The History of the AIDS Response: Lessons for…

The world has made tremendous progress in the fight against HIV, yet many challenges remain. While the scale up of life-saving treatment has been remarkable, HIV prevention has stalled and stigma, discrimination and exclusion continue to challenge effective responses. Many countries are also being challenged by the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, rising costs of healthcare and weak health systems. In order to achieve universal health coverage and deliver on the pledge of health and well-being for all as envisioned by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, we must learn from past successes and failures, including those of the global HIV response. Michael Merson, Wolfgang Joklik Professor of Global Health, Office of Global Affairs, Duke University and co-author of The AIDS Pandemic: Searching for a Global Response (2017) will present some of the key findings from his book. This will be followed by a panel discussion with several global health experts on the application of the lessons from the AIDS response to other areas of global health.