According to PLUSNEWS, the World Health Organization (WHO) has apologized for failing to meet its '3 by 5' initiative, which aimed to have three million HIV-positive people in developing countries access antiretrovirals by the end of this year.

In a progress report on the initiative released in June, WHO said about one million HIV-positive people were receiving treatment by that time.

With the exact number of people being treated only expected to be announced early next year, WHO's HIV/AIDS Department Director Jim Yong Kim confirmed that the 3 by 5 target would not be met.

"All we can do is apologize, I have to say that I'm personally extremely disappointed in myself and in my colleagues because we have not moved quickly enough ... we have not saved enough lives," he told journalists.

Kim said, however, that despite missing its target, the programme had not completely failed, as before 3 by 5, there was little emphasis on saving lives.

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