With the title “Take the right path to stop AIDS,“ the report outlines how stigma, discrimination and criminal laws hinder progress in the fight against HIV.
Despite significant progress in HIV treatment and prevention, human rights violations continue to block access to essential services.
In 2023, 630,000 people died of AIDS-related diseases and 1.3 million people contracted HIV.
The human rights challenge
Marginalized communities, including women, girls and LGBTQ+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and others), continue to be disproportionately affected.
Sub-Saharan Africa illustrates this disparity clearly: every day, 570 young women aged 15 to 24 get HIV, a rate three times higher than their male peers.
globally, 9.3 million people living with HIV are not receiving life-saving treatment.
“Discrimination and violence against girls must be tackled as a human rights and health emergency,” said Nomonde Ngema, a 21-year-old HIV activist.
Criminalization hinders progress
Criminal laws targeting marginalized communities are exacerbating the crisis. In 2023, 63 countries still criminalized same-sex relationships.
HIV prevalence among gay men and other men who have sex with men is five times higher in these countries than in those where such laws do not exist.
“Punal laws and policies keep vulnerable people away from the help they need to prevent HIV, test for HIV and treat HIV,” said Axel Bautista, Community Engagement Manager at MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health & Rights.
“Instead of punishing marginalized communities, governments need to uphold their human rights,” he stressed.
The 2021 UNAIDS Political Declaration on Ending HIV/AIDS called for the removal of restrictive laws by 2025, but progress remains slow.
Bridging the innovation gap
Scientific breakthroughs, such as long-acting injectable drugs, offer hope but remain inaccessible to many due to high costs and limited production.
“Medical tools that save lives cannot be treated only as raw materials,” said Alexandra Calmy, HIV manager at the University Hospitals of Geneva.
“The revolutionary therapeutic and preventive options currently being developed must be made available without delay to achieve universal reach.”
The report calls for a human rights-centered approach to ensure equal access to these life-saving innovations.
Listen to our interview with Dr. Angeli Achrekar, UNAIDS Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Director:
Voices for change
The UNAIDS report reinforces perspectives from global leaders including British singer-songwriter Elton John, Irish President Michael D. Higgins and HIV activist Jeanne Gapiya-Niyonzima.
“As long as HIV is seen as a disease for the ‘others’, not so-called ‘decent people’, AIDS will not be defeated. Science, medicine and technology may be the ‘what’ to end AIDS, but inclusion, empathy and compassion are ‘how’“, wrote Elton John.
President Higgins echoed this sentiment: “Delivering on the promise to end AIDS as a threat to public health is a political and economic choice. The time to choose the right path is long overdue.”
A global call to action
As the world approaches the 2030 deadline, UNAIDS stresses that ending AIDS is not just a matter of health – it is a human rights mandate.
By addressing inequalities and ensuring equal access to services, the international community can meet its shared goal of ending AIDS as a threat to public health.
