Viet Nam’s National Network of People Living with HIV (VNP+) began the new year by electing new leaders at an historic meeting of more than 120 representatives of self-help groups of people living with HIV (PLHIV) from across Viet Nam.

UN Resident Coordinator Pratibha Mehta and Australian Ambassador Allaster Cox, co-chairs of the Ambassadors/UN Heads of Agency Informal Coordination Group on HIV, led a representative group on 12 December to discuss future collaborations with the Government of Viet Nam in responding to HIV. The group included United States Ambassador David Shear and UK Department for International Development (DFID) Country Representative Fiona Lappin. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chair of the National Committee for AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution Prevention and Control, led the Government dialogue team, including Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Hai Chuyen.

1 December 2011

Ban Ki-moon

United Nations Secretary-General 

Heading into the fourth decade of AIDS, we are finally in a position to end the epidemic. 

The progress we have made so far is proof that we can realize our vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.