History was made in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa on Friday, 5 June, as 21-year-old Jane Mndebele became the first person to receive lenacapavir, the twice-yearly HIV prevention injectable, as part of the country's new national prevention programme. 

"I am excited," she said, after the injection was administered by Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi himself. Her words captured the mood of thousands gathered at Lilian Ngoyi Stadium in Secunda, and of a global health community that has waited years for this moment.

South Africa, home to the world's largest HIV epidemic with an estimated 7.9 million people living with the virus, officially launched the national rollout of lenacapavir, becoming the ninth African country to do so. 

"The launch of lenacapavir marks a turning point in our nation's fight against HIV. It represents the triumph of science over despair. It represents the power of innovation to save lives," said President Cyril Ramaphosa. He was careful, however, to frame the injection as one tool among many. "It is one more powerful tool in our arsenal. It complements HIV testing, oral PrEP, treatment as prevention, condoms, voluntary medical male circumcision, and behavioural interventions."

Lenacapavir is a powerful new option, but it works best as part of a broader package. UNAIDS stresses that the injection must be integrated alongside condoms, family planning, sexual and reproductive health services, and community-based HIV prevention programmes. Evidence from programmes such as DREAMS has shown that when HIV prevention is combined with education, economic opportunity, protection from violence, and safe spaces for young women, the results are transformative. UNAIDS data shows that girls who complete secondary education have a 50% lower risk of HIV infection.

The stakes are stark. South Africa recorded approximately 150,000 new HIV infections in 2024, with women and girls accounting for 59% of those. Over 71,000 were among adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24, equivalent to more than 1,000 newly infected young women every week. The government's decision to prioritise this group in the rollout of lenacapavir is both welcome and significant.

Alankar Malviya, UNAIDS Multi-Country Director for South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, welcomed the commitment. "President Ramaphosa has demonstrated political will to continue on a path to transform the HIV response. We welcome the prioritisation of adolescent girls and young women, men who have sex with men, sex workers and people who use drugs," he said, adding that UNAIDS welcomes ongoing discussions between Gilead Sciences and the government to explore local generic production.

For UNAIDS, the launch is both a milestone and a call to action. "Today is a day many of us here in South Africa have waited for," said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. "For many of us who have worked in the HIV response, this moment feels almost unimaginable. Now we must make sure that this breakthrough does not become another example of scientific success and implementation failure."

The rollout begins at 360 public health facilities across six provinces and 24 high-burden districts, with a national target to reach close to one million people by end of 2027, and three million within three years. A combined investment of R1.3 billion from the Global Fund and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, alongside government funding, will support the programme. Generic versions of lenacapavir are expected from 2027 at around USD 40 per person per year, a dramatic reduction from the tens of thousands of dollars charged in high-income countries, though affordability at scale remains a challenge for many countries facing shrinking health budgets.

For now, Jane Mndebele and the thousands of South Africans who will follow her to clinics in the coming weeks represent something real and hard-won: proof that with political courage, community partnership, and sustained investment, scientific progress can be made to serve the people who need it most.

More than 20 years ago, when Seum Sophal learned he was living with HIV, he saw little reason for hope. Stigma was widespread and treatment options were limited. 

“I was ready to die,” he recalled. “I was worried about what would happen to my young son after I was gone.” 

Today, Mr Sophal, an officer with the Forum of Networks of People Living with HIV and Key Populations (FoNPAMs) at the Health Action Coordinating Committee (HACC), speaks with pride and emotion about Cambodia’s achievement of the 95–95–95 HIV treatment targets. 

For him, the achievement is not only a national triumph, but also recognition of the years of work and commitment invested by communities, including his own.  

It also reflects on the success of a partnership in which each actor took responsibility and delivered: the government expanded access to HIV testing and treatment, communities reached the people most affected by HIV and helped improve services, and international partners provided technical and financial support. 

Together, these efforts have brought Cambodia to achieve the 95–95–95 targets: 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed are receiving antiretroviral treatment and 95% of people on treatment have achieved viral suppression. 

Mr Sophal’s own contribution began shortly after his diagnosis, when he started volunteering with Salvation Centre Cambodia, a local organization providing home-based support to people living with HIV. 

“I went from home to home, encouraging people to get tested, start treatment and remain in care,” he said. 

At a time when stigma and fear prevented many people from seeking health services, community workers provided information, accompanied people to clinics and helped families cope with the practical and emotional effects of HIV. Mr Sophal believes that timely community support helped many people survive. 

He has also seen that support continues across generations. Children assisted by the organization more than 20 years ago are now adults, and some have become volunteers themselves. 

“It is community support passed from one generation to the next,” he said. 

The contribution of communities to the 95-95-95 targets has extended beyond helping individuals access services. Community representatives have brought people’s experiences to health workers and decision-makers, challenged discriminatory treatment and advocated for practical changes in the way services are delivered. 

Community feedback has contributed to longer clinic opening hours, peer counselling, multi-month dispensing of antiretroviral medicines and more accessible testing options. These changes have made it easier for people to start treatment and remain in care while managing work and family responsibilities. 

Mr Sophal is also proud of community advocacy to strengthen social protection for people living with HIV. 

Although HIV treatment in Cambodia is free, poverty, unstable employment, food insecurity and the cost of travelling to health facilities is still challenging.  

Community organisations have advocated for eligible people living with HIV to be connected to Cambodia’s IDPoor system- which identifies and registers households living in poverty. Those who qualify can receive Equity Cards, providing access to free public healthcare through the Health Equity Fund, as well as cash transfers and other forms of social assistance. 

However, Cambodia’s achievement does not mean that the HIV epidemic is over.  

“This achievement is a source of national pride, but it also comes with responsibility,” said Ieng Mouly, Senior Minister and Chair of the National AIDS Authority. “Our task now is to protect and sustain this progress through stronger country ownership and increased domestic investment in the national HIV response.” 

Cambodia’s 95-95-95 announcement comes at a critical time for the global HIV response. The UNAIDS Global AIDS Brief, released on 12 June 2026, warns that cuts in external financing, underinvestment in HIV prevention and community-led services, and growing restrictions on human rights and civic space could reverse hard-won gains. 

Community-led organizations are under particular financial pressure.  

“As external resources become more uncertain, protecting these gains will require sustained political leadership and investment in the fundamental elements of a multisectoral and collaborative HIV response,” said Patricia Ongpin, UNAIDS Country Director for Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia and Viet Nam.  

Mr Sophal welcomes the Cambodian Government’s growing investment in the HIV response, but says a sustainable mechanism is also needed to fund community organizations from domestic resources. Social contracting - through which the government finances community groups to deliver agreed services - could help protect the outreach, trust and local knowledge that contributed to Cambodia’s achievement.  

“As the first country in Asia and the Pacific to achieve the 95-95-95 targets, Cambodia sends a clear message to the region and the world: ending AIDS is possible when governments work closely with communities and keep people at the center of the response” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.  

For Mr Sophal, to end AIDS, the response needs to focus on the people who remain most affected by HIV. 

“If I were addressing heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly, I would ask them to remain focused on key populations,” he said. “They are among the people most affected by HIV and must not be left behind. If we protect their health and rights, we can end AIDS. My second message would be: continue investing in communities.” 

Three years ago, Adjovi Husunukpe co-founded the Western and Central African HIV+ Youth Network (RAJ+AOC) to connect with her peers and strengthen youth-led advocacy in the HIV response. “We wanted to be heard at a national and international level as one,” she said.   

The network known for its top-notch community outreach and linkage to care now has nearly 500 members across 14 countries but has hit some recent roadblocks.  

“We are all volunteers and are scraping by financially so it’s hard to project ourselves as individuals and as an organization,” said the Togolese born Ms Husunukpe. 

2025 saw a steep decrease in funding which specially affected community-led organizations. That meant a number of things for RAJ+AOC. They have to compete with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for financial support but are not considered equally.  

“People keep saying we are not legitimate because we are young people, which is unfair and untrue,” she said.  

On top of that, she said, HIV prevention and hard-fought youth-oriented programmes seem to have disintegrated into thin air. UNAIDS June Global AIDS report states that community-led organizations are often the last organizations to be funded by domestic resources and consequently have been some of the first to experience the impact of the 2025 international funding cuts. 

Adding to her worries may also be the loss of technical support from UNAIDS as country offices merge in the region.  

“We keep being told that we represent 60% of the population of the African continent but our sustainability hangs in the balance,” Ms Husunukpe said. 

Having been born with HIV and lost her parents at a young age, the 27-year-old argues that lived experience should be recognized as expertise. She and other youth leaders call for youth-led organizations to be meaningfully integrated into health policy and decision-making spaces. 

“We are invited to speak but are rarely included in drafting recommendations or shaping decisions,” the sociology student said. “Let us co-lead initiatives that respond to our real needs.” 

UNAIDS Regional HIV and Public Health Adviser, Ange-Valérie Meralli-Ballou, based in Dakar, said the data is clear. In 2025, 160,000 adolescent girls and young women acquired HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, 35% of all child HIV infections now occur in western and central Africa. Most of these infections are attributable to limited access to integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights services for youth and pregnant women. "We cannot continue to exclude the majority of the population and expect results," she said. 

In her mind, youth-led NGOs are not only willing but structurally positioned to integrate health systems if given the money and decision-making powers to do so. 

The Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 calls for promoting the creation and integration of community health centres, managed by local actors and community organizations in the region. It also strongly encourages countries to conduct communication campaigns using social media to raise HIV awareness. 

Pointing outside to young people gathered on a staircase with her outstretched right hand, Ms Meralli-Ballou said, “This strategy is a political tool or a roadmap if you will so let us use it to leverage resources, sustain youth engagement and agency, and build that future now.” 

When Jeremy Tan from Youth LEAD talks about HIV prevention among young people, he starts with where you can actually find them: online, in private messages, on dating apps and in community spaces. 

“We know how to use social media not just for entertainment but for real outreach,” said Mr Tan. “We know the trends, the language and the trust dynamics of those spaces. A government billboard cannot do that.” 

That kind of trust can help young people ask questions, consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP – medicine to prevent HIV), take an HIV test or stay connected to treatment and care.  

“A peer on a dating app who says, ‘By the way, PrEP is an option,’ can change someone’s perspective in seconds,” he said. 

This is what HIV prevention for young people looks like today: youth-led outreach that meets them where they are, speaks in language they trust, and works with government and clinic-based services to connect them to prevention, testing, treatment and care. 

In 2010, ahead of World AIDS Day, UNAIDS launched the #PreventionRevolution campaign, a social media initiative calling on people everywhere to learn, speak out and mobilise around HIV prevention.  

Twitter, now X, was still young. People across continents shared facts, personal stories, and calls to action. Some called it “edutweeting” - education through tweeting. 

But the idea was bigger than a hashtag. It was about making HIV prevention visible, people-driven and urgent. 

More than 15 years later, that call remains urgent, but the prevention landscape has changed. There are more prevention tools, more digital ways to reach people and more evidence of what works.  

However, HIV prevention services are still not reaching enough young people. 

In Asia and the Pacific, new HIV infections have fallen by only 17% since 2010, and several countries, including Afghanistan, Fiji, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, are experiencing fast-growing epidemics. 

Young people are among those most affected. In the Philippines, new HIV infections among young people increased more than sixfold between 2010 and 2024. In Fiji, the rise was even sharper - 28-fold over the same period, with young people also affected by the rapid increase in infections linked to injecting drug use. 

Since 2010, the HIV prevention toolbox has expanded: condoms, oral PrEP, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), HIV self-testing, harm reduction, the dapivirine vaginal ring and emerging long-acting injectable PrEP. But having more tools is not the same as making them accessible, trusted and usable for young people. 

Khin Cho Win Htin, UNAIDS Regional Adviser on HIV Prevention, says today’s prevention revolution must be about choice, access and services designed around people’s realities. 

“People do not live one-size-fits-all lives,” she said. “Different people need different tools at different moments in their lives.” 

A young person using drugs may need harm reduction services, PrEP and mental health support. Someone afraid to visit a health facility may first need an HIV self-test they can access privately. 

Across the region, youth-led organisations are helping turn that toolbox into something young people can understand, trust and use. 

In Viet Nam, Lighthouse Social Enterprise helped run the “K=K” campaign, the Vietnamese version of U=U, or undetectable equals untransmittable. Using Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, the campaign explained PrEP, U=U and HIV prevention in ways that felt normal rather than frightening. Instead of waiting for young people to come to a clinic, the campaign met them on their phones. 

In the Philippines, Wagayway Equality created the Equality Desk in Batangas City with support from the local government. The space supports young people, LGBTQI+ communities and people living with HIV with HIV screening, treatment referrals, legal services and other support. The information gathered through the desk is also used to advocate for better budgets and stronger local HIV responses. 

In Malaysia, youth-led organisations such as JEJAKA have worked with the government as PrEP navigators, helping guide and enroll community members into the national PrEP programme. 

These initiatives are not only about raising awareness.  They show how young people can make HIV prevention more practical, trusted and connected to services. 

But youth-led approaches need policy and financing support. 

“Young people know where their peers are, what they are afraid of and what kind of support will feel safe,” said Michela Polesana, UNAIDS Regional Adviser for Community-Led Responses. “But too often, laws, policies and funding systems stand in their way. Governments need to recognise youth- and community-led services as essential and create the conditions for them to work safely and sustainably.” 

This also means funding for scale up. Many youth-led prevention initiatives still depend on short-term or external support. As financing becomes less predictable, countries need to invest in the approaches that are already reaching young people, from digital outreach and PrEP navigation to peer support, testing referrals and community-based information. 

The call is also gaining political momentum. At the recent Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue ahead of the 2026 High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, Atonio Lalabalavu, Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services, called for a prevention revolution in the Pacific, highlighting youth-friendly services, comprehensive sexuality education, harm reduction and action to end stigma and discrimination as essential to getting HIV prevention back on track. 

Ahead of the June 2026 High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS, this youth-led experience carries a clear message: HIV prevention must move beyond tools and targets to real choices that young people can access and use, and youth-led organisations must be recognised, supported and funded as partners in the HIV response. 

UNAIDS, in collaboration with Avenir Health, has launched a new online tool to support countries to estimate the financial resources required to achieve the objectives set in their national AIDS plans. 

At a time of increasing pressure on global HIV financing, the tool provides countries with a practical, data-driven platform to inform strategic planning, funding applications, and to foster dialogue on domestic resource mobilization.

The Resource Needs estimation Tool enables users to estimate the financial resources required to reach coverage targets across key HIV programmes, including HIV prevention, testing, treatment, co-morbidities, health systems strengthening, and programme management. Covering 30 expenditure categories, the model draws on a database for 118 low- and middle-income countries, incorporating population data, current coverage levels, and unit costs.

By default, the model applies 2030 coverage targets, in line with the 2030 Global Targets to end AIDS, while allowing countries to fully customize inputs to reflect national strategies and priorities.". Outputs of the tool include annual estimates of people reached, financial needs by intervention and year, and requirements for 13 key HIV related health products/commodities.

The tool is already being used in several countries to support HIV costing exercises and Global Fund funding requests,including Mozambique, Eswatini, Viet Nam, Thailand, Kenya, and South Sudan.

Country ownership 

While the tool provides a robust analytical framework and curated datasets, countries are encouraged to validate all inputs and interpret results in line with local realities. This ensures that estimates remain grounded in national contexts and can be effectively used to inform policy and financing decisions. UNAIDS can provide targeted technical support, upon request and based on country context and needs, to facilitate use of the tool and interpretation of results.

By equipping countries with accessible and customizable tools, UNAIDS and Avenir Health aim to support stronger, evidence-based planning and more informed decision-making on HIV investments. 

“As countries face increasing financing pressures and the need to optimize limited HIV resources, country-led and adaptable approaches to resource needs estimation are becoming increasingly important to support evidence-based prioritization, sustainability planning, and progress towards ending AIDS,” noted Jaime Atienza, UNAIDS Director, Sustainability Practice.

The launch of the Resource Needs Estimation Tool complements UNAIDS’ broader work to strengthen HIV financing analytics, including the HIV Financial Dashboard, which offers detailed data on HIV spending and funding trends.

“The tool helps countries under constrained financing environments to generate strategic costing evidence to strengthen financing decisions. Planned enhancements will expand sub-national costing, customization of community-led service delivery modalities, and integration of societal enablers into costing analyses,” added Deepak Mattur, UNAIDS Senior Advisor on Resource Tracking and Health Products Monitoring and technical focal point for the Resource Needs Estimation Tool.

UNAIDS is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Vadim Valentinovich Pokrovsky, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a leading expert on HIV, on 20 May 2026 at the age of 71. 

Vadim Valentinovich Pokrovsky’s name is inseparably linked with the response to HIV from its earliest days, and his leadership role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV in Russia, across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and globally. 

Mr Pokrovsky diagnosed the first person living with HIV in the  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), established the specialized laboratory that became the Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Prevention and Control of AIDS, and long served as its head, pioneering Russia’s AIDS monitoring, testing and treatment strategies. He made enormous contributions to the creation of the network of HIV centres in the Russian Federation and other countries across the former Soviet Union. He also trained generations of epidemiologists and medical doctors working onAIDS in Russia and across the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. 

He was an active voice in the Russian and international media, inspired thousands of students and journalists, and always highlighted important messages about HIV prevention, condom use, timely testing and HIV treatment, and the status of the HIV epidemic in the Russian Federation. 

Many people living with HIV in Russia and other countries owe their lives and their careers to him, and millions more are grateful for helping them avoid acquiring HIV. 

For many years, Mr Pokrovsky was a trusted partner, advocate, and friend of UNAIDS. We are deeply grateful for his tireless and sincere dedication, outstanding professionalism, and immense contribution to the global HIV response. 

He was a remarkable scientist, exceptional doctor, and a courageous advocate in the fight to end AIDS. 

UNAIDS extends its deepest condolences to Vadim Valentinovich’s family, colleagues, friends at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, and to the entire HIV community in Russia and across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His loss is deeply felt by all those who knew him, worked with him, and were touched by his life’s work. 

Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have launched an Action Plan to End the HIV Epidemic (2026–2031). The plan was launched during a virtual high-level event that brought together representatives of governments, civil society organizations and international partners from across the APEC economies. 

According to the APEC HIV Project—a multistakeholder effort to accelerate progress towards ending the HIV epidemic across the Asia-Pacific region—an estimated 7 million people are living with HIV across APEC economies and 25% of new infections globally occur in APEC economies.  

While several countries are successfully approaching the 95–95–95 targets, progress remains uneven, and some continue to see rising HIV incidence. UNAIDS projections warn that, without accelerated scale-up of HIV prevention and treatment, Asia and the Pacific could see an estimated 320,000 new HIV infections annually by 2030. 

The Action Plan provides a practical roadmap to help countries strengthen political commitment, sustain financing, expand access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment, and remove barriers that continue to slow progress towards ending AIDS by 2030. 

Leonardo Chanqueo, Project Overseer of the APEC HIV Project and former head of Chile’s National HIV Programme, described the launch as “the beginning of a new phase of regional cooperation on HIV.” He stressed that while scientific tools to end AIDS already exist, many economies continue to face implementation gaps, stigma, financing challenges and legal barriers that limit access to HIV services. 

The Plan aims to address the key barriers slowing the HIV response, including declining political attention, unsustainable funding, legal and policy barriers, limited access to prevention, gaps in testing and care, delays in treatment and slow access to HIV innovations.  

The plan is built around six connected pillars, each focusing on an area where action is urgently needed. Each pillar explains the problem and suggests practical actions that governments and partners can adapt to their own context.  

Recommended actions include strengthening domestic HIV strategies and financing, reviewing laws and policies that limit access to services, expanding HIV prevention options such as PrEP, PEP and condoms, improving HIV data systems and training health workers to provide non-discriminatory, person-centred care. 

The Action Plan sets out shared targets, ways to measure progress, and recommended actions that countries can adapt to their own national contexts.   

“The challenge in ending AIDS is no longer technical. We have the tools. The challenge is sustaining the response amid fiscal pressures, health system transitions and competing priorities,” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “This Action Plan is more than a political signal that APEC economies remain committed to ending AIDS. It is a practical decision-making tool that gives governments and their partners a clear basis to prioritize HIV in national budgets and policy discussions, shift resources towards prevention and communities, and remove barriers that still limit access to services.” 

APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, brings together 21 economies, including countries and territories such as China, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Chile, and several Southeast Asian economies to promote trade, investment, growth, and cooperation. In the HIV field, APEC supports cross-economy collaboration on prevention, testing, treatment access, health systems, stigma reduction, and policies that help protect vulnerable and mobile populations. 

Watch launch event:

UNAIDS is heading to 79th World Health Assembly (#WHA79) taking place in Geneva from 18-23 May.   

This year’s World Health Assembly comes at a critical moment for the global AIDS response. The world is closer than ever to ending AIDS as a public health threat, yet that progress is at dire risk of being lost amid converging crises, widespread volatility and deepening inequalities. 

The landscape of the HIV response has changed dramatically, marked by shifts in health and HIV-specific funding and the overall aid architecture, mounting fiscal pressures, and a backlash against human rights.  

At the same time, the emergence of innovations and technologies offer exciting new opportunities to end AIDS, but only if political will and sustainable investment are maintained.  

UNAIDS main messages at the 79th World Health Assembly: 

1. The HIV epidemic is not over and there is an urgent need for global solidarity to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030—no country can do it alone.
2. Ending AIDS is possible and a pathway exists through the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 and through the upcoming United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS with the adoption of a powerful new Political Declaration on HIV.
3. Progress must not be lost and sustainability is key. Investments must be made in HIV prevention, treatment and community leadership. Shifts to country ownership must be supported responsibly and responses must be based on evidence, human rights and be people focused, leaving no one behind 

Side events co-hosted by UNAIDS at #WHA79

Saturday 16 May | 13:00 - 16:00 CEST

High-Level Ministerial Consultation on the Common African Position (CAP) to the High-Level Meeting on AIDS

Salle A, Building A, 1st Floor, WHO Headquarters
 
To strengthen Africa’s collective voice ahead of the 2026 UN High-Level Meeting on AIDS, the African Union Commission (AUC), with the support of UNAIDS, is leading the development of a Common African Position (CAP). The CAP will guide Africa’s negotiations on the 2026–2031 UN Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and ensure that the continent’s priorities, ownership, and long-term development vision under Agenda 2063 are reflected in global commitments.

This ministerial consultation, convened on the margins of the World Health Assembly, will review and adopt the CAP following regional expert consultations.
 
Organizers: African Union Commission (AUC) with the support of UNAIDS

Tuesday 19 May | 08:30 - 10:30 CEST

One Vision, One Future: Shaping the Next Chapter of Health Financing in Africa  

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Geneva 

This dialogue aims to advance delivery on both the Accra RESET and the African Union Africa Leadership Meeting Declaration, leveraging all related initiatives, by addressing four interconnected questions:   

1. What does political leadership for health financing sovereignty require? 

2. What political, fiscal, and institutional realities constrain this leadership? 

3. What concrete actions can be taken now? 

4. How can continental accountability be strengthened? 

For onsite or virtual participation, please register here by Friday, 15 May, 18:00 CET.  

Organized by: the governments of Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain and Japan, the African Union Commission, the European Union Commission and the AfroChampions Initiative. Supported by WHO, UNAIDS, the Global Fund and AFHIA. 

Contact: Sandra Orcí Gutiérrez - sandra.orcigutierrez@theglobalfund.org  

Wednesday 20 May | 07:00 - 09:00 CEST

Creating a Shared Vision to Advance Triple Elimination of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B: Commitment or Complacency?  

UNAIDS Kofi A. Annan room, 20 Av Appia, 1211 Geneva

The World Health Assembly offers a decisive moment to energize global leadership and convert policy and funding commitments into accelerated action on triple elimination (Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B). 

The high-level roundtable will review global and regional continental structures working on triple elimination and discuss how efforts can rapidly align.  

Organized by: The Business Council for International Understanding, UNAIDS, Abbott and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation 

Invitation only

Wednesday 20 May | 12:00-13:00 CEST

Inequality-Pandemic Leadership Dialogue

Kofi A. Annan Room, 20 Av Appia, 1211 Geneva 

Drawing on recommendations from the recently published Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics report Breaking the inequality-pandemic cycle: Building true health security in a global age, this conversation will seek to identify synergies among countries on inequalities and create opportunities for collaboration on a global policy agenda aimed at reducing the inequalities undermining health security globally.  

Organized by: UNAIDS and the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics 

Invitation only

Wednesday 20 May | 18:30 - 20:30 CEST 

The Value Collection 

Red Cross Museum, Av. de la Paix 17, 1202 Genève 

A curated immersive exhibition that illustrates the multi-faceted value of co-created, flexible service delivery models. Personal reflections, physical objects and video storyboards will concretize how community voice, healthcare innovation and multi-sectoral partnerships are enabling people-centered primary healthcare.  

Organized by: Harvard Medical School, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations, UNAIDS and Roche 

All WHA delegates are welcome to attend the exhibition. Register here.  

How you can engage  

• Follow @UNAIDS 
• Follow all events at the World Health Assembly 
• Bring the dialogue to your local community and your local leaders 
• For more information please contact: communications@unaids.org   

Media contact

For media related questions please contact:
Sophie Barton-Knott
+41 79 514 68 96

Quotes

Civil society organisations play a critical role in the AIDS response, including facilitating access to HIV prevention and treatment services. The Medical Research Foundation (MRF), based in Trinidad & Tobago, is a perfect example of this. With 5,202 people in care, MRF serves more than 70% of all people living with HIV in the country and has the distinction of being the largest non-governmental HIV treatment and care clinic in the English-speaking Caribbean. It is also increasingly recognised as a model demonstrating excellence in HIV care and service delivery, grounded in strong clinical outcomes, robust data systems, and patient-centered innovation.

Through its coordinated and patient-centered approach to treatment and care, MRF is helping thousands of people living with HIV achieve improved health outcomes, including viral suppression and undetectable status.

At the end of June 2025, its treatment programme reflected strong performance across the continuum of care. Of 5,146 clients retained on treatment, 5,000 received a viral load test in the past 12 months—an extraordinary 97% coverage—and 4,733 were virally suppressed, achieving the global 95% target. By September 2025, there were 5,202 individuals receiving ART at MRF, of whom 4,822 (95%) achieved viral suppression and 4,107 (79%) were undetectable. These outcomes reflect the sustained impact of adherence support, treatment counselling, and continuous clinical follow-up.

Equally notable is the decline in treatment interruptions, a key measure of programme retention. Through community engagement, adherence support, and proactive follow-up strategies, interruptions steadily decreased from 446 to 246 between 2024 and 2025.

MRF credits its dedicated staff and partners, including the Ministry of Health and PEPFAR/CDC, for the success of its treatment and care programme. According to Nyla Lyons, MRF’s Technical and Scientific Director, “MRF’s success is a powerful reminder that coordinated partnerships, patient-focused interventions, and strong monitoring systems can achieve extraordinary health outcomes for people living with HIV. We are demonstrating how data-driven, patient-centred care can turn what was once a public health challenge into a story of hope, resilience, and success.”

These achievements highlight MRF’s critical role as a bridge between government services, civil society, and international partners, ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality care for people living with HIV. The combination of high viral suppression rates, sustained retention, and declining treatment interruptions underscores a model of care that is both effective and scalable. Sustaining and building on these gains will require continued investment, commitment, and innovation, which MRF is well-positioned to lead as it continues to demonstrate excellence in HIV care and service delivery in the Caribbean.

"MRF's partnership with the Ministry of Health is an example of the kinds of collaboration between government and civil society, including communities, that are essential for achieving and sustaining public health outcomes,” said Luisa Cabal, UNAIDs Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “The Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 endorses and places strong emphasis on the important role these partnerships play in the HIV response. UNAIDS commends MRF on the work they have been doing and their impressive achievements last year."

A new initiative launched by UNAIDS in Brazil uses the popularity of funk music among young people to promote HIV prevention. Called Cover It (Proibidão Protegidão in Brazilian Portuguese), the campaign uses colourful illustrations with messages about condom use and other HIV prevention methods that are displayed when a selected group of songs play on Spotify.  

The campaign was designed to reach young people, especially Gen Z, directly through their media consumption channels. Young people are both the prime listeners of Brazilian funk music as well as one of the groups most affected by HIV. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, young people aged between 15 to 29 accounted for 49% of all new HIV diagnosis in the country in 2024.  

These data are consistent with the results of a survey conducted by the Brazilian Statistic Institute in 2024, which showed that in Brazil the percentage of young people under the age of 18 who reported using condoms during sexual intercourse dropped from 73% in 2009 to 57% in 2024. 

Innovation in format: from entertainment to prevention 

The campaign uses Spotify Canvas—a tool featuring eight-second looping videos that accompany track playback—as a novel media space. Hits by artists such as MC Livinho, MC Mari, and MC Pikachu had their original visuals replaced with animations promoting condom use. Combined, these tracks reach approximately 300 million views on the platform, significantly increasing the potential to reach adolescents and young people. 

The choice of funk as an awareness platform reflects the genre’s massive reach among Gen Z. By occupying the visual space of “proibidão funk” (forbidden funk) tracks, UNAIDS introduces protection into a context where sexuality is already openly discussed, but access to information that promotes autonomy and informed prevention choices is often overlooked.  

“Adapting language and promoting HIV prevention communication based on autonomy and choice is part of the necessary shift toward an equitable HIV response that meets the specific needs of different groups—especially young people, who continue to be the most affected by new HIV infections,” says Thainá Kedzierski, UNAIDS Brazil Communication and Advocacy Officer. 

Some of the tracks featured in the campaign include “Flauta,” by MC Mari, “Lá no Meu Barraco,” by MC Pikachu and “Fazer Falta,” by MC Livinho. You can access the UNAIDS Brazil Spotify playlist here with the full list of songs and artists participating in the initiative. 

In Brazil,the Unified Health System (SUS) offers a range of HIV prevention methods including free access to PrEP, PEP, male and female condoms, lubricants, HIV self-testing, as well as antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV.