Millennium goal: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Target: Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

Adults living with HIV

Since 1985, over 24 million people worldwide have died as a result of AIDS. Today 33.2 million people, including millions of children, are living with HIV. The majority inhabit sub-Saharan Africa, where three quarters of young people living with HIV are women between the ages of 15 and 24.

Beyond causing untold human misery, HIV/AIDS hits the poorest people in the poorest countries the hardest and reverses decades of development. It cuts hard-earned gains in life expectancy, forces children (particularly girls) to leave school to look after orphaned siblings, decimates entire generations of professionals, and dramatically reduces the standard of living.

But HIV/AIDS can be controlled. Canada played a lead role in establishing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and continues to invest millions of dollars in Global Fund programs. In 2007, Canada also committed financial support to the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative—a collaborative, new effort to accelerate the development of a safe and affordable HIV/AIDS vaccine.

© CIDA PHOTO: DAVID TRATTLES

Canadians making a difference Joelle Mak raises awareness about HIV/AIDS in Sierra Leone Kate Windle feeds kids in AIDS-ravaged Zambia More stories from the field

© CIDA PHOTO: PETER BENNETT

© CIDA PHOTO: Roger Lemoyne

Did you know? Life expectancy in Southern Africa has fallen from 61 to 49 years over the last 20 years as a direct result of HIV/AIDS. Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision “The situation of people living and dying with AIDS in parts of Africa is so desperate that even the most basic help will bring solace and hope. We know how to defeat this pandemic. We have all the knowledge we need. But to do it, there must be a quantum leap in financial resources.” Source: Stephen Lewis, The Stephen Lewis Foundation Globally, the number of children living with HIV increased from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2.5 million in 2007. Source: UNAIDS

• Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other diseases such as tuberculosis

Mapping HIV around the world