Holy See Calls for Renewed Global Commitment to End AIDS, Warns Children Remain Disproportionately Vulnerable
Key Insights
The Holy See (search) addressed the 2026 UN High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (search), acknowledging significant progress in reducing new HIV infections by 65% since 1995 while warning that the global response is at a critical juncture.
Children account for only 3% of people living with HIV yet represent 12% of HIV-related deaths due to persistent gaps in diagnosis and treatment, according to the UN Secretary-General's report.
Msgr. Marco Formica emphasized the need for quality antenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care, early testing, and child-friendly antiretroviral formulations to improve pediatric outcomes.
The Holy See (search) has issued an urgent call for renewed global commitment to ending AIDS, commending the substantial progress achieved over the past two decades while highlighting stark disparities that continue to leave vulnerable populations—particularly children—behind.
Addressing the 2026 United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (search) in New York, Msgr. Marco Formica, interim chargé d'affaires of the Vatican's permanent observer mission at the UN, delivered the Holy See (search)'s intervention during the July 10 session. The meeting, convened under the theme "United to End AIDS," has taken place every five years since 2001 and serves as the primary political mechanism for accountability in the global HIV response.
Significant Progress, Persistent Gaps
Since 1995, when an average of 3.5 million people annually contracted the immunodeficiency virus, new HIV infections have been slashed by 65%, according to UNAIDS (search) data cited in the address. "The number of new HIV infections has declined in most regions since 2010, with the greatest decreases in sub-Saharan Africa," Msgr. Formica stated.
"Having access and adherence to antiretroviral treatment (search), people with HIV can live longer and lead healthier lives," he added, acknowledging the transformative impact of expanded treatment access.
However, as of 2025, approximately 41 million people were living with HIV globally, with more than half—51%—being women and girls. Among this population, 1.3 million were children aged 14 and under.
Children Bear Disproportionate Burden
The most striking disparity highlighted in the Holy See (search)'s address concerns pediatric outcomes. Citing the UN Secretary-General's report to the conference, Msgr. Formica noted that "the 3% of HIV patients that are children account for 12% of deaths due to HIV"—a fourfold overrepresentation in mortality driven by persistent gaps in both diagnosis and treatment.
"It is vital to ensure early testing and consistent access to treatment for children with HIV in child-friendly formulations," Msgr. Formica urged, emphasizing the critical importance of quality antenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care for at-risk and HIV-positive mothers.
A Critical Juncture for the Global Response
The UN Secretary-General's report stressed that "AIDS is not over" and that "the global HIV response is at a critical juncture," citing funding declines, debt burdens in affected nations, increasing humanitarian crises, and "a regression in human rights" as compounding challenges.
Msgr. Formica acknowledged that "multisectoral partnerships" have made care more available and affordable, yet lamented that "many are still excluded" from HIV and AIDS treatment, "mostly in the developing world."
Quoting Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas," he warned: "We cannot conceive of a society that races ahead at full speed clinging to the false myths of wellbeing, while at the same time ignoring so many situations of poverty and vulnerability."
The Church's Enduring Role
The Holy See (search) concluded its intervention by reaffirming the Catholic Church's substantial role in the global HIV response. "The Catholic healthcare institutions, which provide approximately a quarter of all HIV-related care worldwide, will continue to do their part in their efforts to ensure that all people living with HIV receive treatment and care in line with their inherent human dignity," Msgr. Formica stated.
The address underscored the need for continued investment in health systems, medical research, and local production of medicines to ensure consistent care reaches all populations, particularly those in developing regions where access remains most constrained.