States must engage to become "hope-givers," said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 1 December 2008, on the 20th anniversary of World Aids Day. Ban Ki-moon addressed a message to the populations of the world, calling on member states for more engagement in the fight against the pandemic of HIV/AIDS which "will not go away any time soon," despite the decrease in the cases of infected people.

"This success owes itself to people all over the world who are taking the lead to stop AIDS. Governments are delivering on their promises to scale up universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support."

But the Secretary General said that "this is just the beginning," adding that "AIDS will not go away any time soon."

"People are still being infected with HIV faster than we can get them on treatment."

"AIDS is still one of the top ten causes of death worldwide, and it is the number one killer in Africa," underlined Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

According to the UN AIDS section, more than 33 million people worldwide have the HIV virus.

"The challenge now is to sustain leadership. We have to build on what we have started. And we have to maintain this momentum. We have to end the stigma and discrimination that still stop so many people from learning how to prevent HIV and get treatment. And we need resources -- enough to provide services that will have a real impact in communities and on entire nations," continued the Secretary General.

"Recently I read about a Congolese woman living with HIV who received medicine through the United Nations. She is now part of a group called the "hope-givers team", which helps other families dealing with HIV. On this World AIDS Day, let us all pledge to be "hope-givers" who offer encouragement and take action to create a future without AIDS," he concluded.

In the DRC, more than 1.2 million people are HIV positive, according to Dr. Dédé Wathiba, the Coordinator of the National Multisectoral Plan in the Fight Against AIDS (PNMLS), and close to 300,000 infected people need antiretroviral treatment, of whom only 20,000 have access.

At a press conference, before inviting the government to assist financially in the fight, Dr. Wathiba said the assumption of responsibility for people living with HIV must also take into account nutritional, psychological and economic support, such as income-generating activities.