Ending inequalities and empowering communities are key to vanquishing AIDS pandemic

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director on World AIDS Day

The world has made remarkable strides in curbing the AIDS pandemic. There is much to celebrate: New HIV infections have dramatically slowed, and AIDS-related deaths are down 51 per cent from 2010. Yet, we are not at the finish line: The virus still claims far too many lives – an average of one per minute in 2022 – and progress towards ending HIV transmission remains uneven. 

Ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 requires halting the epidemics of gender inequality and of the gender-based violence that fuel its spread. 

Women and girls are twice as likely to acquire HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as men and boys. They can face difficulties negotiating safer sex due to unequal power balances, and often have limited access to information about HIV prevention and fewer resources to access preventive measures. Sexual violence also increases the risk of HIV transmission. Women who face intimate partner violence in countries with high HIV prevalence are up to 50 percent more likely to acquire the virus.

Inequalities as well as stigma and discrimination endanger too many people. Sex workers, men who have sex with men and transgender people, among other marginalized groups, are also at higher risk of contracting STIs– and of slipping through the cracks of health-care systems. 

Empowering affected communities stands out as a proven strategy to address these challenges. Community-led responses can better reach high-risk individuals, tailor interventions to localized needs, improve access to health care, and reduce inequalities in service delivery. 

UNFPA sees the power of community action every day through its work with local advocates around the world. For example, Teenergizer, a regional network in Eastern European and Central Asia, brings together young people to promote HIV awareness and health lifestyles among peers, including through online learning and counselling services. TransWave Jamaica, a transgender-led civil society organization, is developing a service referral system for the specific needs of trans people.

In East and Southern Africa, the 2gether 4 SRHR programme mobilizes “mentor mothers” and community health-care workers to help people living with HIV access health services and contraceptives. Youth LEAD convenes LGBTQI+ people in Asia and the Pacific to stand up for their rights.

Embedded in local communities, these organizations are able to integrate robust protection measures into daily life to address stigma and discrimination and to make inclusive prevention the standard, not the exception. 

Yet, as powerful as community organizations can be in making change, they cannot do it alone. Ending AIDS as a public health threat also requires significant, sustained investment and political will from decision-makers at all levels.

Working together, we can pave the way towards a world where prevention is inclusive and comprehensive healthcare is accessible to everyone, whoever and wherever they are, providing hope and dignity for all.