New York, Ramadan 03, 1437, June 08, 2016, SPA -- UN member states pledged Wednesday to intensify the fight against AIDS and reaffirmed their resolve to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, according to dpa. The renewed commitments came during the opening session of a UN high-level meeting on eradicating the disease. The political declaration, which was adopted by consensus by all UN member states, is seen as a victory by many for its mention of particularly vulnerable populations and its ambitious pledge to provide 30 million people living with HIV access to treatment by 2020. However, critics say the text doesn't not go far enough. After the adoption of the document, Russia said it had reservations with the references to key populations and harm reduction, stressing that countries have the sovereign right to fight AIDS with measures that are in line with their national legislation, traditions and norms. --SPA 00:07 LOCAL TIME 21:07 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w