Over the years, governments have built and agreed upon a number of high-level commitments on HIV/AIDS and have set ambitious goals to measure the progress achieved and hold themselves accountable. In 2006, 182 countries made a commitment through the United Nations to achieve the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. The premise was simple. When every nation achieves universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for all its populations, the epidemic will end.

The IPU views HIV/AIDS as an eminently political issue in which the participation of parliamentarians is vitally important. Since the establishment of its Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS in 2006, the IPU has paid special attention to ensuring that parliamentary action supports the goal of universal access. The Advisory Group has focused its activities on providing members of parliament with useful policy expertise and skills to properly exercise their duties of oversight, leadership and advocacy in this context. In 2010 and 2011, 117 countries took stock of their progress towards universal access. Those assessments were fed into multiple regional consultations.

Chaired by Bathabile Dlamini, Minister of Social Development of the Republic of South Africa, and Paul De Lay, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, and mandated by the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board, a multi-stakeholder International Advisory Group, of which IPU is a member, met in Johannesburg from 26-28 April to review the findings of countries and regions.

In its report titled Solidarity for Universal Access: the International Advisory Group consensus, the IAG concludes that the 2010 target of universal access has not been met. Five global challenges must be confronted, it says, if universal access is to be achieved by 2015. These challenges are the need to protect the human rights of all people; improve access to quality and affordable HIV treatment and scale up HIV prevention programs; engage inspiring and courageous leaders, especially young people, to lead the AIDS response; use evidence-informed strategies to make smart investments that will yield maximum results; and share accountability for the outcome of national AIDS responses.

The IAG statement envisages that all constitutional roles of parliaments - representative, legislative and oversight - be employed in an effort to end the HIV epidemic. The statement will contribute towards negotiations on a draft declaration in the lead up to the June United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS.  The High Level Meeting provides an important milestone for countries to recommit to the AIDS response and set the path to reach universal access.