The world witnessed a surge in new HIV infections in 2023, with 1.3 million new cases reported globally, according to a report released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva on Tuesday.
Released ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1, the report stressed the urgent need for global action to combat the rising tide of HIV infections.
A staggering 630,000 individuals succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses globally in 2023, the report showed. It further revealed that approximately 39.9 million people are currently living with HIV, a concerning increase of 900,000 from the previous year. Alarmingly, 9.3 million of of those affected by HIV are still denied access to life-saving treatment.
The report emphasized the urgent need to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, from disproportionately high infection rates. Around 570 young women and girls aged 15 to 24 acquired HIV every day in 2023.
On the same day, UNAIDS officials held a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York to unveil the findings of the report. Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, stressed the urgent need to intensify the global fight against AIDS.
"In 28 countries, the number of new HIV infections is on the rise, and of the nearly 40 million people living with HIV, 9.3 million people are still in need of treatment," she said.
Achrekar underscored that human rights abuses, such as denying women access to education and tolerating gender-based violence, hinder HIV prevention efforts and contribute to the alarming rise in HIV infections.
"Today, 1.3 million people around the world acquire HIV and AIDS. This is three times higher than the 2025 target that the globe is set to achieve, that's 4,000 new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women just in a week," she said.
"Adolescent girls and young women, key populations, children, for example, these are the populations that are hardest to reach and hardest to find," she added.
Global HIV infections rise by 1.3 million in 2023: UN
A delegation of 40 students and teachers from seven Chinese mainland universities arrived at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday, embarking on their nine-day visit to the island.
Invited by the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, the delegation is led by Qiu Yong, chairman of Tsinghua University Council.
The delegation includes table tennis Olympic champion Ma Long studying at Beijing Sport University, and air rifle Olympic champion Yang Qian studying at Tsinghua University.
"I came from Taipei today, and I arrived at Taoyuan Airport at 09:30 because I was worried that there would be too many people here. I brought the photos that my friends sent me today, and I'm very happy. I also wrote a letter to Ma Long because I was worried that I would be too excited if I really saw him in person. We welcome students from the mainland to come to Taiwan for exchanges, and wish them to enjoy delicious food and drink and have fun here," said Lai Chin-hsuan, a Taiwan resident.
This is the second delegation of mainland teachers and students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, following the first delegation in July last year.
The delegation visited a high school on Wednesday afternoon as scheduled.
Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the foundation, said exchanges and contacts between young people of the mainland and Taiwan region are very important to the development of cross-Strait relations.
"When I arrived earlier, the fans had already lining up at the airport a few hours in advance, so I really think this is a very exciting phenomenon. It means that no matter how depressed the cross-Strait relationship is, sports and youth exchanges will always be common topics and language between the two sides. College students and high school students on both sides of the Taiwan Strait need to know each other very much. I think it is very meaningful to have so many top mainland students visit our most outstanding high school in Taiwan today," said Hsiao.
Besides the high school, the delegation is scheduled to visit some universities, the Taipei 101 tower and the Taipei Palace Museum from Nov 28 to 30. It will also visit the Sun Moon Lake, participate in a baseball activity and visit another historical museum from Dec 1 to 4.
Delegation of mainland university students, teachers embarks on Taiwan visit
