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On 1 December 2024, we commemorate World AIDS Day, under the theme “Take the Rights path”. A call to action for all HIV stakeholders to appreciate and uphold human rights as key to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The International Covenant for Economic Social and Cultural Rights, explicitly addresses treatment and prevention in relation to epidemics as a human right. Fulfilling that right requires that people who are at increased risk of HIV have access to effective prevention, testing, and treatment services, and can choose the prevention methods that suit them best – such as condoms and lubricants, clean needles and syringes, pre-exposure prophylaxis, antiretroviral therapy among others.
All key HIV prevention stakeholders including governments, communities, civil society and networks, international and regional organizations including donors, are called upon streamline rights-based approaches across their efforts, as essential to ensure new and existing HIV prevention options are made available and accessible to all who need them, without discrimination.
According to the World AIDS Day report 2024, an estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV in 2023 – three times more than the target of less than 370 000 new HIV infections by 2025. Several countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Lesotho, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Botswana among others are on track to reach the 2025 targets for reducing new HIV infections; however, the majority of countries remain off track.
Success in HIV prevention is possible, but it requires governments to act with urgency by committing to stronger political leadership, increase domestic financing for HIV prevention and create enabling legal and policy environment to implement programmes on a scale. In parallel, international donors and private sector partners must increase funding to support closing of persistent gaps in HIV prevention at a global and country level.
Equitable access to innovations in HIV prevention, including new long-acting prevention options, is essential particularly among people in low- and middle-income countries. The new long-acting technologies and existing prevention options are effective, but they only become impactful when transformed into real choices by addressing social and gender inequalities that hinder access to HIV services. A supportive legal, policy, and financial environment is essential to ensure these options are offered effectively, equitably, safely, and at scale.
HIV prevention choices should be available and accessible to all people who need them, in particular key populations and young people in settings with high HIV incidence. Age of access laws continue to pose a barrier to accessing HIV prevention services for adolescents and young people. Civil Society Organizations, Community Based Organizations and youth groups must push for policy changes —advocate for age of access reforms that empower adolescents and young people to access HIV prevention services without barriers.
Taking the Rights path to end AIDS requires that each stakeholder urgently takes action to ensure that HIV prevention services are accessible to all adolescents, women and men in all their diversity.
This World AIDS Day, let us take the rights path!