UNAIDS is launching a survey to gather insights for the next Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031, which will guide the next phase of action for the HIV response. Your input is essential to ensure it is inclusive, effective, and responsive to real-world needs while reflecting the priorities of stakeholders worldwide. Your input will also help define the key focus areas and actions needed to accelerate progress.

Please take a few moments to share your perspectives 

The survey is now available in 3 languages: English, French, Spanish (see upper right-hand corner of the survey). More languages will be made available soon.

Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 survey

 Accra International Conference Centre(AICC)

 Catalysing Integrated Sustainable Responses to end AIDS, TB & Malaria.

Catalysing Africa’s progress towards triple elimination and sustainable resilient health systems through innovation and digital technologies.

Promote cooperation among governments, communities, the private sector, and international organizations to enhance health security and improve pandemic preparedness and response.

Strengthen capacity and facilitate knowledge exchange for healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers.

Empower communities and promote human rights and gender equality in the context of HIV/AIDS and emerging and reemerging diseases.

Mobilize domestic resources and political commitment to sustain Africa's progress towards achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and global health security goals.

23rd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA)

On January 24th, the Trump administration halted all global health funding, including USAID, CDC, and PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This stop-work order for all U.S.-funded humanitarian initiatives has resulted in significant setbacks to critical programs. The suspension negatively impacts efforts in HIV prevention, treatment, and care, particularly for young people living with and affected by HIV and other marginalised groups who rely on and depend on access to critical health services.

To gain a clearer understanding of its effects, various regional and global networks of young people living with and affected by HIV—such as 

Y+ Global, Youth LEAD, Youth RISE, The PACT, and others

—are carrying out a survey. This survey aims to collect insights regarding the influence of US-funded initiatives on youth-led organisations, how the halt to funding has affected their operations, and their approach to tackling HIV-related challenges. Your input will assist us in evaluating the impact on programs and communities, thus improving our advocacy and resource mobilisation efforts.

All responses will remain confidential and will solely support advocacy efforts. No personal or identifiable information will be disclosed to third parties or made available to anyone without their prior consent. The 

survey will take approximately 7 - 10 minutes to complete

. We greatly value your time and feedback. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Eddy Rudram, Communications and Advocacy Manager at Y Global, at erudram[@]yplusglobal.org

Survey: Understanding the impact of the US stop-work order on funding for HIV and youth programmes

On 28 February, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) finished its seventy-seventh session and adopted concluding observations on the reports of Croatia, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Approximately every five years, the CESCR reviews reports submitted by the 172 countries that have ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The Covenant ensures that certain economic, social and cultural rights—such as education, fair and just labour conditions, an adequate standard of living, health and social security—are protected as fundamental human rights. The reports provide an overview of the implementation of the ICESCR, and the Committee highlights positive aspects and areas for improvement. This process allows for international accountability and the advancement of national policies that promote equality and well-being.

The CESCR's review of state reports from each of the five countries contained, in part, recommendations and remarks related to drug policy. Notably, the Committee's comments underscore the need for human-rights- and public-health-based approaches to drug use as well as the importance of harm reduction and decriminalisation.

 on Kenya and the United Kingdom. The review of Kenya was posponed.

Relevant excerpts from the CESCR's concluding observations are listed in the following section:

The report did not make any specific mention of drug policy.

The report did not make any specific mention of drug policy, although it did call for the prevention and mitigation of the impacts of 'illegal activities' on the health of the population and the environment.

The Committee highlighted a range of issues on the country's 'war on drugs', sharing concerns on extrajudicial killings, police brutality and human rights abuses in the name of drug control. The Committee called for accountability, legal safeguards and reform in line with international standards. Among the recommendations, feature the following, urging the country to:

Promptly, independently and impartially investigate and prosecute all cases of human rights abuses in the context of the “war on drugs” and, if a person is convicted, apply penalties commensurate with the seriousness of the offence;

Review its drug policies and legislation to bring them into line with its international obligations, international human rights norms and best practices, including the implementation of adequate treatment and rehabilitation programmes and voluntary harm reduction services for people who use drugs.

The report did not make any specific mention of drug policy, although it did make recommendations on preventing the spread of HIV, calling for the country to:

Take measures to prevent the spread of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and to provide adequate and timely treatment and specialized healthcare and services to those affected.

Considering the high prevalence of high-risk practices among people who inject drugs in Rwanda, investment in harm reduction measures and the development of an 'enabling environment' — which includes removing the risk of criminalisation — is imperative.

The report reflects the dire situation related to the 'high number of deaths by suicide and due to drug use'. A specific section on drug policy is included, with useful recommendations on drug policy reform:

54. The Committee is concerned about the high rate of drug-related deaths, the punitive approach to drug use and the limited availability and accessibility of harm reduction and rehabilitation programmes (art. 12).

55. The Committee recommends that the State Party, along with the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, review its legislative framework to adopt a human rights-based approach to drug use, including by:

(a) Conducting preventive awareness-raising on the serious health risks associated with drug abuse, particularly among young people;

(b) Ensuring the treatment of drug use disorder and the provision of healthcare services, psychological support, rehabilitation services and harm reduction programmes for persons who use drugs and considering the adoption of alternatives to the punitive approach and criminal penalties for drug use.

UN CESCR concluding observations highlight rights abuses related to drug control and call for reform

Prevention, testing and treatment services for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STI) have driven unprecedented progress in improving population health over the past two decades, with millions of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths averted.

Foreign aid investments in the global HIV response, such as the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund on AIDS, TB and Malaria, have been pivotal to this success, also contributing significantly to progress towards elimination of hepatitis B and C, and STI control. However, abrupt disruptions to foreign aid and service delivery threaten these gains, putting millions of people at risk – especially people living with HIV and key and vulnerable populations.

Many essential evidence-based prevention interventions, including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), harm reduction services for people who inject drugs, and community-led programmes have been permanently halted.

Early reports shared with WHO indicate that prevention and treatment services for key populations are those most affected. Reports include the closure of health centres delivering prevention, testing and treatment interventions for key populations previously supported by U.S. funding. These disruptions are resulting in staffing shortages, supply chain interruptions, and increased barriers to access, leaving key populations – including gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, people in prisons, and trans and gender diverse individuals – vulnerable to infection and death, as well as increased stigma and discrimination.

 Protecting key populations from abrupt disruptions to essential HIV services

58th session of the Human Rights Council (September-October 2024)

Statement delivered by the International Drug Policy Consortium

This statement is made jointly by IDPC and 2 other organisations.

We are highly concerned by the wide-ranging human rights violations committed in the name of drug control in all corners of the world - ranging from the use of the death penalty, to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, police violence, the denial of access to life-saving harm reduction services and essential medicines, and widespread cases of discrimination. And yet, the global drug control system seems stuck in inertia, unable to put an end to these egregious human rights abuses.

We welcome the leadership role played by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in calling for transformative change in drug policy. We also welcome the efforts by the UN human rights system to elevate this issue in Geneva - in particular last year’s landmark reports on harm reduction by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health.

At this juncture, the involvement of the UN human rights system is absolutely critical to realign global and national drug policies with human rights.

We therefore urge you to consider strengthening the role of the OHCHR and the Human Rights Council in drug policy matters via the adoption of a new resolution on drugs and human rights. This would ensure that they can systematically document and report on the human rights abuses resulting from drug policy - and work with policy makers, civil society and affected communities to urgently change policies and practices on the ground.

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Panel discussion on the realization of human rights in sustaining and increasing the gains made in the HIV response and leaving no one behind

I am making this statement on behalf of the International Drug Policy Consortium and Harm Reduction International.

Key affected populations remain disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic – and yet, the funding dedicated to HIV prevention, treatment and care among people who use drugs, sex workers and men who have sex with men has traditionally been insufficient.

Today, we are raising the alarm regarding the catastrophic impact of recent US funding cuts on people who use drugs and other key affected populations.

According to HRI, in 2022, PEPFAR was the second-largest donor to harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries.

The consequences of these cuts are devastating. Funding for essential harm reduction services has been halted overnight. Globally, service providers have been dismissed without notice. Peer workers have suddenly lost access to HIV and HCV medications, medical and support and their income. Many will die.

Harm reduction is a proven public health intervention endorsed by the entire UN system. Investing in harm reduction is not just a moral obligation; it is an investment in global health, security, and human dignity.

We therefore call on governments and donors to take action now:

First, by investing in harm reduction within their domestic budgets.

Secondly, prioritising investments in the Global Fund, as the largest donor to harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries.

Finally, by ending the criminalisation of people who use drugs.

Human rights, harm reduction and drug policy: Redoubling efforts reform and funding efforts - IDPC statement at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council

STOPAIDS and its members, in solidarity with people living with and affected by HIV globally, welcome the news that the temporary freeze on US funding for ‘lifesaving’ HIV medicines has been lifted. However, it remains unclear whether funding for HIV testing, prevention and other critical services, and the community systems that are so essential to delivering these, will be reinstated alongside this. *

We urge President Trump to grant an exemption for the entire PEPFAR budget, this great demonstration of positive US impact in the world, so it can continue to deliver its life saving services.

We are deeply concerned about the broader question mark over the future of US funding for the HIV response, the loss of which would have catastrophic implications for the global goal of ending AIDS, and would almost certainly undermine the HIV response here in the UK.

The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – established in 2003, provides antiretroviral medication as well as crucial prevention, testing, support and educational services in 54 countries. To date, its critical work has saved nearly 

The scale of interventions that PEPFAR supports cannot be understated. According to 

, the Foundation for AIDS research, on a daily basis around the world, PEPFAR is responsible for supporting:

More than 222,000 people living with HIV to have access to treatment

Services for 17,695 orphans and vulnerable children impacted by HIV;

7,163 cervical cancer screenings, newly diagnosing 363 women with cervical cancer or precancerous lesions, and treating 324 women with positive cervical cancer results (a critical intervention as women living with HIV are 6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer).

Care and support for 3,618 women experiencing gender-based violence, including 779 women who experienced sexual violence. This includes HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV acquisition.

In addition, PEPFAR is currently providing ARV treatment to 679,936 pregnant women living with HIV both for their own health and to prevent vertical transmission.

These services are delivered by 190,000 clinical and ancillary care providers worldwide. Stop work orders are already affecting this workforce, with 

 that receive PEPFAR funding reporting that they have been instructed to terminate staff contracts, a move that has already seen services shut. If this continues, it will leave hundreds of thousands of people unable to access life-saving HIV services.

Without these services, rates of HIV acquisitions and AIDS-related deaths in the 54 countries that rely on PEPFAR funding will dramatically increase. The countries most affected by this policy include key strategic partners for the UK such as Kenya, South Africa, Malawi, and Nigeria among many others. An under-resourced HIV response globally will also have a detrimental impact on the UK in terms of growing resistance to HIV treatments, which will not respect borders. These abrupt cuts will also put additional pressure on health systems globally, decreasing their pandemic preparedness and resistance which will cause further economic strain, negatively affecting us all.

Stepping-up to support communities living with and affected by HIV globally is therefore not just the right thing to do, it is clearly in the UK’s national interest.

Raise the concerns about the impact of funding cuts to PEPFAR at the highest possible level with the US administration.

Identify ways to advance UK funds both to address the urgent funding crisis, working with other countries and with civil society and community partners to coordinate a rapid response to save lives, and to plan ways to fill the long-term funding gap that will likely be left if the US withdraws funding to the communities that are most affected by HIV.

Issue a ministerial statement setting out the FCDO’s analysis on the impact of this policy on UK aid programmes and the communities they support.

On Tuesday 28th January the US administration communicated that there would be a waiver for certain life-saving interventions across USAID and PEPFAR but there was a lack of specificity of exactly what would be included and excluded. Over the weekend, a leaked document suggested that the waiver would be applied to PEPFAR on limited terms, enabling the resumption of “life-saving HIV care and treatment services” as well as HIV testing and prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, alongside prevention of vertical transmission services and “reasonable implementing agency and implementing partner administrative costs”.

If this document can be relied on, then funds for the following services will remain frozen: all other prevention tools and approaches, support including post-exposure prophylaxis for people who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence, cervical cancer screening and treatment and support for orphans and vulnerable children impacted by HIV. At present however, organisations implementing US-funded programmes have received no communication regarding a waiver, and remain unclear about whether they can reopen any services, with many now forced to proceed with terminating staff contracts. We are deeply unsettled about the catastrophic implications that this uncertainty is having on the HIV response, and what the current dire situation could mean for the future of funding for PEPFAR.

STOPAIDS membership statement on impact of PEPFAR cuts on the HIV response

Transition from prison to community can result in poor health outcomes.

The impact of pre-release methadone on linkage to HIV care is not well understood.

Pre-release methadone increases post-release HIV care linkage for people with OUD.

Methadone should be included as an HIV treatment-as-prevention strategy in prisons.

The transition from prison is hazardous, especially for people with HIV and opioid use disorder. To determine the impact of methadone on linkage to HIV care in people with HIV and opioid use disorder, we prospectively compared those allocated to pre-release methadone or not.

A prospective, open-label trial of 310 people with HIV and opioid use disorder at Malaysia's largest prison were allocated to pre-release methadone up to 24 weeks before release or not by randomization (

 = 246); 296 were included in the final analytical sample. Directed acyclic graphing was used to theorize the relationship between pre-release methadone and post-release linkage to HIV care and identify confounding variables. An inverse probability weighted Cox proportional hazards model estimated the impact of pre-release methadone on linkage to HIV care through 360 days after release.

Overall, 218 (73.6 %) of 296 study participants initiated methadone before release. Receiving pre-release methadone significantly predicted linkage to HIV care at all time points through 360 days (aHR = 1.87; 95 % CI 1.15–2.85) after release. The corresponding numbers needed to treat with pre-release methadone for one increased linkage to HIV care at 30 and 360 days were 14 (95 % CI 9.2–62.4) and 5 (95 % CI 3.4–22.0), respectively.

While treatment with methadone should be available to everyone with opioid use disorder, it should especially be included as part of an HIV treatment-as-prevention strategy for people in prisons, especially by the time of release. It can optimize HIV treatment outcomes by jumpstarting the HIV treatment cascade.

Prescribing methadone in prison predicts linkage to HIV care after release from prison: A randomized and patient preference trial

In January 30, employees at TB HIV Care received a letter informing them that they’d soon get their last paychecks. The nonprofit organization, working directly with people who use drugs in South Africa, has been forced to halt operations—part of a global freeze imposed on groups receiving United States humanitarian aid. 

Some 5,000 people were being served by TB HIV CARE at two harm reduction sites in eastern South Africa—depending on them for access to resources including sterile syringes and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

“I owe my HIV-negative status to their efforts.”

Barend Beukes, 42, who lives in the city of Tshwane in Gauteng province, has relied on groups like TB HIV Care, and others funded by US aid programs, for years. “I owe my HIV-negative status to their efforts,” he told 

He got his first dose of methadone right before the COVID lockdowns. “It has progressively been changing my life ever since. Programs like opioid support therapy have allowed me the semblance of a normal life.”

The two sites include one in Tshwane, which has been serving about 4,000 people, and another in the Ehlanzeni district of Mpumalanga province, serving around 1,000.

“Both sites are now closed, leaving these clients without access to critical harm reduction services,” Klaus Mtshweni,a national leader with the SANAC Civil Society Forum PWUD Sub-sector, told 

People who use drugs among victims of Trump's assault on USAID

In 2022, 80% of new HIV infections outside of sub-Saharan Africa, and 25% of infections in sub-Saharan Africa, were among key populations and their sexual partners. But funding for the HIV response is nowhere near what’s needed to provide comprehensive prevention, treatment, and empowerment activities for these groups. In 2023, there was a shortfall of 95.5% of needed funding for comprehensive prevention for key populations.

This report is the most comprehensive analysis of funding for the HIV response, and is a call to action for the global community to urgently increase funding for key populations. Without it, the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 may very well be out of reach.

Dangerously off track: How funding for the HIV response is leaving key populations behind

: To inform the preparation of the report on sustainable HIV response with regard to the human rights of persons living with, at risk of or affected by HIV, to be presented to the Human Rights Council at its sixtieth session 2025

At its fifty-sixth session, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 

 on Human rights in the context of HIV and AIDS. The resolution requests the High Commissioner to prepare a report on sustainable HIV response with regard to the human rights of persons living with, at risk of or affected by HIV, to be presented to the Human Rights Council at its sixtieth session in September 2025.

In order to inform the preparations of the report, contributions are invited from States, National Human Rights Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, United Nations agencies, Funds and programmes, the academia, international and regional organizations, corporate entities, experts and persons living with, presumed to be living with, at risk of or affected by HIV.

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

OHCHR is seeking inputs on the concrete steps and measures taken in relation to the below areas.

(a) What frameworks, legal reforms, policies and strategies are in place that are key to protect the rights of persons living with, at risk of or affected by HIV and ensure that responses to HIV are sustainable and equitable?

(b) What measures did you take or need to be taken to ensure the protection of human rights in settings, which are transitioning to a more sustainable HIV response, such as in contexts of conflict or disasters?

(c) How can domestic funding be improved to ensure universal and equitable access to HIV services?

(d) What are the key barriers to the promotion, protection and monitoring of human rights in relation to the HIV response? How can they be overcome?

(e) Please indicate innovative approaches and technologies pursued to promote equitable and affordable access to HIV responses.

(f) What measures have been taken to effectively combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination, and address the needs of marginalized populations in a sustainable manner?

(g) What measures did you take or are required for community-led organizations and affected persons to meaningfully contribute to decision-making and participate in the HIV response?

(h) How can HIV responses address intersectional issues, including those experienced by key populations, and women and girls. Please indicate concrete measures taken.

(i) What partnerships, coordination or collaborations have been most effective in ensuring lasting impacts of HIV response strategies? Please provide concrete examples.

(j) What are the top priorities and actionable recommendations in relation to human rights for a sustainable HIV response for your country or institution?

Your contribution will be made public on the OHCHR website, unless otherwise requested.

Input/comments may be sent by e-mail. They must be received by 

Call for input: OHCHR report on sustainable HIV response with regard to the human rights of persons living with, at risk of or affected by HIV

We are pleased to announce the release of a new briefing paper that examines the challenges faced by marginalized communities with intersecting identities in accessing healthcare and social services. Developed through collaboration by SWAN, ECOM, EHRA, and EWNA, this paper explores the experiences of LGBT individuals, people who use drugs (PWUD), sex workers (SW), and people living with HIV (PLHIV) across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA). Drawing on comprehensive research and community feedback, the paper provides insights and practical recommendations to address stigma, discrimination, and structural inequalities impacting these groups.

This briefing paper explores the impact of intersecting identities—such as LGBT, people who use drugs (PWUD), sex workers (SW), and people living with HIV (PLHIV)—on health access, agency, and social justice in the context of structural inequalities and stigma. Using the framework of intersectionality, it examines how overlapping identities shape lived experiences of discrimination, influencing mental and physical health outcomes and access to healthcare services. The paper is based on cross-regional consultations conducted across 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA), including surveys and focus group discussions with 103 individuals with multiple intersecting identities.

The insights gathered aim to deepen understanding of intersectional stigma and discrimination while offering practical recommendations to improve service provision, rights-based programming, and advocacy efforts. By addressing the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of marginalized communities, this paper provides actionable guidance for healthcare providers, advocates, and policymakers to design inclusive interventions that mitigate stigma and promote equitable access to health and social support systems.