Decade of Action

The United Nations’ Member-States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. At its heart are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each expressing an urgent call for action to be taken by all countries in a global partnership yielding quantifiable outcomes by 2030.

The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) is actively working to end the epidemics of HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and viral hepatitis at the national, subnational, and municipal levels by 2030 (SDG 3.3). With a decade left to attain this goal, IAPAC recommits to this SDG. We also commit to interconnected SDGs, including no poverty (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).

Particularly in our role as a core partner of the Fast-Track Cities initiative, IAPAC is joining forces with like-minded institutions to ensure that the people whose lives we strive to prolong and enhance must also live in cities that are safe, sustainable, and resilient. In setting our commitments for a “Decade of Action” to achieve the SDGs, we are guided by IAPAC’s mission, the Denver Principles, the Declaration of Alma Ata, the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities, the New Urban Agenda, and the promise that the SDGs represent for an improved human condition by 2030.

Following are the 10 commitments guiding our efforts through 2030.
ACTION 1
Rights-based health ethics must serve as the backbone of a robust HIV response. We must merge the dual goals of public health and human rights, and eliminate the health inequalities that fuel an "us" vs "them" dynamic.
ACTION 2
A pantheon of community activists, past and present, who continue to influence and shape the HIV response. We have a responsibility to create space for everyone to engage meaningfully on our trek towards ending AIDS.
ACTION 3
We can never truly know the daily struggles of those around us, but we can choose not to add their burden through acts of bigotry, hatred, intolerance, misogyny, or prejudice.
ACTION 4
According to a famous Chinese proverb, "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing it right." In health settings, particularly with respect to HIV, the best clinicians treat not only the disease but also the whole patient.
ACTION 5
Data on drug resistance is lacking among key populations, but one at least one major study has found high levels of drug resistance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men.
ACTION 6
The disconnect between HIV treatment and prevention persists today. The science is clear: treatment is prevention, and all of us are called upon to pull in the same direction.
ACTION 7
We squander scarce resources when we fail to identify factors, processes, and methods that can successfully embed evidence-based policies and practices to achieve population health.
ACTION 8
Health literacy programs have been underfunded for far too long. As a result, many people harbor outdated or incorrect perceptions about HIV, including in relation to modern treatment that can prevent transmission.
ACTION 9
Mahatma Gandhi once said: “It is health that is the real wealth, and not pieces of gold.” People living with HIV can expect to enjoy near-normal lifespans. Their whole health – from cradle to grave – is worth a king’s ransom.
ACTION 10
We can end the epidemics of HIV, TB, HBV, and HCV. Through steadfast courage and a commitment to mutual aid, we have the power to save countless lives.