By ERTHARIN COUSIN, WFP Executive Director
As one of the ten co-sponsors of UNAIDS, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has played a major role in providing food and nutrition support to affected populations, lending to the welcome slow-down in the HIV epidemic that has claimed far too many lives over the past few years.
According to the UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report, 25 low- and middle-income countries, more than half of these in
Good nutrition is vital for the health and survival of all people, but it is particularly important for people with HIV and AIDS. Food assistance not only increases the effectiveness of ART but also helps ensure greater adherence to treatment regimens, as people living with HIV are no longer forced to choose between treatment or food.
In the poorest communities, WFP’s food and nutrition support to people living with HIV and their families, including pregnant women and new mothers, helps improve access to treatment and increase treatment success – which means saving more lives and seeing fewer infections.
This is why I am so proud of the work that WFP is doing in this area. From the innovative electronic voucher programme in Zimbabwe, bringing relief to many living with HIV, to livelihood assistance programmes in Ethiopia, which act as social safety nets for people affected by HIV, WFP and partners are contributing to the UNAIDS vision of creating a world with zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
As we work toward a hunger-free and HIV-free world, we must enable the poor and hungry to seek life-saving treatment. We have turned a corner on the HIV epidemic, but we have a long way to go. We encourage the global community to build on the positive momentum by expanding the role of food and nutrition in the HIV response.
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