A/HRC/32/25 II. Summary of the discussion A. Opening remarks 5. In her opening remarks, the Deputy High Commissioner said that 20 years on from the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights being issued, much progress had been made, compared to the early days when the response to HIV/AIDS was characterized by fear and panic. She emphasized that HIV/AIDS could today be treated as a chronic infection if antiretroviral treatment and effective health-care services were available and accessible, and drew attention to the evidence that human rights approaches enhanced the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS programmes. 6. However, multiple human rights challenges stood in the way of ending the AIDS epidemic, and a lack of respect for human rights led to poor health outcomes. In that regard, she noted that poverty, inequality and discrimination were intimately linked to the spread of HIV, and that stigma and discrimination remained major obstacles to those affected by HIV/AIDS being diagnosed, accessing treatment or disclosing an HIV-positive status. For example, societal norms and practices that relegated women to lower standing in society accounted, in part, for poor health outcomes for women, and mortality rates due to AIDS continued to grow among adolescents during the period in which the Millennium Development Goals were being implemented, in spite of declines among other age groups. 7. The Deputy High Commissioner emphasized that, in order to realize human rights for all and leave no one behind, it was crucial to overcome the discrimination and barriers to accessing health care that were faced by marginalized population groups, which must be enabled to participate in the design and implementation of policies to address HIV/AIDS. The human rights principles of non-discrimination, access to information, privacy and confidentiality were especially valuable in that regard. 8. She noted that a lack of universal health coverage and a lack of access to medicines were human rights concerns of central importance in the response to HIV/AIDS. From a human rights perspective, universal health coverage required conditions in which every person in need had access to appropriate medical attention and services, and it was crucial to go beyond simply expanding coverage and to ensure a focus on equitable access for all. She stressed that, while scientific freedom had allowed for major advancements in health technologies, it came with the associated right for everyone to be able to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. And yet, intellectual property rights had been allowed to take precedence over the protection of public health, severely limiting access to life-saving and health-preserving medicines for persons living with HIV/AIDS. 9. She remarked that, based on the recommendation of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, the Secretary-General had established a high-level panel to propose solutions to remedy policy incoherence in this area, and noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was an active member of the expert advisory group supporting the panel. In closing, she recalled that human rights considerations had been vital in advancing in the fight against HIV/AIDS and were key to achieving further progress. She called for accountability, with the involvement of civil society, human rights activists and people living with HIV/AIDS, for the fulfilment of the obligation to end stigma and discrimination and for governments to make health care available to all those in need. 10. In his keynote address, Dr. Loures indicated that there was now a historic opportunity, which could not be missed, to end AIDS within our lifetimes. He identified the upcoming high-level meeting in New York as the opportunity to establish the commitments that would be required in order to put the world on the path to ending AIDS as a public 4