The U.N. agency leading the fight against AIDS has welcomed an Indian court ruling decriminalizing homosexuality in New Delhi.
UNAIDS says the ruling will make it easier to reach homosexual men with lifesaving programs to combat the spread of HIV.
Executive Director Michel Sidibe says the ruling restored the dignity and human rights of millions of men who have sex with men.
The U.N. agency says national anti-gay laws drive homosexual men underground, making it much harder to find them for HIV prevention, treatment and care.
UNAIDS said in a statement that more than 80 countries have anti-homosexual laws similar to the one in India. Sidibe says Thursday's ruling sends a message to these countries that the laws should be repealed.
