Today fewer people are becoming newly infected with HIV, millions are receiving HIV treatment, fewer babies are becoming infected with HIV, and Africa is investing more than ever in the AIDS response -- and in the continent's future.

As the heads of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we are firmly committed to advancing gender equality and responding to the unique health needs of women and girls.

Brazil is considered a model in HIV prevention and, according to UNAIDS, HIV prevalence in Brazil dropped from 0.4 percent of the population 15-49 in 2001 to 0.33 percent in 2011 and is now stable.

In particular, HIV/AIDS continues to have a disproportionate impact on women and children. HIV/AIDS is said to be the chief cause of death for women of reproductive age worldwide.

World AIDS Day, held each year to commemorate the millions of lives affected by the AIDS epidemic, has a new mission: “Getting to Zero” by 2015. ...

Last week UNAIDS released two reports -- its annual World AIDS Day report "Results" and the bi-annual "Global Report on the AIDS Epidemic." Both reports have one message: The pace of progress is unprecedented.

By combining funds, experience and infrastructure we can tackle and defeat some of the most deadly diseases in some of the most impoverished regions. We encourage others to join us, so we may all come together to save lives and promote healthy communities around the world.

Without scaled-up financing, more targeted programming and expanded political will, the beginning of the end of AIDS will remain a distant ambition. But with concerted action, the world can chart a course towards ending this pandemic.

In today's world, bad news about poverty, disease and disaster abounds. Good News -- For a Change highlights major strides in the fight against global poverty that are making a real difference in people's lives.

Ending AIDS is a question of choice, capacity and resources.

The "End of AIDS" is not yet here. But, for the first time, we can see it on the horizon.

When I speak to Africans living with HIV, when I speak to African AIDS activists and when I speak to African leaders fighting AIDS, TB and malaria, they all express a profound gratitude for the global solidarity the world has expressed to them.

Preventing new HIV infections among children is not only the right thing to do, but also a smart investment -- stretching each dollar we invest to save as many lives as we can, both today and tomorrow. This is a hopeful moment in global health.

What is the greatest gift we can give a mother this Mother's Day? There are many answers, but one is a healthy life for her and her child. This Mother's Day, let's sharpen our resolve to ensure mothers everywhere have children who are born HIV-free.

There are three simple things we can all do to ensure babies everywhere can be born free from HIV. Together we can go from 390,000 children becoming infected with HIV each year to zero.

Africa is now poised to push towards a new vision of: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. And it needs everyone's support.