With regard to the World AIDS Day, which we commemorate every year on 1 December, we want to draw attention to and express our support for the activities in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Europe, which are an important part of the health policy of the European countries, while at the same time reminding us that we are all once again able to express our support and solidarity with people living with HIV.
HIV/AIDS is still a serious social problem. It concerns states, communities, families and individuals. In 2015, there were around 36.7 million people in the world and it is estimated that 1.9 million adults are infected with HIV every year.
In the European region of the World Health Organisation, the number of new infections is increasing. In more than three decades of the HIV epidemic in Europe, HIV is still a major problem in the region, especially in the eastern part. Regional investment is not adequately addressed to the key populations most affected by the epidemic. Early diagnosis, advice and treatment play an essential role in limiting the spread of HIV infection. The increasing number of people with HIV/AIDS and the incurability of the disease underline that prevention is the most effective means of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the population.
The Health Sector Action Plan on HIV in the European region of the World Health Organisation for 2016 - 2021 adopted at the World Health Assembly - contains European visions for ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. It is supported by the 2016 UNAIDS Strategy – 2021. The vision of the European region is to achieve a zero incidence of HIV infections, zero mortality on AIDS and zero discrimination against people with HIV by 2030.

The fundamental objective remains to limit the spread of HIV and to mitigate the effects of HIV and AIDS in those parts of society most affected. Preventive activities must be based on the principles of human rights protection and scientific knowledge. Prevention, sexual and reproductive health and the rights of people with HIV are important aspects of national policy planning and national programmes. Particular emphasis should be placed on key risk groups in the population, on sexual education, on drug treatment and on communication with people with HIV/AIDS. It is important to ensure adequate treatment and medical care, prenatal care and testing of women during and after pregnancy, to ensure early diagnosis of infants and immediate treatment for all children diagnosed with HIV and congenital syphilis. Psychological and social assistance, the quality of HIV diagnosis, laboratory monitoring of treatment effectiveness, prevention of gender discrimination and sexual violence are of great importance. Late diagnosis of HIV infection and advice to the most risk groups remains one of the most significant obstacles to initiating adequate treatment and contributes to the spread of HIV.
Currently, the Slovak Republic is the country with the lowest HIV prevalence in Europe and we therefore consider prevention to be one of the most effective means of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
For this reason, the Slovak Republic, as currently President of the Council of the European Union, greatly appreciates and welcomes Malta's activity as the next Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2017, which will organise a technical meeting on HIV in cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.