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
One Israeli minister expressed support for Gaza ceasefire deal prior to an all-cabinet-member meeting to vote on the agreement on Friday.
In an interview with Chinese Media Group (CMG) before the meeting, Miki Zohar, Israeli minister of culture and sports and member of the Likud Party, said he supported the agreement for the release of Israeli hostages.
"We came here to vote for the deal to bring back our hostages. It is a very hard decision, but we decided to support it because it's very important to us to see all of our children, men and women back home," he said.
The Israeli government officially approved the ceasefire agreement on Saturday aimed at securing the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, following a lengthy meeting of all cabinet members, the Prime Minister's Office announced.
According to Israeli media, 24 ministers voted in favor of the deal, while eight opposed it.
The Israeli Ministry of Justice on Friday released a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors, slated for release in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
While those who oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners can appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel within 24 hours, Israeli media predicted that these appeals will be rejected, which means that the 15-month-long large-scale armed conflict between Palestine and Israel will soon be paused again.
Israel's Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Israeli detainees can be released as planned on Sunday, which means that the ceasefire agreement will officially take effect on the day.
Citing official news, Israeli media announced the 33 Israeli detainees to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, and sources said that the first batch of the released is expected to enter Egypt through the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip at 16:00 local time on Sunday, and then be transferred to Israel and sent to the nearest hospital. Israel will release Palestinian detainees simultaneously.
Israeli minister expresses support for Gaza ceasefire deal