Category: News

Today is Zero discrimination day and we would like to draw your attention to top two diseases which kill our HIV positive friends globally, but yet to receive appropriate attention or in a simple plain word, DISCRIMINATED in our AIDS response.

TB and CM combined, causes almost 70% of AIDS-related deaths globally. However, there has been relatively little investment to address painful deaths from these diseases.

To achieve zero AIDS-related deaths by 2030, we demand the governments, donor countries UN agencies and the industry to stop discrimination towards these two diseases NOW and work together to provide 6 essential tools:

1. CD4 tests as a entry point to manage AHD and AIDS care
2. TB lipoarabinomannan (TB LAM) tests  to provide timely TB detection and treatment

3. TB preventive therapy (TPT) to reduce TB sickness and death
4. Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening for cryptococcal meningitis
5. Fluconazole pre-emptive treatment of cryptococcal meningitis
6. Liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB), flucytosine, fluconazole to treat cryptococcal meningitis

WE CAN AND WILL SAVE THOUSANDS OF LIVES BY STOP DISCRIMINATING TB AND CM RIGHT NOW!

About FAC

Fight AIDS Coalition (FAC) is a collaboration of PLHIV groups and civil society organisations around the world to advocate for improved response and investment in prevention, treatment, and care for Advanced HIV Diseases. 

GNP+ is excited to be the new host of the Communications and Consultation Facility (CCF) for the NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB).

The NGO Delegation is one of the oldest manifestations of the GIPA principle. Known as “the backbone of the NGO Delegation”, the mission of the Communication and Consultation Facility (CCF) is to bring forward the perspectives and expertise of people living with, affected by, most at risk of and vulnerable to HIV, as well as civil society, to ensure that UNAIDS is guided by a rights-based, equitable and gender-sensitive approach to guarantee access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for all. 

GNP+ has hosted the Communities Delegation to the Board of Unitaid since 2015 and the Communities Delegation to the Global Fund since 2020. With this announcement, all three of the global community delegations are brought together under one strong coherent and efficient umbrella, providing a unique opportunity to strengthen the HIV community to meet the significant challenges we currently face, including COVID-19.

To fulfill this role, we are recruiting a Communications and Consultation Facility Manager. The CCF Programme Assistant is already in place and continues to support this work.

For more information on criteria and how to apply for the position, click here.

In early February 2022, scientists identified a HIV variant in Europe. Compared to other HIV variants, this variant is both more harmful and more infectious. The good news is that the study also found that HIV treatment is effective against this variant which has been around for years.

According to the researchers “The ‘VB variant’ evolved in the late 80s and 90s in the Netherlands and spread faster than other HIV during the 2000s & has been declining since around 2010. Individuals with VB had similar post-treatment CD4 recovery & similar survival. VB has no drug resistance mutations.” 

As the global networks of people living with HIV, we ask your help to continue to prevent any rise in fear or stigma following this news. The most important message is that treatment works – to improve the health of the person living with HIV and to prevent transmission to others. The U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable) principle applies to this variant as well – so people living with HIV who can stay on treatment have an undetectable viral load and cannot transmit HIV. 

We call on governments and donors to intensify efforts to ensure that everyone has equal access to prevention, testing and treatment for HIV. Do not forget the HIV epidemic and people living with HIV even as we deal with COVID19. 

For more information see a summary and responses to questions by the study team:

https://www.beehive.ox.ac.uk/hiv-lineage/

Tuesday, 25th January 2022 – The Communities Delegation of people living with and affected by HIV, TB, and malaria (Communities Delegation) to the Global Fund Board has the pleasure to announce the appointment of Mr. Javier Hourcade as the Board Member and Mr. Ali Raza Khan as the Alternate Board Member. The constituency confirmed and welcomed the new leadership during its online retreat in December 2021. Javier and Ali will serve a two-year term until January 2024.

Mr. Javier Hourcade Bellocq has an extensive career as a communicator in health rights and HIV advocacy. Since his HIV-positive diagnosis in 1988, he has worked with civil society, key populations, and communities living with HIV, TB, and Viral Hepatitis in Latin America and beyond. From the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), he was involved in creating the Global Fund and has since been engaged in different roles in the partnership. Over the past two decades, he has previously served as Communication Focal Point and Board Member for the Communities Delegation and civil society representative in the LAC delegation. He has also provided technical support to the Fund’s national and regional projects, particularly those led by communities. Back at the Communities Delegation since 2021, he currently leads a community journalism initiative called the LAC Key Correspondent Team and the COVID and HIV platform, based in Peru and Argentina, respectively.

Mr. Ali Raza Khan is a young PLHIV activist from Multan, Pakistan, working for his community since 2015, focused on HIV prevention, SRHR, and peace. Over the past few years, he has worked with numerous local, national & international organisations for the rights of young PLHIVs and KPs. He is currently leading “Hi Voices”, an initiative in Pakistan focusing on young vulnerable key populations and PLHIVs. Ali is a laureate of the HIV HERO Award 2021 by APCOM for his effort and work around HIV and PLHIVs. A new member from the Communities Delegation, at only 29 years old, Ali is the delegation’s first youth member to serve in the leadership and has consistently shown a keen interest to learn and an immense commitment to amplifying the voices of communities at the Global Fund Board.

We want to take the opportunity to express our deepest gratitude and admiration for our outgoing Board Member Erika Castellanos. Erika joined the Communities Delegation in 2015 and has since demonstrated an aptitude and appetite to transform and strengthen the representation of communities at the Board level. Natural from Belize, in Central America, Erika served as Alternate Board Member from 2018 to 2020. In December 2020, she became the first transgender woman to ever serve as a Board Member of the Global Fund. Erika’s integrity and unapologetic and skillful leadership have led the delegation through decisive moments. More recently, it has guaranteed that our constituency had a prominent role in shaping the next Strategy.

We thank Erika immensely for the legacy she leaves as a role model of governance official, and we are delighted to retain her as a member of the delegation’s Advisory Working Group (AWG). Erika continued the outstanding leadership from Ms Maurine Murenga, former Communities Delegation Board Member, from 2018 to 2020, and current member of the AWG as well, whom we want to acknowledge for her equally solid and continued commitment to the Communities Delegation.

We also thank Olivia Ngou, our outgoing Alternate Board Member, for her efforts and time dedicated to the delegation. A long-time malaria champion, Olivia added the voices of malaria activists to our discussions, ensuring that their priorities were also well captured in our positions. Born in Cameroon, she focused on connecting the delegation with francophone communities and strengthening our relationship with francophone partners. As a member of the AWG and co-lead of our Strategy Committee working group, we also thank her for her diligence and support with internal affairs and many valuable contributions throughout the new Strategy development process.

The Communities Delegation is looking ahead to a pivotal year in the Global Fund’s new Strategy development process and we look forward to engaging with you in 2022.

Contact:

Bruna Martinez

Constituency Focal Point, Communities Delegation

bmartinez@gnpplus.net

About the Communities Delegation:

The Communities Delegation of people living with and affected by HIV, TB and malaria (Communities Delegation) is one of three civil society constituencies on the Global Fund Board. It has a unique role in leveraging the lived experiences of HIV, TB and Malaria and bringing a human face to the realities of the three diseases. The Communities Delegation is committed to ensuring human rights and gender equality in programmes, with particular attention to key and vulnerable, marginalised, criminalised and stigmatised populations. The delegation engages with its communities and influences decisions with the ultimate aim of ensuring the best equitable and sustainable access to prevention, treatment, care and support services for the three diseases.

20 January 2022 (Geneva, Switzerland) —  The Communities Delegation of people living with and affected by HIV, TB and malaria and those coinfected with HIV and HCV (Communities Delegation) to the Unitaid Board is delighted to announce the appointments of Ms Maurine Murenga as the Board Member, and Mr César Mufanequiço as the Alternate Board Member. They have both started their two-year terms on 16th December 2021 and will serve until 31st December 2023.

Photo: Maurine Murenga, Board Member

Maurine Murenga is a passionate advocate for the health, development, and human rights of women and girls. With a background in Program Management and Community Development, she is a pioneer amongst the young women and adolescent girls living with HIV movement in Kenya and a fierce advocate towards ending paediatric HIV. Maurine’s passion for advocacy is driven by her lived experience and the inequality and vulnerability that young women and adolescent girls experience in her community. In response to these challenges – she founded the Lean on Me Foundation – an organization that supports access to health services for adolescents, young women, and children living with HIV and affected by TB in Kenya.

Maurine previously served as the Board member of the Communities Delegation on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and was the Alternate Board Member of the Unitaid Communities delegation since February 2021.

Photo: César Mufanequiço, Alternate Board member

César has openly been living with HIV since the early 2000s. He is the founding member and national director of MATRAM, the Mozambican treatment access movement, created in 2004 to advocate for access to treatment for people living with HIV in Mozambique, providing treatment education for community preparedness and demand creation. He is a passionate advocate for peer support and equitable access to treatment, locally and beyond.

Photo: Kenly Sikwese, Outgoing Board member

We would like to take the opportunity to express the Delegation’s gratitude and immense appreciation to out-going Board Member Mr. Kenly Sikwese for his exceptional leadership, enthusiasm, and commitment during his tenure as Board Member of the Communities Delegation from 2018 until 2021.

About Unitaid

Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

Following a two-year consultative process, the Global Fund has launched its new Strategy for 2023-2028, Fighting Pandemics and Building a Healthier and more Equitable World. The Love Alliance welcomes the central role of communities of people living with HIV and key populations in this new Strategy. More than ever, it is key that we build resilient health systems, where strong communities lead, deliver services, are well resourced, and can advocate for their needs. 

The Love Alliance has actively engaged in the process to ensure our priorities of community leadership, human rights, and gender equality are reflected in the Strategy. We participated in the  Global Fund Partnership Forums, submitted four position papers on the Strategy ahead of key Global Fund Board meetings, and co-hosted two webinars with the Global Fund Board Communities delegation. We consistently advocated for the urgent need for direct community funding, a renewed focus on key populations and vulnerable groups, and prioritising health equity, gender equality, and human rights objectives.

What we love about the new Global Fund Strategy 

New aspects of the Strategy will catalyse the Global Fund’s efforts in the HIV response, many of them advocated forby the Love Alliance.

Chief among them is that communities are at the core of all Global Fund work, recognising the vital role communities play in the HIV response. We also welcome the intensified focus on human rights, including leveraging the Global Fund’s diplomatic voice to remove legal and social barriers. We are especially supportive of the Global Fund’s commitment to challenging inequities, human rights, and gender-related barriers to services including stigma, discrimination, and criminalisation of people living with HIV and key populations.

Funding for communities and key populations 

For communities to truly be at the centre of the Global Fund’s work, it requires addressing the funding gap for communities. Less than 2% of HIV funding for 2016 to 2018 went to key populations even though key populations accounted for over half of all new HIV infections.[1]

The Strategy includes a commitment to accelerate the evolution of Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and community-led platforms to strengthen inclusive decision-making, oversight, and evaluation in Global Fund processes. However, current power inequalities within CCMs, where community and key populations representatives often have “a seat at the table, but not a say”, mean that communities and key populations need direct funding to be streamlined for these community members.

The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS[2] commits to increasing the proportion of HIV services delivered by communities.[3] The Love Alliance proposes that a target on direct community funding is clearly mentioned in the M&E framework and in Key Performance Indicators. Strong well-resourced communities build strong health systems, which is key to the Global Fund delivering on this new Strategy. 

“To move the rhetoric of communities at the centre to reality, we need direct community funding, a renewed focus on key populations and vulnerable groups, and ensuring that our health equity, gender equality and human rights objectives are achieved.“

The Global Fund’s role in future pandemics 

The new Global Fund Strategy outlines the evolving objective on Pandemic Preparedness. The Global Fund partnership should actively promote the lessons from the HIV response, notably that strong and resilient health systems, including strong communities, are the foundation of pandemic preparedness. The Global Fund’s founding principles of equity, community leadership, and human rights must be at the core of the Fund’s work on COVID-19 and in strengthening health systems for future pandemics.

Looking ahead 

Now it is crucial that we ensure through our collective actions that the goals and objectives of the new Strategy are delivered upon. To move the rhetoric of communities at the centre to reality, we need direct community funding, a renewed focus on key populations and vulnerable groups, and ensuring that our health equity, gender equality, and human rights objectives are achieved.

Read the strategy here!

1]  PITCH, Bridging the Gaps, Aidsfonds, 2020, Fast-Track or Off-Track: How insufficient funding for key populations jeopardises ending AIDS by 2030.

[2] United Nations General Assembly, 2020. Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to end AIDS by 2030. 

[3] The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS commits to increasing the proportion of HIV services delivered by communities, including by ensuring that by 2025, community-led organisations deliver:

• 30 % of testing and treatment services, with a focus on HIV testing, linkage to treatment, adherence and retention support, and treatment literacy; 
• 80 % of HIV prevention services for populations at high risk of HIV infection, including for women within those populations
• 60 % of programmes to support the achievement of societal enablers

The 21st International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) in Durban, South Africa has come to an end. As a response to the conference, key populations in Africa, those most affected by the policies and funding directed towards the eradication of HIV/AIDS by 2030, have come together on the sidelines of ICASA2021 to draft and sign the Durban Declaration.

Faced with the increasing likelihood that the UNAIDS goal of ‘ending AIDS by 2030‘ is unachievable under the present circumstances, over 100 organisations representing many key populations from across Africa have signed the Durban Declaration. The declaration is a wake-up call to governments, funders, the UN, and private and public foundations that the needs of key populations are not being met, and that donors need to be more accountable, responsive, and flexible in order to adapt to the evolving needs of the communities in Africa.

The GNP+ and Love Alliance proudly signed on to the declaration in solidarity with Africa’s key populations. With that, we ask that Funding for Key Populations be transparent, inclusive, and accountable to addressing barriers to HIV and SRHR service.

Sign the Durban Declaration! 

The GNP+ and Love Alliance invite any organisation that represents key populations in Africa affected by HIV to do the same.

Together, we demand bold action, not empty promises!

Read it & sign here!

On 7 December, the Love Alliance launched its Global Advocacy Strategy for 2022 to 2025 Speak out for Health and Rights during the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA). The Love Alliance is a partnership to build a unifying, strong pan-African movement that promotes access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for people most marginalised and affected by HIV – including sex workers, people who use drugs, LGBTQI+ communities, people living with HIV, including adolescents and young people within these communities.

The launch brought together activists, key population groups, and partners in a hybrid format from Durban, South Africa. The meeting was opened by representatives from UNAIDS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV ( Y+ Global).  

“This year governments all over the world committed to supporting community-led service delivery. We cannot leave out the people who are most affected. The Global AIDS Strategy shows us that we must implement supportive laws and policies that combat stigma, discrimination, and gender-based violence “ said Jolijn van Haaren, Senior Policy Advisor on HIV/AIDS of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

Challenges facing key populations 

The first panel, moderated by Sbongile Nkosi, co-Executive Director of the Global Network of People living with HIV, addressed the shrinking civic space and the need to invest in societal enablers, including political leadership, partnerships, advocacy, community ownership in repealing punitive laws and policies and addressing gender inequality and ending gender-based violence and violence towards key populations.

Data presented by Sharonann Lynch and Juliette McHardy, from Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, showed that every country where the Love Alliance is active partially or fully criminalises at least one key population group. Progress is also slow in adopting laws and policies that protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV status. 

In addition to addressing human rights violations, funding communities was another key priority discussed.

Looking to the future: investing in communities and rights 

The second panel examined how investments to realise global commitments for HIV and SRHR can be scaled up by promoting community-led health and rights interventions.

The Love Alliance supports and strengthens key population movements to build and organise. This is particularly done by increasing the presence and visibility of young key populations and building the capacity of key population networks at national and regional levels to hold governments and partners to account.

Our networks and partners work to address human rights, gender equality, violence, criminalisation, stigma and discrimination, resource community-led interventions and realise the objectives of global commitments on HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Watch video recording of the Love Alliance hybrid side event 

Love Alliance is committed to protecting, promoting, and fulfilling SRHR globally. Our five-year programme aims to achieve a significant reduction in HIV incidence by influencing policies, organising communities, and raising awareness on rights and health in Morocco, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa. The Love Alliance occupies a critical space in promoting SRHR by unifying marginalized populations in a strong pan-African activist movement, led by young people, and bringing local voices to a global audience to influence decisions that affect their rights, health, and lives.

Love Alliance’s Global Advocacy Strategy focuses on supporting and strengthening key population movements to build and organise, particularly by increasing the presence and visibility of young key populations through partnerships, and building the capacity of key population networks at national and regional levels to push governments and partners to take action to address human rights, gender equality, violence, criminalisation, stigma and discrimination; resource community-led interventions; and realise the objectives of global policies and strategic commitments on HIV, SRHR and UHC.

By working directly and consistently towards the 10-10-10 targets, Love Alliance’s advocacy will advance human rights and gender equality to ensure that key populations and people living with HIV enjoy their freedoms, agency, and access to health.

The community 30-80-60 targets adopted by member states in the Global AIDS strategy and 2021 HLM Political Declaration – that by 2025, communities will deliver 30% of testing and treatment services, 80% of HIV prevention services, and 60% of programmes supporting the achievement of societal enablers – empower Love Alliance to mobilise partners, key population organisations and networks of people living with HIV to push for investments in community-led interventions in global funding mechanisms like PEPFAR, Global Fund, and UHC, as well as the actual operationalisation of these targets at country level.

The global advocacy strategy is available for download in [English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian] here.

From 6-10 December, the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) takes place in Durban, South Africa. On the second day, 7 December, the Love Alliance organises the side event ‘Speak out for health and human rights!’. During this event, we will usher in the Love Alliance Global Advocacy strategy 2022-2025, which focuses on supporting and strengthening key population movements to push for accountability and action.

The next five years are critical for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals and particularly the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Civil Society and communities of people living with, affected by, and at risk of HIV have a huge role to play in the realization of this global commitment.

Community solidarity is needed now more than ever to influence decisions, engage in implementation and hold governments and partners accountable to the provision of universal health coverage and advancement of human rights for all.

The Love Alliance’s global advocacy strategy focus is on supporting and strengthening key population movements to build and organise, particularly by increasing the presence and visibility of young key populations through partnerships and building the capacity of key population networks at national and regional levels to push governments and partners to take action. This is to address human rights, gender equality, violence, criminalisation, stigma and discrimination; resource community-led interventions; and realise the objectives of global commitments on HIV, SRHR and UHC.

Join the Love Alliance and its partners as we usher in the Love Alliance Global Advocacy strategy 2022-2025!

Will you join ICASA online? Make sure to join our side event virtually! Register here.

Will you be present at ICASA 2021 in Durban? Make sure to join our side event in person! Register here. Please note that the space is limited and registration is mandatory for in-person attendance.

More Love Alliance partners participation at ICASA

GNP+ participation at ICASA

By Cedric Nininahazwe, Florence Anam, Omar Syarif, & Alexandra Volgina, GNP+ Programme Managers

1 December 2021

Harmful laws that lead to discrimination, stigma and violence are still hindering global efforts to end AIDS. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, with clear commitments that include creating an enabling legal environment by reviewing and reforming restrictive legal and policy frameworks, discriminatory laws and practices that create barriers or reinforce stigma and discrimination.^[1] Although similar commitments were made in the 2016 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, evidence to date shows slow progress and little concrete action by countries, including those with the highest HIV burden. As we commemorate World AIDS Day, GNP+ calls on all stakeholders to redouble efforts to change the harmful legal environments that restrict the rights and undermine the dignity of people living with or most affected by HIV.

Outdated and non-evidence-based legislation now constitutes one of the main challenges to an effective AIDS response. Most of the countries that criminalized HIV transmission in the 1980s and 90s did so as an emergency response mechanism to the HIV pandemic threat, without scientific data to rightly inform their legislation. However, despite decades of progress and multiple advances in HIV research and responses, many of these laws have not been changed and remain in force. A recent global overview compiled by the HIV Justice Network (2019) finds that 72 countries have laws that specifically allow for HIV criminalization, either because the law is HIV-specific, or because HIV is specified as a disease covered by the law.^[2] Ironically just two years later, most of these countries have also adopted the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, suggesting that such commitments are merely a ritual rather than a reality, something to be signed and then forgotten until the next round. When will this stop? 

“Since the beginning, people living with HIV and their families have faced daunting levels of stigma and discrimination due to their perceived or actual HIV status. Many have lost their homes, families, sources of income, their dignity and even their lives as a result. It is hard to believe that 40 years after the start of the AIDS epidemic, we are still fighting for the legal and structural environment that would enable us all to access HIV prevention and treatment without fear or blame.” – Florence Anam, GNP+

The available data support the fact that laws criminalizing HIV transmission and key population communities are counterproductive and hinder all other efforts in the global AIDS response. A systematic review and analysis of sex work laws and sex workers’ health in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, shows that HIV prevalence among sex workers was 39% in countries that criminalized sex work compared with 12% in countries where sex work was partially legalized.^[3]

In fact, the legal environment leads to multiple and overlapping experiences of stigma, discrimination and violence for key populations and people living with HIV, making it harder for them to access HIV and SRH services. Recent research shows that countries without criminalized legal environments have achieved better health outcomes in terms of viral load suppression and HIV status knowledge.^[4]

“Without joint and robust action towards decriminalization of HIV transmission and key populations, all of the efforts to end AIDS by 2030 will be useless.” – Alexandra Volgina, GNP+

The Global AIDS Strategy’s 10-10-10 targets on societal enablers call for member states to end all inequalities faced by people living with HIV, key populations, and other priority populations by 2025, by reducing to 10% or less the proportion of  women, girls, people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV who experience gender-based inequalities and sexual and gender-based violence;  countries with restrictive legal and policy frameworks that lead to the denial or limitation of access to services; and people experiencing stigma and discrimination.

This World AIDS Day, GNP+ urges governments, policymakers, civil society and donors to take collective action to challenge the criminalization of HIV transmission and key populations on the basis of sound scientific data. To achieve this, GNP+ specifically calls for the following:

• Government and policymakers to decriminalize HIV transmission and key populations, and to expand the civic space for communities to speak up for their rights
• Communities and civil society to work in solidarity to challenge criminalization of HIV transmission and key populations and to hold governments accountable for their commitments to create enabling legal environments 
• Donors to fund communities to engage in monitoring and accountability mechanisms to improve service delivery and accelerate policy change and implementation.

^[1] General Assembly resolution 75/284/, Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030, A/RES/75/284 (9 June 2021), available from undocs.org/A/RES/75/284.

^[2] HIV Justice Network (2019) Advancing HIV Justice 3, available at https://www.hivjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/AHJ3-Full-Report-English-Final.pdf (accessed 24 November 2021).

^[3] Platt L, Grenfell P, Meiksin R, Elmes J, Sherman S, Sanders T et al. (2018) ‘Associations between sex work laws and sex workers’ health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies’, PLoS Med. 15:e1002680.

^[4] Kavanagh, M, Agbla, S, Joy, M, Aneja, K, Pillinger, M, Case, A, Erondu, N, Erkkola, T, & Graeden, E (2021) ‘Law, criminalisation and HIV in the world: have countries that criminalise achieved more or less successful pandemic response?’ BMJ Global Health, 6(8), e006315.

All too often, we do not hear from those people who matter most. They are being criminalised, discriminated against, and pushed aside, because of who they are or what they do.

Therefore, on World Aids Day (1 December) and at ICASA -the International Conference for AIDS & STIs in Africa (6-11 Dec)-, we are giving voice to those people who need to be heard -from communities most at risk of HIV to changemakers wanting to make a change. After all, these communities, more than anyone else, know what works best for them. They should be given the space to make the change that they want to see. As the Love Alliance, we gathered love letters from communities all over the world. With the message ‘what love means to me…’, communities describe the world that they want to see and what politicians and funders should do to make that happen.

We are delighted that our partner and the funder of the Love Alliance, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also contributed by letting us know what love means to them. Check out the video of Pascalle Grotenhuis, Director Social Development and Ambassador for women’s rights and gender equality. We look forward to seeing that their example is followed by other policymakers and funders to end AIDS globally.

So why now? All UN member states agreed to end AIDS and the HIV pandemic by 2030. We must continue to combat HIV. We can do that by investing in equal access to HIV prevention and treatment for everyone, and by getting rid of discriminatory laws that exclude people. It is time to end inequalities to end AIDS by 2030.

What does love mean to you? Share what love means to you and use the hashtag #LoveAlliance and share your message!

Share what love means to you in max 3 sentences on social media and use the hashtag #LoveAlliance. You can do this by posting a short video of yourself, starting by saying ‘what love means to me…’ or by writing a short message, also starting with ‘what love means to me…’.

Join us on this journey working towards health and human rights for all! #LoveAlliance

Following the announcement of the decision by President Biden to host the 7^th Global Fund Replenishment conference in the United States; The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), The Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP), The Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights (MPact), The Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) and The International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD) urge the Global Fund and all stakeholders and partners to ensure the 7th Global Fund Replenishment cycle sustains a focus on the aspiration, and commit to action to keep communities at the centre.

The Global Fund Replenishment Conference brings together leaders from governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria. Communities have always played a central role in advocating for resources for the Global Fund’s Replenishments and domestic financing.

We are concerned that the decision to host the Global Fund Replenishment Conference in the United States will compromise meaningful community participation and engagement. The legal travel restrictions in the United States have historically been a barrier for key populations such as sex workers, people who use drugs and people who have been formerly arrested, people from several Muslim countries and many Global South advocates to enter the country. The United States’ travel bans, and immigration policies have excluded, challenged, and limited the engagement and participation from members of these communities in high-level global events. 

Only by consistently promoting meaningful involvement of People Living with HIV and Key Populations throughout all key decision-making processes, will the Global Fund ensure that its new strategy works to address health inequities, gender inequalities and human rights barriers, such as the criminalization of key populations and legal barriers that continue hindering the fight against HIV, TB, and malaria.

Funding the HIV, TB, and malaria Responses:

We call on all donors and countries to remain committed to financing the HIV, TB, and malaria responses by fully funding the Global Fund and financing communities in the HIV, TB, and malaria responses. As outlined in the 2020 Global Fund Results Report, progress in the HIV, TB and malaria response is reversing for the first time. We call on donors to step up and help get back on track to ensure the needs of key populations and people living with HIV, TB and malaria are met.

Funding Communities and Key Populations: 

The Global Fund must prioritise funding for communities and community-led interventions by creating a direct funding stream for key populations. Strong community systems are the foundation of health systems, and these must be adequately resourced. The availability of a direct funding stream for key populations is particularly vital in countries where people are criminalised. We call on the Global Fund and all donors to prioritise people living with and affected by HIV, TB and malaria and key populations and relatedly community systems strengthening.

The new Strategy marks an opportunity for the Global Fund to finance community-led organisations, including key population-led organisations, to play our rightful role at the centre of the HIV, TB, and malaria responses. Covid-19 has once again proven that community-led organisations are the first to rapidly adapt and respond to the needs of people. Directly resourcing community-led organisations is the most value-for-money investment that the funds raised at the 7th Replenishment can make.

By Florence Anam, Love Alliance Programme Manager

19 November 2021

It’s World Children’s Day! Should we be celebrating?

World Children’s Day is celebrated annually on 20 November to commemorate the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly on that date in 1959. The theme this year is ‘Investing in our future means investing in our children’. 

But when it comes to HIV, children worldwide have little to celebrate. Despite all the progress made in both prevention and treatment, children continue to be affected disproportionately by HIV. In 2020 alone, 350,000 children acquired HIV and 210,000 died of AIDS-related illnesses.

Significant gaps persist globally in the testing of infants and children exposed to HIV. In 2020, approximately 800,000 children aged 0-14 years living with HIV were not on antiretroviral treatment – a significant drop from 2019. Only 40% of children living with HIV and on treatment had suppressed viral loads, compared to 67% of adults. 

Investing in our future means that children exposed to and living with HIV must have access to timely diagnosis and effective, child-friendly, and age-appropriate treatment and care in order to improve their health and save lives. It means that mothers and caregivers have the information, tools and support they need to protect their children. It means there are adequate human resources for health to ensure that service delivery addresses the needs of the communities, with access to treatment, prevention and testing tools for all who may need them. It also means that the rights of children and their caregivers are respected in an environment with progressive laws that reduce inequalities, address stigma, discrimination, criminalization, and violence. 

Living up to global commitments

In the last two years, huge scientific and policy progress has been realized at the global level thanks to intensified advocacy and collaborative action from global health actors, communities, and civil society organizations. 

The Global AIDS Strategy and the UN Political Declaration both adopted by member states commit to eliminating vertical transmission of HIV and ending paediatric AIDS by 2025, as well as to the 95-95-95 targets for testing: 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status; 95% of people who know their status are on treatment; and 95% of people on treatment have a suppressed viral load.

These political advances coincide with big steps forward in pediatric HIV treatment. New World Health Organization (WHO) treatment guidelines recommend Dolutegravir (DTG)-based HIV treatment for all children, with dosing recommendations for infants and children over four weeks of age and more than 3 kg. The guidelines also make progressive recommendations for Point of Care testing for early infant diagnosis and viral load monitoring. Pediatric DTG (pDTG) does not require special storage, is taken once a day, dissolves in liquid and tastes like strawberries. Not only is this treatment great for the babies, but also much easier for parents and caregivers to administer. 

However, experience has shown that we must go beyond biomedical interventions in order to end inequalities and make accessible these cutting-edge prevention and treatment options for children most affected by HIV. 

Our call to action

• Invest in treatment literacy: Many parents and caregivers still do not have access to clear, accurate information about HIV testing and treatment options for infants and children. Effective adherence depends on good understanding of treatment benefits and side effects, and the chance to ask questions about any concerns. It is vital to support parents and caregivers with the information and tools they need to be able to meet their children’s HIV prevention and treatment needs.
• Invest in protecting the rights of families affected by HIV: A hostile legal or social environment presents many barriers to accessing services, drives inequalities and promotes exclusion. Addressing stigma, discrimination and unfavorable laws requires resources, concerted action, and effective enforcement.
• Invest in community-led services and support structures: Communities know best what they need, and are best placed to create safe and trusted spaces for service provision and follow-up.

Investing in communities is the best way to ensure that children living with HIV not only survive but thrive – and that is something worth celebrating!

Beyond LIVING partnership of the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) and the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Global) in partnership with Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) are launching the Resilience+ video diaries – a collection of stories of resilience among people living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resilience+ is a research and advocacy initiative led by BSMS and Beyond LIVING, working with national civil society organisations in the UK, Zimbabwe, Philippines, Argentina, and Trinidad. Additional support is provided by the UKRI Higher Education Innovation Fund.

There are three specific objectives of Resilience+:

1. To explore the coping mechanisms and resilience of people living with HIV during the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. To define the ‘umbrella of resilience’ among people living with HIV by exploring their psychological, social and community sources of strength and agency.
3. To co-produce a video on the resilience of people living with HIV during Covid-19, which will aim to spread hope and re-imagine pandemic responses.

We are currently collecting stories from the UK, Zimbabwe, Philippines, Argentina and Trinidad to capture different pandemic, cultural and policy contexts. 

Find out more about Resilience+ here

Join the resilience+ watch parties in your region and in five launguages (Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Russian). Find details on our social media platforms:

• Facebook – @GNPplus
• Twitter – @gnpplus
• Instagram – @gnpplus

Watch our video below to find out more about Resilience+.

It is with great joy to announce that Cedric Nininahazwe has joined GNP+ as the Love Alliance Global Advocacy Manager based in our Amsterdam office.  

Cedric has worked with several key population and community organizations for the last 15 years with increasing responsibility and authority in each of his roles; he is joining GNP+ from Y+ Global, where he has served as the Director of Programmes, Management and Governance since 2016. Cedric brings a wealth of knowledge about advocating for change, working with communities, and holding decision-makers accountable. 

‘’My advocacy experience started 15 years ago when I joined the Burundian network of young people living with HIV; throughout the journey, my passion for serving others has continued to grow along with my experience of influencing change.’’

Cedric is a lawyer by profession and has over the years built his career as a human rights activist, especially for young people, access to HIV and SRHR services, and education.

‘’My law degree has always been my intellectual weapon and source of knowledge to achieve the best of myself in human rights activism and building capacity of my fellow young leaders, I am excited to join GNP+ and the love alliance partnership, this is another opportunity for me to serve my community.’’ 

We are excited to have Cedric Nininahazwe on board; we believe his experience will be an added value as we invest in addressing structural barriers to SRHR, gender inequality, decriminalisation, financing for key populations, increased access to healthcare, and justice of people living with HIV and key population communities in all their diversity.  

We are profoundly saddened to learn of the death of former GNP+ Board and staff member Rick Stephen. Rick was a powerful HIV activist and long-term survivor, playing a key role in the HIV movement from the early days in the National Association of People Living with HIV in South Africa (NAPWA) to his coordinating efforts in several international AIDS conferences.

His activism and pragmatism were evident at the Durban 2000 International AIDS Conference ‘Breaking the Silence’, where as well as protesting against the denialism of the South African government he organised the collection of donated HIV medicines from all over the world for distribution to people living with HIV in South Africa. Rick also managed the very successful lounge for people living with HIV at AIDS2000.

Always practical and a ‘doer’, in 2003 he coordinated the 11^th International conference for people living with HIV and AIDS in Kampala, Uganda.

During and after Rick’s time as a Board member in the late 1990s, he worked with GNP+ on many initiatives and especially helped guide and support new leadership and board members with his wealth of expertise, calm approach and wise advice. Rick continued to work in the sector, was a mentor and inspiration to many, always seeking to improve services and stand up to HIV stigma. Most recently, Rick was employed at the Foundation for Professional Development as an Operations Manager for their Adherence Programme. Lifelong and loyal friend to many activists, Rick knew how to enjoy life, did not take things too seriously but at the same time did not suffer fools gladly. Two people who worked alongside Rick during his time at GNP+ remember him fondly:

Stu Flavell: “I’m so grateful for Rick’s friendship and his work on behalf of HIV-positive people at GNP+. Rick was a lion and the quality of life of HIV-positive people far and wide was indeed improved by his service.”

Shaun Mellors: “He was Rick… quiet, focused, just getting on with things. No need for limelight, recognition or presence… just Rick. He made an enormous contribution to the HIV response in South Africa and globally. May it be remembered and celebrated.”

Having lost many friends and loved ones through the devastating period of HIV denialism and lack of treatment access in South Africa in the 1990s, Rick overcame many health challenges himself as well as living with HIV for more than 30 years. He sadly lost his battle to COVID on 2 August. Our heartfelt condolences to his husband Andrew Hammond, family, friends and loved ones. Rest in power, dear Rick.

28 July 2021: World Hepatitis Day takes place every year on 28 July, to raise awareness of the silent epidemic that is viral hepatitis.  

This year’s theme is ‘Hepatitis Can’t Wait’ – marginalized populations, including children, people who inject drugs, indigenous peoples, and people living with HIV can’t wait for late diagnosis for viral hepatitis, we need to act now and protect those hardest hit from viral hepatitis, especially hepatitis D which is preventable.

Chronic hepatitis B and C are life-threatening infectious diseases that cause severe liver damage, cancer, and premature death. And, more than 300 million people are living with the hepatitis B or C virus. In the past few years, we have seen changes in global responses to viral hepatitis infections, especially Hepatitis B and C infections. However, the framework has failed to provide an adequate environment to address global hepatitis D infection.

According to WHO, Hepatitis D affects nearly 5% of people with chronic infection of the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B and D virus co-infection is considered the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis due to more rapid progression towards liver-related death.  

However, we have seen very little attention given to Hepatitis D as public health threat despite its close link to hepatitis B infection, where it causes 1 out of 5 cases of liver disease and liver cancer among people infected with Hepatitis D. 

We have also seen minimal information available to allow for robust strategy development to respond to this threat. WHO’s 2022 – 2030 Strategy Development on HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs has not articulated this need into concrete strategies and actions. At the same time, we have seen very little investment given to improve technologies in diagnosing and treating Hepatitis D.  

‘I was diagnosed accidentally in Russia – there is no routine testing for Hepatitis D, even in areas where we know it exists (as it was in my city Saint-Petersburg), and there is no cure for it either, says Sasha Volgina, Programme Manager at GNP+.   

‘Traditionally it is treated with pegylated interferons alpha – with severe side effects and a low success rate. Most people living with hepatitis D will need to undergo liver transplantation as rescue therapy to be cured. However, this treatment is not available for people living with HIV in countries where stigma and discrimination are high.’ 

‘In Russia or other countries of post-Soviet Union, there were zero liver transplantations done for HIV positive people, says Volgina. 

‘A Year ago, GNP+ and partners (UNAIDS, HIV Legal Network, and others) helped a man living with HIV from Russia to prove he cannot receive a liver transplant in Moscow because of his HIV status and needed to get asylum in Germany to receive treatment. Together with partners, we managed to get him asylum, and he’s now in hospital waiting for a liver transplant – however, he is the exception.’ 

We call on WHO to seize the opportunity during its new strategy development to raise awareness and mobilize commitment from global health stakeholders, including governments, donor countries, and pharmaceutical companies, to ensure hepatitis D response is well placed in the new strategy, primarily to address the following immediate needs:

• Enhanced hepatitis B testing to include hepatitis D diagnoses
• Better access to hepatitis B immunization for people living with HIV as a means of prevention
• Treatment education program for people living with HIV and affected communities
• Robust R&D framework on hepatitis D testing and treatment
• Increased funding for harm reduction program globally

END.

Joint Press Release

Global Networks of People Living with HIV: ‘Call to Prioritize People Living with HIV for the COVID Vaccine.’

Cape Town, South Africa: The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW), and the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Global) are deeply concerned by the findings from a World Health Organization (WHO) report indicating that HIV infection is a significant independent risk factor for both severe and critical COVID-19 presentation at hospital admission and in-hospital mortality. 

The report released at the 11th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2021) found that the risk of developing severe or fatal COVID-19 was 30% greater for people living with HIV compared to people without HIV infection. 

These findings are gravely concerning and further prove the urgent need to prioritise people living with HIV as they are a high-risk population. “Last year at the beginning of COVID-19, we heard from networks of people living with HIV who were worried about having to deal with double pandemics and what this means for their health, as already some countries had to deal with ARV stock-outs exacerbated by lockdown regulations and redirecting of funds for HIV”, says Sbongile Nkosi, Co-Executive Director at GNP+. 

Globally there are an estimated 38 million people living with HIV, of which 25.7 million are from Africa. However, data shows that less than 3% of people on the continent have received a single dose of the vaccine and less than 1.5% have received both doses. The disadvantaged access to vaccines is mainly driven by the vaccines hoarding done by the  richer countries in the bid to protect the profits of their pharmaceutical corporations instead of saving lives.

“We have seen the disparities in our communities for people living with HIV, especially for people from key populations. In Eastern Europe we have had some of the highest death rates per capita and these losses in our communities are staggering. We need to prioritize people living with HIV for the vaccine”, says Olena Stryzhak, Global Chair at ICW.

The report indicates that only 40 out of 100 countries have people living with HIV on their priority list for vaccines leaving many people who need the vaccine out of its reach. We applaud the countries and governments that have rightfully prioritized people living with HIV for the vaccine and we call upon governments, especially those with a higher burden of HIV, to add people living with HIV on the priority list.The HIV community is on the road to lose all progress achieved toward ending AIDS. We cannot afford to lose lives of people at the political injustice that re-affirms the already existing inequalities.

We are also hearing deeply concerning anecdotal evidence of people living with HIV hiding their HIV status to qualify for a vaccine as a number are being rejected access as brought to our attention in a robust discussion by our Life Force who led our Beyond LIVING process. 

As we internalize this news, we at the global networks of people living with HIV will be working with our peers at country level to create awareness and support vaccine uptake by people living with HIV, and continue to document and put attention to the challenges that we experience in accessing this very important intervention that could save millions of lives. 

Like the People’s Vaccine movement, Y+ Global, ICW and GNP+ call upon all governments and pharmaceutical companies to equitably share vaccine doses, support the TRIPS waiver at the WTO, invest in developing countries’ manufacturing capacity, and share the technology.

END.

Note to Editors:

The following people are available for interviews:

• GNP+ – Sbongile Nkosi
• Y+ Global – Tinashe Rufurwadzo
• ICW – Jessica Whitbread 

Please contact Lesego Tlhwale: ltlhwale@gnpplus.net to organise an interview.

The role of civil society in realising the objectives of the 2021 Political Declaration 

UN member states gathered on 8–11 June 2021 for the 2021 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV and AIDS. The most important outcome of the HLM, the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030, was adopted during the HLM by most UN Members States. Now available is an Advocacy Brief, produced by the Multi-Stakeholder Task Force to assist Civil Society Organisations to keep governments and stakeholders accountable for the outcomes of the HLM.

Introducing the Multi-Stakeholder Task Force and the Love Alliance

This follows an engaging period in which, through the leadership of the Multi-Stakeholder Task Force (MSTF), Community and Civil Society Organisations effectively engaged in the preparation of the HLM and contributed to the development of the Political Declaration.

GNP+ and Aidsfonds were selected by UNAIDS as the NGO co-conveners of MSTF and coordinated the participation of Community and Civil Society Organisations in this process. The partnership that supported this engagement is the Love Alliance. The Love Alliance, a new five-year programme (2021-2025) funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is based on an unwavering commitment to protecting, promoting and fulfilling sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally, unifying people who use drugs, sex workers and LGBTIQ+ movements, and amplifying the diversity of voices in these communities.

One of the key advocacy priorities for the Love Alliance is to influence key global strategy and planning processes, like the UNAIDS strategy development process and by extension the HLM process, the Global Fund strategy development process, and Generation Equality among others in order for the community voices to be well presented in the outcomes.

Key highlights and documents of the HLM

Some of the key highlights of the HLM experience include supporting MSTF engagement with UNAIDS and the office of the president of the UN General Assembly to prepare and execute a successful Multi-Stakeholder Hearing on 23rd of April, as well as the High-Level Meeting itself. Additionally, the team developed a community HLM engagement guide, coordinated a 3-part webinar series in 6 languages to support community engagement in the process, and supported the development of the Civil Society Declaration for the 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, with more than 800 signatories. And now there is also the Advocacy Brief.

The work has just begun!

The HLM process may have come to an end and the Political Declaration adopted, but for many of us, the work has just begun! Civil Society has a multitude of roles to play, from implementation to advocacy and accountability, as well as taking corrective action if governments fall short of their commitments. We must begin to develop and align advocacy strategies in our countries and communities, in order to make a difference and end AIDS by 2030.

Keeping governments and stakeholders accountable

In closing out the 2021 HLM engagement program, the Love Alliance is excited that the MSTF worked together to develop the Advocacy Brief. The document has been developed to guide communities and Civil Society on how to engage in accountability processes aimed at keeping governments and stakeholders accountable to the commitments outlined in the PD. Onwards!