding and claiming their rights, backed up by steady, strong leadership and financial commitment.

GLOBAL HIV STATISTICS

• 19.5 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy in 2016.
• 36.7 million [30.8 million–42.9 million] people globally were living with HIV in 2016.
• 1.8 million [1.6 million–2.1 million] people became newly infected with HIV in 2016.
• 1 million [830 000–1.2 million] people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2016.
• 76.1 million [65.2 million–88.0 million] people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic.
• 35.0 million [28.9 million–41.5 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.
• In 2016, there were 36.7 million [30.8 million–42.9 million] people living with HIV.