On International Condom Day, UNAIDS and partners called for HIV prevention efforts to be stepped up. Noting that an estimated 3,500 people became newly infected with HIV every day in 2023, bringing the total number of people newly infected to 1.3 million - three times more than the global target of fewer than 370 000 new HIV infections by 2025.

Condoms remain one of the most effective, low-cost HIV prevention tools available today and they are 98% effective when used correctly and consistently. Condom use has averted an estimated 117 million new HIV infections globally from 1990 to 2019 however, new data reveal that there has been a decline of 6-15% in condom use in a number of countries, according to the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), a Condom Landscape Analysis, and the World Health Organization (WHO.)