Category: News

It is with profound sadness that GNP+ learns of the untimely passing of Manuel da Quinta – a tireless champion of the rights of all people living with HIV and a strong ally of the global movement. In more than two decades at UNAIDS, and previously as a community activist, Manuel consistently strove to dismantle injustice while amplifying the voices of those most affected by it. His enormous energy, creativity and humour contributed immeasurably to a range of GNP+ initiatives, including the PLHIV Stigma Index, the LIVING partnership and our work around Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention.

Julian Hows (GNP+ 2010-2017 and now at HIV Justice Network) remembers: “Manuel understood, championed and fought for the rights of people living with HIV, the LGBTQ community and for humanity. Always approachable, always going the ‘extra’ mile and always smiling whatever the adversity. I join many others in his global family as we mourn his passing and remember the difference he made to the lives of all those he touched.”

Farewell to a dear comrade who will be hugely missed. We mourn, we remember and we celebrate Manuel’s life of service.

The Multi-Stakeholder Task Force welcomes the adoption today by the United Nations General Assembly of the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS.

Four decades after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the first known cases of HIV/AIDS in its historic report of June 5 1981, the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS represents a transformational moment in the global AIDS response. Communities and civil society voices calling to get back on track to end AIDS by 2030 through supporting a fully funded, human rights- and evidence-based response have been heard by the global community.

We affirm the progress represented by the Political Declaration, even as we are disappointed by some critical omissions and weaknesses. We pledge our action and vigilance to ensure that these are addressed as the work of moving towards an AIDS-free world continues.

Unsurprisingly, the process leading to this week’s High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS and the new Political Declaration has exposed once again the conflicting views of UN member states on equality, human rights and the inclusion of key populations – sex workers, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, and people in prison and other closed settings – along with women and girls, and youth. It has also exposed conflicts over intellectual property barriers to lifesaving medicines. 

At this High-Level Meeting, however, for the first time in UN history, such a resolution was adopted by voting, at the request of the Russian Federation, which broke the consensus on issues related to human rights, harm reduction and law reform. Of all the votes cast, 165 member states voted for and four against, i.e. the Russian Federation, Belarus, Nicaragua and the Syrian Arab Republic. In so doing, they have deliberately undermined the global consensus on the approach needed to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.  

Reaching consensus was a painful process which will cost lives as humane and scientifically proven interventions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), comprehensive sexuality education, harm reduction, sexual orientation and gender identity, community leadership, decriminalisation and repealing punitive laws, as well as TRIPS waivers to make essential medical technologies and innovations more equitable available, were aggressively opposed by some member states. Most of these crucial areas were either diluted to a point where commitments become toothless, or completely removed from the text during negotiations over the Political Declaration.

No fewer than 73 concessions were made to Russia during negotiations to build a consensus document. Russia’s refusal to accept the painstakingly negotiated consensus and its decision today to force a vote on the Political Declaration represents an attempt to undermine the outcome of the High-Level Meeting on AIDS and an evidence- and rights-based global AIDS response.

Nevertheless, there is much to welcome in the Political Declaration. We are glad that key populations are at least named within it, despite the opposition of some member states that led to watered-down wording allowing countries to define which populations are at the centre of their response. Key populations have been at the heart of community-led responses to HIV for 40 years. Their continued leadership, along with the leadership of other vulnerable populations – women, adolescents and young people, Indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities – is essential and deserves greater recognition. We are concerned that by invoking national legislation, the Political Declaration may enable member states to ignore relevant global and national data when defining key and vulnerable populations for their own countries, and it gives them too much leeway to avoid reforming punitive legislation that holds back an effective HIV response.

Despite these losses and other limitations related to national sovereignty clauses, the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS adopted today by UN member states broadly aligns with the priorities of the new Global AIDS Strategy and highlights the urgent need to address the structural barriers of discrimination, gender inequality, criminalisation, underfunding and exclusion of people living with HIV, key populations and other priority populations vulnerable to HIV, including migrants and people in conflict zones and humanitarian settings.

For the first time ever, transformative and measurable targets on programmes that can make the end of AIDS a reality are part of the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS adopted by the UN General Assembly.

One of the most important wins is the inclusion of the 10-10-10 targets on societal enablers, calling for member states to end all inequalities faced by people living with HIV, key 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;
• people experiencing stigma and discrimination.

Equally critical is the commitment to support community leadership and ensure that an increased proportion of HIV services are community-led, particularly testing and treatment services, key population HIV prevention programmes, and programmes to support the achievement of societal enablers.

Another transformative win is the prioritisation of combination HIV prevention interventions that meet the diverse needs of key and priority populations, including condom promotion and distribution, pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, voluntary male medical circumcision, harm reduction, sexual and reproductive health-care services, and enabling legal and policy environments.

Particularly welcome also are the commitments to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV and end pediatric AIDS by 2025, as well as to the 95-95-95 targets for testing: 95% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status; 95% of people who know their status on treatment; and 95% of people on treatment having a suppressed viral load.

Because none of these commitments means much without financing, the Multi-Stakeholder Task Force welcomes the commitment to fully fund the AIDS response, notably by enhancing global solidarity to meet the target of 0.7% of gross national income as development aid, and increasing annual HIV investments in low- and middle-income countries to US$29 billion by 2025.

We commend H.E. Mr. Mitchell Fifield, Permanent Representative of Australia, and H.E. Mr. Neville Gertze, Permanent Representative of Namibia, for their work as co-facilitators of the High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS in 2021.

Governments, donors, technical partners, the private sector and communities and civil society must now align efforts – and translate global commitments into local action. We must focus our work on the transformative elements of the Global AIDS Strategy endorsed by UN member states: strong political leadership, adequate funding, including for community-led responses, human rights-based and multisectoral approaches, and the use of scientific evidence to guide HIV responses and strategies.

These efforts will include work on issues that the Political Declaration does not address adequately, or at all – because it is on these issues too that the HIV response will stand or fall. Community-led responses – by key populations, women, adolescents and young people, and all other vulnerable communities – will continue to be at the heart of the struggle to end AIDS by 2030. We will argue for the reform of laws that criminalize and punish key populations. We will advocate for fully funded, community-led harm reduction programmes. We will push for the rights and needs of Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and migrants to be properly addressed. We will advocate for comprehensive sexuality education that enables adolescents and young people to live fulfilling lives, and sexual and reproductive health services for them and for adults. We will campaign for the proper recognition of sexual orientation and gender identity. And we will push for TRIPS flexibilities that will make medicines and technologies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease available, accessible and affordable to all.

The annual review of progress in delivering on the Political Declaration – and the 2026 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS itself – are important mechanisms for communities, civil society and parliaments to hold our governments to account. We must keep track of progress on the 2025 targets and the other commitments made in the new Political Declaration, and course-correct rapidly when gaps or challenges emerge.

The stakes are high: in four decades, the epidemic has cost the world over 75 million HIV infections and 32 million lives lost. The task of accountability is ours to realise! It is one we intend to fulfill, empowered by the resilience, experience, and expertise of the communities most directly affected by HIV, and knowing that the 2021 Political Declaration puts the world on the path towards the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

There is a crisis in the HIV response. Over the last five years, the world has failed to meet any of the targets for prevention, diagnosis and treatment set out in the 2016 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, with progress on HIV prevention lagging particularly far behind. The 2021 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS – and the Political Declaration that results from it – is the last chance to create sustained momentum for the policies, programmes and funding that are needed to end HIV as a global health threat by 2030.

Now more than ever, evidence-based responses and renewed political will are called for –especially in face of the additional burdens imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to focus efforts and resources where they are most needed, we call for a Political Declaration that:

RECOGNIZES explicitly who is most at risk of HIV ACKNOWLEDGES why this is so
COMMITS to fully fund and support effective responses HOLDS ACCOUNTABLE Member States for their actions

Together we can END INEQUALITIES, END AIDS if we ACT NOW!

The UN General Assembly 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (HLM2021AIDS) is here! In the coming week, starting 7 June, there will be many events addressing the needs for community leadership and human rights- and evidence-based combination prevention, treatment and care. This page will inform you how to get involved and join the civil society #WeAreHLM movement. 

• Click here to register for the High-Level meeting
• Click here to explore the events
• Click here to visit the official UNAIDS page

800+ civil society organisations and leaders endorsed the CS Declaration Statement

More than 800 civil society organisations and leaders endorsed the Civil Society Declaration for the United Nations General Assembly 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. Together we can END INEQUALITIES, END AIDS if we ACT NOW!

Join the #WeAreHLM movement on social media 

Become part of a global civil society movement that advocates for sound and united global leadership that is fully committed to addressing the HIV epidemic as well as other existing and new epidemics in a way that brings the world together and ends inequalities. Access the social media toolkit with content that you can easily share on your social channels during the High-Level Meeting, and join the movement by using the hashtags #WeAreHLM and #PressureOn. 

Attend events 

Register for HLM2021 for free before signing up for any events below

Monday 7 June

• 14:30 – 16:00 CET Stepping up self-care interventions to end AIDS and promote good health for all https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-452336
• 19:15 – 20:45 CET Ending AIDS: accelerating progress and addressing inequalities through primary health care https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-452347

Tuesday 8 June 

• 14:00 – 15:30 CET No Prevention, No End; The importance of HIV prevention – How Leadership can turn an epidemic https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-452803
• 16:00 – 17:00 CET Opening Plenary Meeting https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451552
• 19:15 – 20:45 CET Ending Inequalities for Children in the AIDS Response: Fighting Complacency and Closing the Gaps https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-452813

Wednesday 9 June

• 16:00 – 17:30 CET Thematic Panel 1: Addressing inequalities to End AIDS: 10 Years to 2030 https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451553
• 17:30 – 19:00 CET Thematic Panel 2: Putting people and communities at the center of the response to AIDS https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451554
• 21:00 – 22:30 CET Thematic Panel 3: Resources and funding for an effective AIDS response Virtual room MAIN https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451555

Thursday 10 June

• 14:30 – 15:30 CET “Funding what’s possible” – The Robert Carr Fund Virtual Side Event at 2021 HLM on HIV/AIDS https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451598
• 16:00 – 17:30 Thematic Panel 4: Advancing Gender Equality and empowering women and girls in the AIDS response https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451556
• 17:30 – 19:00 Thematic Panel 5: Addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the AIDS response and building back better for pandemic preparedness https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451557
• 23:00 – 00:00 CET Closing Segment https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-451583

Friday 11 June

• 16:00 – 17:30 Partners in Solution: Illustrating success stories of Multi-sectoral partnership between Law Enforcement agencies, justice sector and CSOs/NGOs in ensuring harm reduction approach in HIV response https://inevent.com/en/UNAIDSHLM/UNAIDS-HLM/my-agenda.php#agenda-452349

Statement by GNP+ on the occasion of the 74th World Health Assembly – Agenda item 26.4, Global health sector strategies on, respectively, HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections.

GNP+ welcome the proposed decision by the EB to the WHA to request the DG to develop a new global health sector strategy on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for the period 2022-2030.

We welcome the emphasis on HIV self-testing, elimination of vertical transmission, and cervical cancer.  We appreciate the focus on concrete plans and results for Hep B, C and TB and we look forward to further strengthening this integration across health systems.

However, there is an urgent need to address the structural and intersectional barriers of discrimination, gender inequality, criminalization, underfunding and exclusion of key populations^[1] and other affected populations^[2].

We further want to stress the urgent need to engage civil society and communities more meaningfully. We have seen key population communities supporting health facilities in outreach and adherence, but key populations & communities need to participate structurally in critical decision-making that impacts their lives.

We are ready to engage in the strategy development process; the recent experience of GAS development can be used as a blueprint towards inclusive, organized, and effective community engagement. 

Civil society and communities also need to be involved in consultations and the preparation phase of guidelines development, such as research of demand and needs, ethics, and data collection. This will help efficient and sustainable decision-making and will positively impact achieving results and accountability.  

Member states must prioritize and invest in what science proved to work to end AIDS and to challenge the structural barriers of criminalization and exclusion of key and vulnerable populations. It is vital that the new WHO global health sector strategy on HIV, hepatitis and STIs will be aligned to the commitments and targets of the new 2021 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, the GAS, and the new Global Fund strategy beyond 2022 to ensure that international and domestic investments are directed towards the critical gaps. 

We call upon member states to address the priorities of the civil society declaration for the 2021 HLM on HIV/AIDS in the development process of the global health sector strategy on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections 2022-2030 and sign the Civil Society Declaration for the 2021 HLM on HIV/AIDS.

^[1] gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, transgender people, people in prisons and other closed settings; and all people living with HIV

^[2] women and adolescent girls and their male partners, young people, persons with disabilities, ethnic and racial minorities, indigenous peoples, people living in poverty, migrants, refugees and people in humanitarian emergencies and conflict and post-conflict situations

Multi-Stakeholder Task Force for the 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS Issued on 10 May 2021.

The Multi-Stakeholder Task Force commends H.E. Mr. Mitchell Fifield, Permanent Representative of Australia and H.E. Mr. Neville Gertze, Permanent Representative of Namibia, the co-facilitators of the High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS in 2021, on their zero draft 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS.

The Multi-Stakeholder Task Force particularly welcomes the fact that the zero draft not only recognizes explicitly who is most at risk of HIV, but also acknowledges why this is so. We equally salute the commitment to fully fund effective, human rights- and evidence-based responses, as demanded by the Civil Society Declaration for the 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS.

Communities and civil society, as actors in the global AIDS response, have for decades called for human rights- and evidence-based combination prevention, treatment and care. Such programme could have made the end of AIDS a reality by now. It is past time to take them to scale globally.

It is therefore encouraging that the zero draft follows the priorities of the Global AIDS Strategy and highlights the urgent need to address the structural barriers of discrimination, gender inequality, criminalization, underfunding and exclusion of people living with HIV and people most at risk of HIV, namely:

• key populations, who are at greatly elevated risk of HIV infection in all regions and epidemic settings, i.e., sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, and people in prisons and other closed settings;
• other populations who may be at elevated risk of HIV, depending on national epidemiological and social contexts, including women and adolescent girls and their male partners, young people, persons with disabilities, ethnic and racial minorities, indigenous peoples, people living in poverty, migrants, refugees and people in humanitarian emergencies and conflict and post-conflict situations.

For the first time ever, measurable targets on societal enablers are addressed in a draft Political Declaration. We welcome the recognition of the importance of gender equality, including services for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and comprehensive sexuality education. We are pleased to see the acknowledgement of the need for legislation, policies and practices that prevent violence against key populations and people living with HIV and protect their rights to the highest available standard of health and education and an adequate standard of living. And we welcome the recognition that punitive and discriminatory laws, policies and practices that block effective responses to HIV must be removed, including laws that criminalize drug use and possession, sex work, sexual orientation or gender identity. For the next decade of AIDS response to make a tangible difference in people’s lives, it is vital that the 10-10-10 targets on societal enablers be confirmed in the final declaration, namely:

• To reduce to no more than 10% the number of women, girls, people living with HIV and key populations who experience gender-based inequalities and gender-based violence by 2025;
• To ensure that less than 10% of people living with HIV (including those with disabilities) and key populations experience stigma and discrimination by 2025;
• To ensure that less than 10% of countries have punitive legal and policy environments that lead to the denial or limitation of access to services by 2025.

It is equally important that the 2021 Political Declaration retain its emphasis on community leadership, and the commitment for an increased proportion of HIV services to be delivered by organizations led by communities, key populations, women, and adolescents and youth, including the delivery by peer-led organizations of:

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

We welcome the recognition in the zero draft that community-led approaches have been essential in providing needed services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that COVID-19 underlines the importance of increasing investments for HIV and other disease responses. We fervently hope that the commitment to close the HIV response resource gap will finally be achieved for the first time, and we urge a strong commitment to increase annual HIV investments in low- and middle-income countries to US$29 billion by 2025. We will especially seek to protect the commitment to expand the investment in societal enablers in low- and middle-income countries—including human-rights protections, reduction of stigma and discrimination, and law reform—to US$3.1 billion by 2025.

Finally, to transform political commitments into evidence- and human rights-based actions and investments, the 2021 Political Declaration must include stronger accountability commitments and mechanisms. The declaration must include a commitment to establish a mechanism to regularly track and review progress across all targets, as well as to ensure that US$29 billion is actually mobilized, allocated and invested annually in HIV/AIDS responses by 2025 globally, and to course-correct promptly if resource gaps emerge.

While the zero draft of the 2021 Political Declaration promises to break through the structural barriers that keep the potential to end AIDS by 2030 at bay, we will remain vigilant as Member States negotiate the final text in the run-up to the High-Level Meeting.

The stakes are high, and we—as communities and civil society—will align our efforts around what is essential for all of us to advance in the Political Declaration, to guide the world towards the goal of ending AIDS.

Join our #LoveAlliance campaign in May 2021

The Love Alliance is based on the premise that to end AIDS, the groups most affected by the epidemic need to be at the centre of the response. We build on existing evidence on the effectiveness of rights-based responses that focus on and meaningfully engage LGBTQI people, sex workers, people who use drugs, with specific attention for people living with HIV, women and young people within these communities.

As Love Alliance advances its agenda of love for all, it seeks to highlight the challenges that the key populations it supports are faced with and provide ways for these affected communities to reach out and get the support they need. In addition, the organisation is inviting all champions of human rights and advocates of harm reduction to join us as we highlight the issues faced by our growing global community. 

How to participate #LoveAlliance 

Join us on this journey working towards health and human rights for all. Use this social media toolkit (download here) to help us amplify and broadcast our aims and messaging in the coming weeks. We created ready-made social posts and media assets for each key population, allowing you to join this movement easily. Feel free to share the messages across social media and elsewhere to raise awareness and change the world for the better, together. 

Use the below hashtags to amplify your voice and join the campaign on social media. 

General for all posts
#LoveAlliance

Specific for each key population
#WeLovePeopleLivingWithHIV
#WeLoveSexWorkers
#WeLoveRightsForUsers
#WeLoveLGBTQI

GNP+ 

• Twitter: @gnpplus
• Facebook: @GNPplus 
• Instagram: @gnpplus

Aidsfonds 

• Twitter: @aidsfonds_intl 
• LinkedIn: @aidsfonds

ISDAO – Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest

• Twitter: @ISDAOSankofa
• Facebook: @InitiativeSankofa
• Instagram: @initiative_sankofa

Sisonke

• Twitter: @SisonkeSA
• Facebook: @SisonkeMovementZA
• Instagram: @SisonkeSA

GALZ

• Twitter: @galzinf

International Network of People who Use Drugs

• Twitter: @INPUD
• Facebook: @INPUD

UHAI EASHRI

• Twitter: @UHAIEASHRI
• Facebook: @UHAIEASHRI 
• Instagram: @iamuhai

Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality (AFE)

• Twitter: @AFEMENA
• Facebook: @afemena.org
• Instagram: @afemena

The Multi-Stakeholder Task Force for the 2021 High-Level Meeting on AIDS is thrilled to be launching the HLM 2021 Civil Society Declaration.

There is a crisis in the HIV response. Over the last five years, the world has failed to meet any of the targets for prevention, diagnosis and treatment set out in the 2016 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, with progress on HIV prevention lagging particularly far behind. The 2021 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS – and the Political Declaration that results from it – is the last chance to create sustained momentum for the policies, programmes and funding that are needed to end HIV as a global health threat by 2030. 

Now more than ever, evidence-based responses and renewed political will are called for –especially in face of the additional burdens imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to focus efforts and resources where they are most needed, we call for a Political Declaration that: 

• RECOGNIZES explicitly who is most at risk of HIV 
• ACKNOWLEDGES why this is so 
• COMMITS to fully fund and support effective responses 
• HOLDS ACCOUNTABLE Member States for their actions

As a team we are proud of the hard work that we have done collectively to make this document a reality. We want to commend the Multi Stakeholder Task Force and its Advisory Group for their efforts to bring the voices of our diverse communities to the table despite the limited time. The Civil Society Declaration builds on the UNAIDS regional consultations, over 700 survey respondents and input from the Multi Stakeholder Hearing Civil Society Debrief.

We realize that it is impossible to craft a declaration that includes everything that everyone in our diverse HIV movement would wish for, but we hope you will find that many elements of the HLM 2021 Civil Society Declaration are aligned with your organizational priorities and that your community can take it and run with it.

Download declaration

We are asking organizations, networks and institutions to endorse the declaration. The more support the declaration receives the stronger it becomes as a tool to support advocacy with country delegations and missions leading up to the High-Level Meeting and the adoption of the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.

The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), Aidsfonds, and our partners invite you to take part in our three-part series to engage advocates and civil society members in preparation for and post the United Nations General Assembly 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. The webinars will be hosted on ZOOM and streamed live on the GNP+ Facebook page in Arabic, English, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

The three-part series will systematically and continually engage advocates and civil society members following the process in a structured and predictable manner. The goal is to build civil society momentum and give people key moments to be engaged and updated by the HLM team. The first session will introduce advocates to the HLM and share the basics on how they can engage. The second session will support the preparation of advocates by sharing some of the key advocacy battlegrounds and how they can fine tune their advocacy strategies leading up the HLM. The third session will be a report back of the HLM and share the final outcomes of the process, including an analysis of gains and losses in language.

BELOW ARE THE DATES AND TIMES OF THE WEBINAR SERIES, REGISTER FOR A WEBINAR IN YOUR LANGUAGE OF CHOICE:

WEBINAR SERIES PART 3: HLM 2021 Outcomes: Gains, losses and how to prepare for country level advocacy

In the final of our HLM series, we will report back an overview of the HLM as well as an analysis of the political declaration and the potential gains and losses in language, which could potentially advance or set back the HIV response globally. The session will also share areas where advocates can focus on to enhance future national and global advocacy. 

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

• Russian: 11:00AM CEST/ 12:00PM EEST – register here
• English: 16:00PM CEST/ 10:00AM EDT – register here
• Spanish: 18:00PM CEST/ 11:00AM CDT – register here

Thursday, 17 June 2021

• English: 10AM CEST/ 16PM PST – register here
• Arabic: 12:00PM CEST/ 13 EEST – register here
• Portuguese: 14:00PM CEST/ 9:00AM GMT-3 – register here
• French: 16:00PM CEST/ 10:00AM EDT – register here

WEBINAR SERIES PART 2: HLM 2021 Advocacy: Preparing for action

During this webinar, advocates working directly on the outcome document will share areas to concentrate their advocacy leading up to and during the HLM. Participants will discuss terminology and key phases that opposition uses to mask discriminatory text, and effective arguments to counteract. 

Wednesday, 19 May 2021

• Russian: 11:00AM CEST/ 12:00PM EEST – watch here
• English: 16:00PM CEST/ 10:00AM EDT – Watch here
• Spanish: 18:00PM CEST/ 11:00AM CDT – watch here

Thursday, 20 May 2021

• Arabic: 12:00PM CEST/ 13 EEST – watch here
• Portuguese: 14:00PM CEST/ 9:00AM GMT-3 – watch here
• French: 16:00PM CEST/ 10:00AM EDT – watch here

WEBINAR SERIES PART 1: HLM 2021 Basics: Engagement and advocacy opportunities

This webinar will answer questions that advocates may have about the UN High Level Meeting on HIV, key dates for advocacy, and some of the different ways that civil society can engage in the process. 

Wednesday, April 21st 2021

• Russian: 11:00AM CEST/ 12:00PM EEST – watch here.
• English: 16:00PM CEST/ 10:00AM EDT – watch here.
• Spanish: 18:00PM CEST/ 11:00AM CDT – watch here.

Thursday, April 22nd 2021

• Portuguese: 14:00PM CEST/ 9:00AM GMT-3 – watch here.
• Arabic: 14:00PM CEST/ 15:00PM EEST – watch here.
• French: 16:00PM CEST/ 10:00AM EDT – watch here.

UNAIDS has established an Advisory Group to support the Multi-stakeholder Task Force that will be facilitating civil society involvement in the upcoming UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. The group consists of individuals working, among others, in the areas of paediatrics and HIV, UHC, human rights, gender equality, academia, youth leadership, and more.

The high-level meeting will take place on 8-11 June 2021. The meeting will lead to a clear and action-oriented political declaration will be agreed upon by member states to advance towards achieving the commitment of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. 

List of advisory group members:

Anton Basenko, The Alliance for Public Health, Ukraine – basenko@aph.org.ua

Rita Wahab, MENA-ROSA, Lebanon – menarosa696@gmail.com

Cedric Ninanhazwe, Y+, Netherlands – harunaaaronsunday@gmail.com 

Justin Koonin, UHC Civil Society Engagement Mechanism, Australia – president@acon.org.au

Javier Hourcade, Latin America HIV/AIDS Alliance, Argentina – javier.bellocq@gmail.com

Catherine Conner, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, US – cconnor@pedaids.org

Catherine Nyambura, ATHENA Network, Kenya – cathynyamb@gmail.com

Ferenc Bagyinszky, AIDS Action Europe, Germany – ferenc.bagyinszky@dah.aidshilfe.de

Fionnuala Murphy, Frontline AIDS, UK – fmurphy@frontlineaids.org

Trevor Straton, International Indigenous Working Groups on HIV/AIDS, Canada – trevors@caan.ca

REV’D FR Johannes Mokgethi-Heath (JP), UNAIDS Human Rights Reference Group/Act Church, Sweden – jp.mokgethi-heath@svenskakyrkan.se

On 23 February, the General Assembly adopted resolution 75/260 on the organisation of the 2021 High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS (HLM). The resolution calls for the HLM to be held on 8-10 June 2021 and invites Member States to participate. To promote meaningful contribution of civil society in the entire process, UNAIDS decided to contract a civil society or community-led organisation with recognised experience in the global AIDS response. Last week, GNP+ and Aidsfonds were selected as the NGO co-coveners to collaborate with UNAIDS on bringing CSO’s and communities together in the entire HLM process.

About HLM2021 

The goal of the HLM is to develop a clear and action-oriented political declaration to be agreed upon by member states towards achieving the commitment of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. 

The 75/260 resolution on the organisation of the HLM requests the President of the General Assembly (PGA) to organise and lead an interactive multi-stakeholder hearing (MSH) with the participation of communities and other stakeholders, taking place no later than April 2021. The PGA will also envisage other civil society participation opportunities during the preparation process and the HLM itself. The interactive MSH will be held on 23 April 2021. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MSH will be held in virtual mode, while the HLM Is likely to take a hybrid form.

Communities and CSO’s participation in the HLM 

UNAIDS has convened a Multistakeholder Task Force (MSTF) comprising of 16 members who are representatives from civil society and the private sector to facilitate civil society involvement in the upcoming HLM. The MSTF will advise UNAIDS, as the lead substantive UN entity, and through it, the Office of the President of the General Assembly, regarding the format, theme and programme of the multi-stakeholder hearing (MSH), as well as help identify speakers for the MSH and HLM plenary and panel discussions. 

UNAIDS has also established an Advisory Group to support the Multistakeholder Task Force. Members who served in the 2016 Task Force and experts with previous experience in HLM and other UN processes were invited to participate in the Advisory Group contributing in their personal capacities.

The GNP+ and Aidsfonds as co-conveners of the Multistakeholder Task Force (MSTF), will organise a series of events in the coming weeks to facilitate inclusive and interactive participation of civil society in the HLM process:

1. Regional update webinars to brief civil society and communities on the progress made so far in terms of the work of the MSTF and the planning for the MSH and the HLM.
2. Community participation survey to gather civil society input for the development of a common civil society ‘vision document’ for the HLM. 
3. Community advocacy guide to be finalised and shared on this website to support country- regional- and global civil society engagement and participation
4. Community consultation webinars to create awareness and promote wider participation

For more information see our dedicated webpage.

The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) welcomes the adoption of the Global AIDS strategy 2021 – 2026 by the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) and commits to working together with all global health actors to achieve the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

GNP+ applauds the outstanding consultative work done by UNAIDS and all stakeholders in developing this strategy. Our network members have participated at many points in the process and we feel heard in the new strategy. The greater and meaningful involvement of people living with HIV is central to improving the quality of our lives, and we are pleased to see our voices and advocacy efforts acknowledged.

Jacquelyne Alesi, Board Chair, GNP+, says “These are not easy times – many of our communities are dealing with the impact of multiple challenges of COVID-19, loss of jobs, hunger, humanitarian and environmental crisis. Even as governments focus on these challenges, we must not allow them to back track on the progress made on HIV and TB. This past year has reminded us once again of the human cost of inaction”. 

The focus on having all our communities – key populations, children, young people, adolescent girls and women – as allies and partners is extremely important to us. And most of all we strongly endorse the focus on addressing inequalities in order to end AIDS. However, this will not be easy and will require the resources and bold action by governments, the UN system, communities working collaboratively.

We all know the right to health is inextricably linked to other human rights. People who experience stigma and discrimination because of any part of their identity – their race, their gender identity, their sexual orientation or if they do sex work or if they use drugs – cannot access treatment and prevention services precisely for reasons of discrimination on these grounds.

At GNP+ we strongly believe that the response to a 40-year old HIV epidemic needs to be guided by proven community-led, people centred approaches that dismantle the inequalities in our societies.

As global health leaders engage and work towards the UN High Level Meeting (HLM) on AIDS in June, GNP+ calls for a stronger commitment from governments, donors and other stakeholders to invest in actions to back this strategy. We also call for a bold accountability framework so that communities of people living with HIV and key populations can monitor and evaluate the impact of this strategy on their lives. 

On Friday 19 March 2021, the Global Fund released a statement and a report by their OIG detailing misconduct – sexual exploitation and corruption – at NAP+ in Ghana during the implementation of their 2010-2019 grants.

As the Global Network of People living with HIV, we are dismayed at the findings of the report and condemn the sexual exploitation and abuse of women living with HIV. It is important that these corrupt and abusive practices have been uncovered and we stand by the women who courageously reported the abuse despite the threats and harassment. 

Since these incidents were first uncovered, NAP+ Ghana have undergone a governance overhaul and with support from the Ghana AIDS Commission, new leaders were elected in September 2020. 

The new women-led team are taking this issue very seriously and want to put in place actions to help ensure that such abuse and exploitation does not take place in the future. 

We know that organisations across all sectors, including community networks need to do more to end all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. GNP+ and the Network of African People living with HIV West Africa (NAP+WA) are supporting NAP+ Ghana in its efforts. We are also using this opportunity to strengthen our own networks and to contribute to addressing safeguarding issues within our community at large.

We are committed to ensuring a survivor-centred approach – ensuring that their safety, confidentiality and wellbeing is central in all prevention and protection measures against sexual exploitation and abuse. 

Community organisations must be better supported by global and national partners to put in place safeguarding measures that prevent abuse and keep people safe. As the HIV sector, we must all prioritise building a culture of accountability across our organisations and structures.

The winds of change are blowing through GNP+. We want to drive accountability and inclusivity within our organisation, and where better to start than our Executive Leadership. We are looking for a new Executive Director or Co-Directors to share the role and lead us on the next part of our journey. 

“Shared leadership is becoming more common in the not for profit sector it can encourage accountability, collaboration, evidence-based decision making and sustainability” explains Jordan Stevenson, the GNP+ Human Resources Manager. 

There is a buzz of excitement around the idea at GNP+, with several staff and board members involved in the recruitment process sharing their thoughts. 

Jacquelyne Alesi, the Chair of the GNP+ Board says, “when role-share was first suggested as an alternative model of leadership I had questions – will this be efficient, what about egos, will it cause confusion with external representation? However, having looked at the idea in more detail I now see co-leadership through a new lens of mutual accountability, flexibility, and support – all central to a feminist leadership model.” 

What does this mean for GNP+?

It means that we are open to new ways of working and supporting new leaders to emerge. “If the role is shared between two people this will be a first for GNP+, another innovation to add to our organisation’s rich history” adds Flavia Kyomukama, a GNP+ Board Member and a member of the recruitment committee.  

As with any leadership model, the reality of shared leadership could bring benefits and challenges with it, including how to share responsibilities. Saima Jiwan, a member of the recruitment committee says she can see how a job share could work, “If they mark out clearly defined roles, both Executive Directors should be accountable to each other as well as having a shared sense of accountability with the rest of the GNP+ team.”

Cedric Nininahazwe, another member of the recruitment committee has first-hand experience: “Co-Leadership isn’t actually brand new to me as Y+ Global has had co-chairs in the past and it worked well. You have to work out the practical details but these things don’t make or break a boat. My interactions were usually limited to one of the co-chairs, but this is one of the “ways of working” within a co-leadership model.”

As Flavia Kyomukama, Board Member and member of the recruitment committee says, “what matters most is that we end up with a leader, or leaders, that can strategically drive GNP+ to new heights.”

What this means for our sector

It is our responsibility as GNP+ to do all we can to be diverse and inclusive and to stay true to the GIPA principle – the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS – on which we are founded.  

Ours is a small sector and opportunities for community members to take on leadership roles are rare. We hope that opening up to the possibility of a role share creates more opportunities for the community. By making it possible for two individuals with talents that complement each other to apply, we are creating a bridge for regional and national community leaders to move up to global leadership. We want to enable community members who might otherwise not consider applying to take that step together with someone. 

“One of the most valuable lessons we have learned as a Board is that we work as a team and we are never alone when GNP+ is faced with challenges. I believe in being open to having a team of Co-Directors we are creating a similar structure of support for our leaders.” Jacquelyne Alesi, Chair of the GNP+ Board.

Sophie Smallwood, Co-founder of Roleshare has held senior positions in management and she echoes this sentiment, “It can be a lonely place. What we want to do is bring the spirit of a team to leadership level.”

Recruitment committee members share that they are looking forward to sustainability in leadership, with Cedric Nininahazwe quipping in to say “the end goal is a feminist model that ensures equity in leadership and responsibility.” 

What this means for applicants

The role is open to individual applicants and people interested in job sharing, we are simply looking for the best person, or people, for the job and are keen to spread the net widely. One reason, GNP+ is taking a flexible approach to the recruitment process is to expand the talent pool, as Jordan explains, “we want to see new people with fresh thoughts and new approaches. Leaders of national or regional organisations may be better supported to make the step up to manage an organisation with global reach using a shared leadership model.”

GNP+ has teamed up with an innovative company – Roleshare – to help out. Roleshare supports people to connect, combine skills, and apply for roles together.  Roleshare matches people and skills together for roles. Helping companies retain and include overlooked diverse clusters of talent for roles, while also enhancing wellbeing and cross-pollination of skills.

Dave Smallwood, Co-founder of Roleshare explains, “many organisations offer job sharing in theory, but GNP+ is serious about this, they are saying ‘hey, if you want this, we can make it happen’”. 

Applicants interested in job sharing are asked to visit the Roleshare website to apply. There they will need to create a profile outlining their experience and skills. They can either apply together with someone they know or apply as an individual and Roleshare can help match them to another candidate. This is why building your profile is so important, so you showcase your skills and help Roleshare to find someone who would work well with you; a bit like a dating website.  

So, spread the word, GNP+ is looking for leadership for the future and the clock is ticking. The deadline for applications is 16 April – all the details about how to apply can be found here.

The global key population networks GATE, GNP+, INPUD, IRGT, MPact and NSWP mourn the untimely and tragic passing of activist, leader, and dear friend, Jude Byrne of Australia, who was taken from us too soon by cancer.

For over 40 years Jude was a leading activist for people who use drugs. She was also the board chair of INPUD, a global network of people who use drugs that fights for the human rights and dignity of people who use drugs around the world.

Jude was a passionate and brilliant activist who never hesitated to speak truth to power and fight for the rights of her community. She was an equally supportive and fierce ally to gay and bisexual men, people living with HIV, sex workers, and transgender people.

The global networks benefited greatly from its friendship with Jude. We join as global HIV and key population communities in grieving the loss of an inspiring and fearless leader. Jude’s passion and energy will be deeply missed, but her legacy will live on in us and in the many lives she touched around the world.

Rest in peace, Jude Byrne!

The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) welcomes the appointment of Andrew Spieldenner, PhD, as the Executive Director of MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights. 

We celebrate our shared history and activism from Andrew’s time at GNP+ North America, including his leadership of the People Living with HIV Stigma Index research in the US. Andrew is strongly committed to working with people living with HIV in all our diversity to strengthen our voices and expand the spaces where we are heard and able to be influential. 

“MPact has always worked closely with GNP+, and in my new role, I look forward to ongoing collaborations with GNP+. I have worked on the US implementation of the HIV Stigma Index, and it is an extraordinary opportunity and involvement in HIV stigma in-country. The Meaningful Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS (MIPA) is vital to moving the HIV response forward, and I am honored to be able to bring MIPA into my role at MPact”, said Dr. Andrew Spieldenner. 

“As a longstanding advocate of the rights of people living with HIV, Andrew brings immense personal and professional experience to the role, along with a deep understanding of the importance of community-led responses”, said GNP+ Vice-Chair, and MPact Board Member.

“GNP+ looks forward to strengthening our collaboration with MPact as Andrew takes up the reins to champion our shared goals.”

Dr. Spieldenner will take up his new role on 1 March 2021. GNP+ wishes Dr. Spieldenner and the MPact team all the best.

GNP+ PLHIV Stigma Index Advocacy Officer, Annah Sango, hosted love chats with women living with HIV in all their diversities for the #LovePositiveWomen campaign.

Since 2015, artists, activists, and HIV-positive women have come together for the LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN campaign by hosting workshops and events to show their love and support for women living with HIV. This year, GNP+ will participate in the campaign and initiate conversations with women living with HIV whose voices are often not heard. This may include women living with HIV, who also use drugs, are working as sex workers, are adolescent mothers, and trans women.  

Love chat aims to engage in intimate conversations with women living with HIV in all their diversities about self-love, sex positivity, and how this could impact agency and choice of options for prevention or treatment. We want the discussion to be about love for women living with HIV from the lens of sensual beings and not just vectors. 

Click on links below to watch all three episodes of Love Chats:

1. Episode one with Annah Sango and Saidy Brown
2. Episode two with Annah Sango and Amruta Soni
3. Episode three Galentine Day special with Erika Castellenos and Florence Anam

The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) announces the departure of its Executive Director, Rico Gustav, at the end of January 2021.

The Board has put in place a plan for interim leadership and have full confidence in the staff team to continue to deliver on programming commitments and advocacy for the needs of communities living with HIV.  The Board will begin recruitment of a new Executive Director in the coming weeks and will play an active role in supporting the staff during this transition period.

We wish Rico well for the next chapter of his activism.

GNP+ is grateful for the solidarity and support of our partners as we continue our journey towards a world where all people living with HIV are able to enjoy their human rights and able to live healthy lives, free from stigma and discrimination. This past year has shown that GNP+’s fundamental mission to improve the quality of life for all people living with HIV remains as relevant as ever.

To mark Universal Health Coverage (UHC) day, the global networks of people living with HIV, GNP+, ICW and Y+ Global, have issued a joint report “Demanding health for all: drawing on experiences of people living with HIV”.

We have seen the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on our communities and been frustrated by the inadequate responses of our governments. And COVID-19, like the HIV epidemic before, has affected the marginalised communities most – from increased violence and human rights violations to loss of livelihoods and financial hardship. People living with HIV have struggled to access essential health care they need.

It doesn’t have to be like this. The HIV movement has decades of experience dealing with a global health epidemic. We have learnt many lessons over those years, developed skills and expertise that make us perfectly placed to, guide, advise and drive forward the response to COVID-19. In fact, in country after country, networks of people living with HIV have found innovative solutions and helped deliver health services to their communities through these challenging times.

This report looks at the three key pillars of UHC through the lens of our times. We draw on experiences of people living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer learnings to  

• Ensure equitable access
• Provide quality health services
• Minimise financial hardship

Our experiences to date of COVID-19 strengthen our resolve to find ways to achieve health for all, including marginalised people and people living with HIV.

This report is one of the outcomes of Beyond LIVING, a consultation and advocacy process led by GNP+, ICW and Y+ Global. We are guided by a diverse and creative Life Force – 11 people from across regions with different lived experiences, helping us to connect our global advocacy to the realities of countries and communities.

Also check out GNP+’s toolkit for activists – 10 things you can do to get involved and make a difference this UHC Day 2020.

Today, we commemorate World AIDS Day in support of people living with and affected by HIV, and to remember and celebrate those who lost their lives to AIDS. The global key population-led networks* – Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE); Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+); Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP); Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Network); Innovative Response Globally for Trans Women and HIV (IRGT); International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD); International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW); MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights (MPact) – issue this joint statement in solidarity with this year’s World AIDS Day theme: “Global solidarity, shared responsibility.”

This year, we commemorate World AIDS Day in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global health crisis that has caused immense human misery and economic insecurity. Despite the devastation caused by the ongoing pandemic, we call on global policymakers and donors to not lose sight of their goal to end the HIV epidemic, which is now entering its fifth decade. The epidemic continues to disproportionately devastate our communities.

The HIV response is seriously off-track, particularly in curbing new HIV infections among key populations – gay and bisexual men, people who use drugs, sex workers, and transgender people – who have carried an inordinate burden since the beginning of the epidemic and who have been systematically denied rights, equity, and justice in the global HIV response.

Recent data indicates that, while there has been some progress in reducing new infections among some populations, 62% of new HIV transmissions in 2019 occurred among key populations and their sexual partners. Clearly, key populations continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV. In comparison to the general population, the likelihood of acquiring HIV is greater for sex workers (x30), people who use drugs (x29), gay men (x26), and transgender people (x13).

Furthermore, the global target for HIV treatment will not be met by 2030 unless significant changes are made to the current HIV response. Only 59% of people living with HIV globally have a suppressed viral load. Almost a third of people living with HIV are not yet accessing antiretroviral therapy. To ensure that people living with HIV are able to live healthier and longer lives, and to prevent the further spread of HIV, it is critical that allpeople living with HIV be able to access high quality treatment services, to be retained in care, and to achieve an undetectable viral load.

Due to structural barriers such as criminalization, stigma, poverty, violence, and inadequately resourced programs, our communities struggle to access needs-focused and people-centered healthcare and HIV services. Discriminatory laws, policies, and practices further jeopardize the health outcomes and human rights of our communities. If these inequities are not addressed, the HIV epidemic will continue to cost people their lives and livelihoods.

The next year provides a critical opportunity for key populations to reclaim the HIV response. UNAIDS, the Global Fund, and PEPFAR are all updating their program and funding strategies in 2021. These and other multilateral and bilateral donors must do more to address the inequities that have devastated key population communities and resulted in unabating HIV epidemics worldwide among gay and bisexual men, people who use drugs, sex workers, and transgender people. We demand that global policymakers and donors urgently address these issues when developing their HIV strategies and funding priorities:

• Address structural barriers: Decriminalization and addressing stigma and discrimination against key populations is integral to achieving an effective and sustainable HIV response. We urge donors to support community-led efforts to decriminalize sex work, drug use, and consensual same-sex relations, and to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Donors should also actively work with communities and governments to end gender inequality.
• Sharply increase funding targeted to key populations: Donor and national government investments in key population-tailored HIV prevention and treatment programs are grossly inadequate in proportion to the HIV disease burden of these communities. A recent study reported that a mere 2% of overall HIV funding is targeted at key population communities. This is unacceptable. Donors must earmark funding and develop funding streams and mechanisms specific to key populations-led organizations.
• Put the last mile first: Key populations already play a central role in ensuring the affordability and accessibility of HIV drugs and services for all, including people living at the margins of societies. Donors should recognize this by meaningfully and respectfully engaging with key populations to ensure tailored, evidence-informed, and rights-based sexual health services. They should review existing strategies to engage with key populations at all levels of decision-making and find ways to broaden and deepen these partnerships. Finally, donors should refrain from imposing unduly burdensome policies and targets that can undermine the ability of key population-led organizations and networks to do their work.
• Remember our past: We must not forget that HIV is about people. The principles of the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV (GIPA) and “nothing for us without us” are critical elements of an effective and ethical HIV response. Donors, national governments, and civil society stakeholders should ensure that these principles are central to who key populations are and what we do, and to ensure our inclusion and visibility in programming and funding decisions.

The HIV2020 Online Conference: Reclaiming the Global Response, which was co-organized by some of the global key population-led networks, is hosting its final event today on World AIDS Day. This conference is a successful example of how, when, and why key population communities, armed with the necessary knowledge, funding, skills, and experience, can lead collective efforts to address the HIV epidemic.

Register Here

As we approach 2021, we are poised to redouble our efforts to break down barriers to HIV prevention and treatment access for our communities, to fight for our human rights, and to work towards reclaiming our rightful role in leading the HIV response to counter the risks, threats, and crises that directly affect us. We look forward to doing so in coalition and in solidarity with our partners across the world.