We, the representatives of faith-based organisations, religious leaders, people living with and affected by HIV, civil societies, youth, development/implementing partners and government agencies, convened in Abuja. Hereby, reaffirm our shared commitment to ending HIV new infections and AIDS as a public health threat.
We are concerned that HIV remains a significant challenge, with 1.3 million new infections globally (UNAIDS 2024) and about 48,000 in Nigeria in 2024 (NACA). The response is at a critical crossroads due to declining funding, persistent stigma, health system gaps, and increasing vulnerability among young people.
It is particularly worrisome that at a time when scientific advances such as long-acting injectables for prevention and treatment offer transformative potentials in ending the HIV pandemic, we face the risk of limited access without urgent and equitable scale-up.
We acknowledge and rejoice that faith communities play a critical role in promoting compassion, reducing stigma, and supporting access to HIV services. Religious leaders are uniquely positioned to foster trust, mobilise communities, and uphold human dignity.
We therefore call on the following to
We urge Governments:
• Increase and sustain domestic HIV program financing
• Ensure equitable access to innovations, including long-acting injectables
• Strengthen and integrate HIV services within primary health care
• Protect human rights to address stigma and discrimination
• Partner meaningfully with faith and community systems
• Sustain awareness for HIV prevention, care and treatment
We encourage development/implementing partners and the private sector to:
• Increase continuous funding and technical support
• Sustain equitable scale-up and innovative financing
We urge Traditional Rulers, Religious Leaders and Faith-Based Organisations to:
• Increase awareness on the reality of the HIV pandemic
• Promote stigma-free and inclusive communities
• Mobilize uptake of HIV prevention, care, treatment and promote equitable access to scientific innovations
• Uphold dignity, compassion, and justice
We urge Communities to:
• Continue the awareness of HIV in the communities
• Lead and engage in programme design, delivery, and accountability
We commit to:
• Reinvigorating the HIV response with urgency
• Advocating for sustainable National and global financing
• Promoting the scaling up of equitable access to scientific innovations
• Strengthening partnerships across all sectors
• Ensuring no one is left behind
In conclusion, we declare that faith and science are complementary in advancing health and justice. Ending HIV new infections is achievable, but requires urgent, collaborative and coordinated actions.
The time to act is now!
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