“OUR TASK IS NOT TO WIND DOWN UNAIDS”: ACTING PRIME MINISTER HANLEY TELLS UNGA81 SIDE EVENT

New York, USA, September 24, 2026 (SKNIS): Acting Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, has issued a strong call for continued international support and adequate resourcing of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), stressing its critical role in the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Dr. Hanley made the call while delivering opening remarks at the UNAIDS Transformation Side Event, held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York.

Addressing leaders and stakeholders involved in the global HIV/AIDS response, the acting prime minister underscored the importance of UNAIDS to Saint Kitts and Nevis and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM), particularly in providing strategic guidance, technical expertise and critical data that help shape national and regional HIV policies.

“For Saint Kitts and Nevis, and indeed across the entire CARICOM region, the response to HIV/AIDS is not only a political imperative, but a profound test of our collective solidarity and our commitment to ending a pandemic that has taken too many lives,” Dr. Hanley said.

He stressed that despite the progress achieved over the years, the global AIDS response remains unfinished business and that reaching the 2030 target will depend heavily on sustained political commitment, international cooperation and a strong UNAIDS Joint Programme.

Dr. Hanley also highlighted the important role UNAIDS has played in keeping HIV/AIDS firmly on the international agenda and in providing technical support and political leadership for successive United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meetings on HIV/AIDS.

“Our collective task is not to wind down UNAIDS, but to support it, fully resource it, and leverage its unique multisectoral expertise to end AIDS once and for all,” Acting Prime Minister Hanley stated.

He further pointed to the 2026 High-Level Meeting Political Declaration, noting that the mandate from Member States is clear in its call to support, leverage and fully resource the Joint Programme.

Dr. Hanley reaffirmed Saint Kitts and Nevis’ commitment to working alongside CARICOM, UNAIDS and the wider international community to advance the global HIV/AIDS response and achieve the shared goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

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