HIBAPRESS
The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amin Tahraoui, presided over the ceremonies commemorating the National Day for Combating Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) on Monday, December 1, 2025, in Rabat, coinciding with World AIDS Day, which falls on the first of December each year. This year's celebration was held under the slogan: "Reducing Risks, Methadone, and Psychosocial Support: A Winning Combination."
Enhancing National Efforts to Achieve the 95-95-95 Goals
The commemoration of this day comes within the framework of national efforts aimed at achieving the 95-95-95 goals recommended by the World Health Organization and achieving a healthier, more equitable, and dignified society. It is also linked to the National Human Rights Strategy related to HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis 2024-2030, which was prepared by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in cooperation with the National Human Rights Council.
The Minister's Speech: Important Milestones to Recall National Efforts
The Minister affirmed that this day constitutes an important milestone to remind everyone of the need to continue national and international efforts to combat HIV, as a priority within public health and the promotion of human rights. He explained that the event aims to enhance the awareness of national actors of the strategic plan directions and share the Moroccan experience as a leading regional model in risk reduction and AIDS response.
Wide Participation of National Partners and Civil Society
The meeting witnessed the participation of a large number of key partners in the national response to combat HIV, including the Ministries of Interior and Justice, the Public Prosecution, constitutional institutions and governance bodies, the National Human Rights Council, National Security, parliamentarians, in addition to non-governmental organizations and civil society.
Focusing on Reducing Risks Associated with Drug Use
This thirty-seventh anniversary was dedicated to focusing on reducing the risks associated with injecting drug use, in line with the national commitment to protect the most vulnerable groups, support social integration, and develop health programs based on human rights principles and international standards.
Indicators of National Progress in Combating HIV
Thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Health and its partners, Morocco has made remarkable progress over the past 37 years, as new HIV infections decreased by 22% between 2013 and 2024, and the percentage of infected people who know their status increased from 49% to 80%. Also, the coverage of antiretroviral treatment reached 95%, which enhances achieving the 95-95-95 goals and eliminating the transmission of the virus from mother to child.
Reducing the Risks of Addiction and Improving Treatment Coverage
Regarding reducing the risks of addiction, 88% of injecting drug users benefited from prevention services, and 104 syringes were distributed per person annually, while the rate of continuation of methadone treatment reached 86%. This contributed to reducing the spread of the virus among this group from 7.1% in 2017 to 5.3% in 2023, and the number of beneficiaries of alternative treatment increased to 1,836 people by January 2025, an increase of 626% since the start of the program.
Future Goals and Free Services
The national integrated strategic plan to combat AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases aims to expand coverage of health services by 2030, by enabling 95% of key populations to access prevention services, providing methadone treatment to 4,000 users, conducting 1.6 million HIV tests annually, providing treatment to 21,500 infected people, in addition to screening 2.5 million people for viral hepatitis and providing treatment to 10,500 of them.
The Ministry affirmed that HIV testing, follow-up, and care services are available free of charge within the Ministry of Health institutions, within the framework of commitment to the principles of equity and respect for human rights for all citizens.
