UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting late next week to assess the global progress achieved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and consider ways of strengthening the campaign.

    More than a dozen heads of state and government and over 100 ministers are expected to attend the three-day conference, which will start on May 31, said a press release from the UN Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The gathering is also expected to bring over 1,000 representatives of civil society and the private sector.

    UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will present a report on progress in realizing the targets agreed by UN member states in the historic Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, adopted in 2001 at a General Assembly special session on the disease.

    The meeting will also identify common challenges to scaling-up and sustaining national AIDS responses. Member states will consider recommendations on how to scale-up HIV prevention, treatment, care and support with the aim of coming as soon as possible to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010 for all those who need it.

    For the first time, a person living with HIV will address the General Assembly plenary. Other speakers include General Assembly President Jan Eliasson, Annan and UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot. Enditem