BERLIN/GENEVA, 13 October 2025—Parliamentarians from around the world met with policymakers and partners at the World Health Summit in Berlin to foster dialogue on how to mobilize political will, defend equal rights and build inclusive and sustainable responses to HIV.

“Parliamentarians have long been a cornerstone of international efforts to end AIDS, pushing for efforts to secure substantial funding, technical expertise, and political advocacy to ensure equitable access to life-saving HIV treatment and prevention services,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “As we work towards ending AIDS by 2030, partnerships with governments that prioritize human rights and equity remain critical.”

The event was organized by UNAIDS, UNITE - Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, the Global Equality Caucus, and STOPAIDS, under the umbrella of the Global Parliamentary Platform on HIV and AIDS. Hosted by German MP Sasha van Beek, participants focused on reinforcing global collaboration to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and advance human rights for populations most affected by HIV. Participants underscored the urgent need for renewed global commitment to HIV financing and to strengthening cooperation between North and South.

“Over the past 30 years, the HIV response has offered one of the greatest lessons in global health. Today, parliamentarians hold both the responsibility and the power to advance and revitalize that response. This dialogue reaffirms and strengthens that commitment,” emphasized UNITE’s Executive Director, Dr. Guilherme Duarte.

During the breakfast, parliamentarians reaffirmed their commitment to advancing policies that address structural inequalities and protect vulnerable populations. Discussions focused on improving access to HIV services, eliminating stigma and discrimination, and ensuring the protection of rights for women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people, who continue to face disproportionate barriers in accessing healthcare.

Parliamentarians also echoed UNAIDS’ call for long-acting injectable medicines that are effective in preventing new HIV infections to be affordable and available for all. UNAIDS estimates that if 20 million people in highest need, including men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs and young women and adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa have access to antiretroviral prevention medicines, it could dramatically reduce new infections and significantly advance progress towards ending AIDS by 2030.

“Game-changing medicines like Lenacapavir have created the very real possibility of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030,” said Mike Podmore, CEO of STOPAIDS. “However, overseas development aid reductions risk undermining our ability to realize this opportunity and even reverse existing progress. Parliamentarians, uniting in partnership around the world through mechanisms like The Global Parliamentary Platform for HIV, are essential voices to make sure their governments play their part and invest now to reach the incredible goal of ending AIDS.”

Parliamentarians from Germany, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Sweden, the United States, Uganda and Zimbabwe participated in the event which took place on the opening day of the World Health Summit.

"An equitable HIV response should remain a key priority in the actions of governments to address the disproportionate impact that HIV has on marginalised communities, such as LGBT+ people,” said Aron le Fèvre, Executive Director of the Global Equality Caucus. “Parliamentarians have an important role holding governments to account, and forums such as the Global Parliamentary Platform are crucial to developing the partnerships needed to support lawmakers in their parliamentary and policy advocacy."

As the World Health Summit continues, UNAIDS will underscore the importance of sustained political leadership, international cooperation, and human-rights-centred approaches in the fight against AIDS.

UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook X Instagram and YouTube.

UNITE
UNITE is a non-profit, non-partisan global network of current and former members of parliament from multinational, national, state and regional Parliaments, Congresses, and Senates committed towards the promotion of efficient, sustainable and evidence-based policies for improved global health systems in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The network currently has over 520 Parliamentarians in 119 countries. Learn more at unitenetwork.org and connect with us on LinkedIn,Facebook, X, and Instagram.

GENEVA, 11 October 2025—UNAIDS proudly presents, ‘Ghotul,’ a short film about a conversation between a daughter and her mother about how she met her father and how she navigated dating and relationships when she was younger.

The mother explains that she lived in a Ghotul. These were real institutions within the Muria and Gond tribes of India. They were youth dormitories where boys and girls lived and learned about social customs and sexuality in a culturally sanctioned setting.

In the film, the mother recalls her years in the Ghotul describing one boy as pushy while another was nervous. Her future husband, she explains, respected her and she felt listened to. The narrative highlights that what protects young women most is not silence, but safe spaces to learn, talk, and choose.

Longstanding gender inequalities, discrimination and poverty deny many women and adolescent girls' economic autonomy, depriving them of control over their sexual lives, and exposing them to the risk of emotional and bodily harm. These factors increase the risk of HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV prevalence among adolescent girls and young women is more than three times higher than among their male counterparts.

More than 21 million adolescent girls aged between 15 and 19 become pregnant each year and every week 4000 adolescent girls become infected with HIV. This is why this year, on International Day of the Girl Child, UNAIDS is reiterating the importance of comprehensive sexuality education. Such education not only prevents HIV among adolescent boys and girls, it also reduces teenage pregnancy, and provides longer term benefits for young women, including better chances at decent work and economic growth.

“By knowing the facts and educating young people about their sexual health, we can help them feel safe and stay safe,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.

The film was the brainchild of advertising executive and feminist, Swati Bhattacharya.

“In the tribal wisdom, elders spoke freely with adolescents about love, desire, and growing bodies, not to shame them, but to guide them,” she said. “Today, when young children often turn to the internet for answers, Ghotul reminds us of the need to bring those honest, caring conversations back into our homes.

Indira Tiwari, a leading Indian actress plays the mother while model and actor Puja Kulay stars as the daughter. Fascinated by her mother’s account, the daughter looks dismayed saying, ‘There are no more ghotuls.’ Her mother smiles and answers, ‘It exists, it has just shrunk in size,’ while gesturing towards a box, suggesting that a safe space for exploring choices can still be reclaimed.

The story, ‘Ghotul,’ was written by Shruti Johri, a published author who works with tribal girls and their families through education projects in India. Shashanka ‘Bob’ Chaturvedi from Good Morning Films directed the 12-minute feature.

The film has garnered early support from prominent voices in cinema, like Guneet Moga, one of India’s most acclaimed film producers. She has twice won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. Inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018, she has been recognized globally as a trailblazing woman in entertainment and among the top 50 Indians changing India.

“Few films dare to enter the fragile space of love, desire, and agency with such dignity,” Ms Moga said. “Ghotul reminds us that indigenous traditions once placed equality at the centre of adolescence by giving voice to girls, while also celebrating softer masculinities in boys. This is storytelling with courage, compassion, and cultural depth.”

The video can be viewed in full here

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.