THE WORLD'S governments need to accelerate their response to HIV to reach internationally agreed targets to reverse the spread of the virus, an Irish delegate to a UN conference on HIV has said.
Irish Government delegates join more than 180 other delegations at the United Nations global review of HIV and Aids issues in New York today and tomorrow.
James O'Connor, who is with the Irish Government group as a representative of the HIV-positive community, said the visit marked a "genuine commitment by Government" to involving those living with HIV and Aids in both the national and international response to the virus.
He said Ireland had shown leadership in helping to tackle HIV nationally and internationally, but that accelerated action was needed by the world's governments to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal 6 of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV by 2015.
"According to UNAIDS, there are 33.3 million people living with HIV and Aids today with an estimated 2.3 million people infected in 2007 and an estimated 2.1 million deaths," Mr O'Connor said.
The 4,623 men, women and children in Ireland who had been diagnosed with HIV were living with daily challenges, including "the painful reality of HIV-related stigma and discrimination".
Mr O'Connor is development manager with Open Heart House, a national membership-based support organisation for people living with HIV.
The UN meeting will review progress made in implementing the 2001 and 2006 declarations on HIV/Aids.