Press Statement

NAIROBI, 13 December 2024—The 55th meeting of UNAIDS’ Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) has concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, with Board members reaffirming their commitment to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030. Taking place in Africa for the first time in 18 years, the PCB meeting came at a critical moment for the AIDS response as new scientific advances bring the hope of ending the AIDS pandemic closer than ever and as UNAIDS embarks on developing the next Global AIDS Strategy and building political support for new 2030 HIV goals.

In her opening remarks to the Board the Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima said, “Let us make it possible for people living with HIV today to get the best science for HIV prevention and treatment that exists wherever they are in the world. Let us do this as a matter of sustainability to end this disease, as a matter of social justice, as a matter of human rights and as a matter of public health.”

In the session on Leadership in the AIDS Response, civil society and community activists expressed how breakthrough medicines must be shared equitably to reach the people most in need to accelerate progress towards ending AIDS. Countries demonstrated appreciation and solidarity with UNAIDS with some taking the opportunity to announce funding commitments to UNAIDS during the meeting. France announced a new €1.8 million commitment, via Expertise France, its public international cooperation agency, for equitable and sustainable financing for the AIDS response in southeast Asia, while the Netherlands announced a €23 million core funding contribution to UNAIDS for 2025. Denmark also declared a multi-year financial agreement for 2024—2029, with an expected annual contribution of DKK 40 million.

The Board underscored the need for the world to accelerate toward the 2025 targets.  It also agreed to accelerate the Joint Programme’s work on sustainability and received an update on the ongoing work of the High-level panel on a resilient and fit-for-purpose UNAIDS Joint Programme in the context of the sustainability of the HIV response, with Board members confirming their expectation to consider bold and transformational recommendations at the next PCB on reforming the Joint Programme’s operating model.

A thematic segment on addressing inequalities in children and adolescents to end AIDS by 2030 was held on the last day of the PCB. Board members discussed how to close the persistent gaps and challenges in the response to AIDS in children and adolescents and explored strategies, innovations and programme successes to accelerate HIV prevention, treatment, protection, care and support for pregnant women, children and adolescents.

Sitsope Adjovi, a young HIV activist from Togo’s Network of Positive Children, Adolescents and Youth Innovating for Renewal (REAJIR+) said, “Young people are capable of doing what it takes and are ready to be engaged. it's no longer AIDS that's killing children, teenagers and young people. It's inappropriate policies, interventions and programmes that threaten our lives.” 

There were 120 000 new HIV infections among children aged 0—14 in 2023 and 1.4 million children were living with HIV, 86% of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa. Just 57% of children living with HIV were on treatment in 2023 compared with 77% of adults and every 8 minutes a child died of an AIDS-related illness.

“When we know what works, when we know it is possible to end transmission of HIV to children, every new infection is a collective policy failure. A failure that we must address at every level of the HIV response by bridging the gaps between policy and delivery.” said Ms Byanyima.

The UNAIDS PCB brings together civil society, cosponsors and United Nations member states to help chart the co-creation of the future of the response to HIV, including the development of the next Global AIDS Strategy, the vision for 2030 and beyond. 

The 55th meeting of the PCB was chaired by Kenya, with Brazil serving as the Vice-Chair and the Netherlands as Rapporteur. The 56th meeting to be held in June 2025 will be chaired by Brazil, with the Netherlands serving as Vice-Chair and Kenya as Rapporteur.

Read the Report to the Board by the UNAIDS Executive Director.

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.

NAIROBI, 10 December 2024—Today, at the 55th Programme Coordinating Board for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), HIV leaders from across the world called for access to long-acting medicines for everyone who would benefit from them, to build toward a new era in the AIDS response.

Over the last two years, scientific breakthroughs have brought to the fore a new class of anti-HIV medicines with long-acting effects, allowing people at risk of HIV infection and those living with the virus to take medicines every few months. One is injected just twice a year. Recent studies have shown these medicines to be among the most effective ever developed. One study showed zero new infections among young African women using long-acting prevention drugs, while a study among key populations showed them more effective than oral medicines. Another study highlighted at the session showed encouraging results using long-acting HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries.

At the “Leadership in the AIDS Response” session at the UNAIDS board, government officials, researchers, manufacturers, and civil society called for accelerating global access to use these scientific breakthroughs to interrupt the continuing AIDS pandemic. Despite existing HIV prevention tools, in 2023 an estimated 1.3 million people newly contracted HIV – two every minute. Despite HIV treatment, there is still one AIDS-related deaths every minute.

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said: “We can usher in a new era by connecting technological innovation with access for all. Let us act boldly together, bring down the curve of new infections, and dramatically accelerate the HIV response.

“Let us learn from the painful lessons of the past so that we write a new story now. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, even after antiretroviral medicines were proven to be effective and rolled out in high-income countries, 12 million people on this continent still died waiting for those drugs. We can - and must – do better with long-actings. We urge the companies producing these medicines to expand their generics licenses. And we support governments making use of all their legal flexibilities to get access to affordable medicines.

“The usual trajectory is that the Global South waits years before the science reaches them. What if we do not wait for years, what if we ensure that science is treated as the public good it is? What if we disrupt the far too slow trajectory we are on and shift to a trajectory that accelerates progress, ends the pandemic, enables sustainability, and can be a model for the world?"

Secretary Ethel Maciel, Secretary of Health of Brazil, said: “Brazil has a long history of making use of technology in the HIV response. The possibility of having new long-acting medicines in the global response is a great opportunity. But we have the huge challenge of the high cost of these medicines, and the difficulty for a range of countries, including ours, to access them.

“Brazil is committed to work together in the fight to ensure that this new technology is made available to all people all over the world who are at risk of and living with HIV.”

Dr Cissy Kityo, Executive Director of the Joint Clinical Research Centre, Uganda, a leading scientist working on trials of long-acting medicines said:  “We have these fantastic new tools. The technology of long-acting ARV’s antiretrovirals is remarkable. The evidence is now clear that long acting medicines will be game-changers for both prevention and treatment. The science is in, the question is how well we will use it.”

Mr Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Secretary of State for Health, Spain, said: “This new long-acting technology puts us in an exceptional situation, not an ordinary one, an opportunity that we cannot afford to miss. Long-acting medicines can change the landscape of the HIV response. But if this game-changing innovation did not reach the people it would be a nothing-changer!

“We need to remember the 2000s’ fight for universal access. We cannot repeat the same mistakes and delays of before. We need to ensure that no countries should be pressured if they choose to use the safeguards in the TRIPS agreement. The inequality gap is a global problem. We need a universal perspective, so that all countries, including middle-income countries, are included.”

Dr Sylvia Vito, Africa Head of EVA Pharma, a company in Egypt licensed to produce a generic version of lenacapavir, said: “We are a company that will not sit comfortably, but rather be in a good hurry to support the unmet HIV medical needs for our people. We intend to move fast on product development, production, and eventual registration. It is our intention that high quality long-acting generic ARV medicine will not only be available, but made accessible and affordable as well. We intend to beat the current standard of care in HIV treatment and prevention by going further to improve on the current options for patients in low and middle-income countries.”

The importance of generic production was central to the interventions of speakers. Several speakers noted the obstacle that much of Latin America, a region of rising HIV infections, has been excluded from companies’ voluntary licenses for generic versions. This is despite Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Argentina participating in clinical trials. Speakers highlighted the importance of using TRIPS flexibilities for enabling access under World Trade Organization rules, which can enable governments to supply its citizens with generic versions of patented treatments either through domestic production or imports. In the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, countries committed to make use of TRIPS flexibilities, specifically geared to promoting access to medicines.

Although Gilead Sciences, the producer of lenacapavir, one of the new class of long-acting medicines, has not yet announced the price of its product for use as PrEP, it costs around $40,000 per person per year in the United States where it is used for treatment. However, experts have estimated that it could be produced and sold for $40 per person per year, in line with UNAIDS estimates for sustainable pricing in low- and middle-income countries. Speakers highlighted opportunities to bring down the price of these medicines through generics, expanded local and regional production, and the use of TRIPS flexibilities by member states.

One important opportunity for progress emphasized by speakers was to build on the progress on multilateral collaboration made by Brazil, which as chair of the G20 in 2024, successfully secured worldwide support for the Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access, laying the foundations for a greatly expanded and more equitable access to medicines.

Speakers noted also the importance of choice, and of widening access to a range of new technologies, of which lenacapavir is just one. Speakers highlighted important current innovations including 2-monthly injectable cabotegravir and a three-month dapivirine vaginal ring, as well as new technologies currently in the pipeline including a once-a-month pill may move into phase 3 trials next year.

Reinforcing the importance of accelerating access to long-acting medicines, The New England Journal of Medicine has today published an article by UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, Linda-Gail Becker of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, and Matthew Kavanagh of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, entitled “Long-Acting HIV Medicines and the Pandemic Inequality Cycle — Rethinking Access”.

The article showed that the “pandemic inequality cycle” in HIV has usually meant a decade delay between access to breakthrough HIV technologies in the global North and the global South.

In their article the authors write: “The world may look back on 2024 as a pivotal time in the fight against AIDS — the start of a revolution in the global biomedical response to HIV using long-acting antiretroviral medicines. Whether they will do so depends on whether policymakers and pharmaceutical companies avoid repeating past mistakes.”

The authors call for “a nonlinear approach to global access to ARVs that combines far more rapid sharing of technology, decentralized global production, and research and development of products that meet the needs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”

They highlight the need for progress on long-acting treatment as well as prevention and “to break the long-standing pattern of failing to get HIV technologies to the people who need them most, to stop playing catch-up, stop accepting that innovations must reach people in the Global South years late, and use long-acting medicines to help end the pandemic.” The article is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2412286

The importance of long-actings, and what is at stake in the discussions on access, was summed up by Jerop Limo, a 26 year old Kenyan activist born living with HIV who is Executive Director of the Ambassador for Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (AYARHEP):

“Taking a pill every day is not easy. It is a constant reminder of being different, and the stigmatising and shaming we experience because of it can discourage us from taking our medicines.

“This is not just about convenience. Young people living with HIV, and young people at risk of HIV, are clear: with all the pressures we face, long-acting medicines would help us stay on the medicines and help transform, and save, our lives.

“We deserve to live, and to live fully. We can’t have access on paper only. We need access for all people in all countries.

“I am inspired to see leaders coming together to centre communities and to call for access to long-acting HIV medicines. With partnership we can do this. We don’t have time to wait.”

The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board brings together governments, civil society and the United Nations to help guide the HIV response. UNAIDS sees the development of long-actings as a vital disruptive innovation.

“The arrival of long-acting injections is a game-changer which can help prevent millions of new HIV infections, if we ensure access to all who would benefit from them,” said Ms Byanyima. “Today, in Nairobi, leaders in the global HIV response took a bold and vital step forward on the path to access for all.”

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.

GENEVA, 10 December 2024—The world can end AIDS—if the human rights of people living with or affected by HIV are respected, protected and fulfilled, to put communities in the lead and ensure equitable access to high-quality HIV services.

The HIV response has come a long way. The progress made to date on HIV prevention and treatment services has been made possible, in large part, thanks to the advocacy of people living with HIV, communities and civil society allies, demanding treatment, demanding services, demanding dignity, demanding action – demanding their rights.

Over 30 million people are now on treatment, and annual numbers of new HIV infections have declined by 39% since 2010. However we still have a long way to go. In 2023, 1.3 million people around the world newly acquired HIV—three times higher than the global target set for 2025 of no more than 370 000 new acquisitions.

“An approach grounded in human rights is vital to enable meaningful engagement of communities and access to HIV services for all without discrimination” said Christine Stegling, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director. “HIV services will reach the people most in need only if their human rights are upheld; if communities are in the lead, discriminatory and harmful laws are removed; HIV-related stigma, discrimination and violence are effectively tackled and if access to life-saving medicines is assured.”

Fostering resilient societies where human rights are protected and communities are enabled to lead requires long-term structural and systemic changes. If we are to have a sustainable HIV response, we must have a sustainable, well-resourced, approach to human rights.

On World AIDS Day, 1 December, UNAIDS released a report ‘The Rights Path’ to show what can be done. It shares examples from around the world of proven policies and programmes that are succeeding in protecting health and HIV services by protecting rights.

The HIV response is at a crossroads. We can end AIDS, if we take the rights path. Let us walk it together.

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.

GENEVA, 8 October 2024—Responding to ViiV’s announcement on long-acting cabotegravir , UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said:

“New HIV prevention medication, in the form of a long-acting injection, could transform the lives of people who struggle to take daily pills. The option of an injection that only needs to be taken once every few months is vital for people who face stigma when seen with pills, and those who are driven underground by criminalizing laws.

The people most in need of this long-acting option include adolescent girls, LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, and people who use drugs.

The arrival of long-acting injections is truly a game-changer – it can help prevent millions of new HIV infections.

But this will only happen if everyone who would benefit has access. When medicines are lifesaving, delays are fatal.

To ensure affordable pricing and worldwide availability for everyone who needs these medicines, enabling access to generic versions in all low- and middle-income countries is essential. But ViiV continues to lock out many low- and middle-income countries from this possibility. Shockingly, the company has even launched a legal challenge against Colombia for trying to access a generic version of another lifesaving HIV medicine, dolutegravir.

ViiV's announcement on increasing production of long-acting cabotegravir  is a welcome first step, but their next steps must follow fast. It is not enough for ViiV to increase the number of doses up for sale.

I urge ViiV to show leadership on access to medicines now by announcing an affordable not-for-profit price, dropping its harmful legal challenge, and enabling all low and middle-income countries to access generic versions of its medicines.

That is how they can help ensure this scientific breakthrough fulfils its potential and how they can help bring an end to the AIDS pandemic."

/ENDS

Note: ViiV’s announcement can be read on their site at https://viivhealthcare.com/hiv-news-and-media/news/press-releases/2024/october/triple-annual-supply-of-long-acting-hiv-prep-for-low-and-middle-income-countries/

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.

GENEVA, 2 October 2024—Responding to today’s announcement by Gilead on lenacapavir, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said:

“We welcome Gilead’s announcement of licensing the break-through HIV medicine lenacapavir for generic production. To stem the tide of new infections, and protect people most at risk from HIV, including young women and people from marginalised communities, long-acting HIV medicines are vital. Lenacapavir, which requires only two injections per year, could be game changing – if all who would benefit can access it.

We applaud Gilead for licensing the medicine without waiting for registration, which should be the norm. We are battling a pandemic and the speed at which generic versions come to market will dictate whether this medicine can really be transformative.  At UNAIDS we commit to doing all we can to speed up this process.

Including an African producer in Egypt is also very welcome.

Much more work is still urgently needed to ensure that no one who needs lenacapavir is left behind and that Gilead’s commitment to rapid, affordable access is fulfilled.

The exclusion of many middle-income countries from the licenses is deeply worrying and undermines the potential of this scientific breakthrough.

HIV prevention products need to be deployed where new HIV infections are highest – and right now, forty-one percent of new infections are in upper-middle income countries. UNAIDS urges Gilead to secure further licenses for access in all low and middle-income nations.

We welcome Gilead’s statement of commitment to non-profit pricing, but we had been waiting eagerly for a specific price. We urge Gilead to disclose it, and to provide full transparency on their costs. Respected researchers have shown it is possible to produce and sell lenacapavir for $100 per patient per year, falling to as little as $40.

Manufacturing this medicine in African countries with the highest HIV rates is crucial for sustainability and Gilead should include manufacturers in countries like South Africa where there is strong production capacity. We at UNAIDS stand ready to assist.

UNAIDS urges Gilead to secure further licenses for access in all low and middle-income nations.

We urge Gilead also to do all it can to make lenacapavir viable for treatment in low- and middle-income countries, including working together with researchers to test new combinations. Over 30 million people worldwide taking HIV treatment every day deserve long-acting options. We recognize that Gilead has included treatment use in the license, where some companies have not, but we urge that they remove the current limitation in the license to “heavily treatment-experienced patients.” To support scientists and manufacturers worldwide, licenses should not be limited to specific uses.

Leaving no one behind is how to unlock lenacapavir’s full potential, fulfil Gilead’s promise, protect a generation from HIV and bring forward the end of the AIDS pandemic."

Note: Gilead’s announcement can be read on their site at https://www.gilead.com/news/news-details/2024/gilead-signs-royalty-free-voluntary-licensing-agreements-with-six-generic-manufacturers-to-increase-access-to-lenacapavir-for-hiv-prevention-in-high-incidence-resource-limited-countries
 

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.

GENEVA, 1 October 2024—UNAIDS expresses deep concern over the recently adopted anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Georgia, which poses serious risks to public health and human rights.

UNAIDS supports the UN Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights' statement that these laws will “impose discriminatory restrictions on education, public discussion, and gatherings related to sexual orientation and gender identity.”

These discriminatory laws violate fundamental rights to autonomy, dignity, and equality, exacerbating stigma and hindering LGBTQ+ people's access to essential health services. This undermines Georgia’s efforts to end AIDS and combat other infectious diseases.

UNAIDS reiterates that laws discriminating against LGBTQ+ individuals have no place in modern society. They lead to harassment, discrimination, violence and social exclusion, jeopardizing efforts to end the HIV epidemic. We call on Georgian authorities to repeal these harmful laws, as they will further isolate marginalized communities and worsen public health outcomes.

Stigma kills, but solidarity saves lives. Upholding the rights of LGBTQ+ people is crucial to advancing public health, social cohesion, and equality for all.

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.

GENEVA, 19 August 2024—UNAIDS is calling on the international community to respond swiftly and decisively to the World Health Organization’s declaration of the mpox outbreak in several African countries as a public health emergency of international concern. The move came after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) made a similar declaration for the region.

“The emergence of a new and more contagious variant of mpox, and the devastating impact it is having on communities, across Africa, especially those most vulnerable including from HIV and AIDS, is alarming,” said Angeli Achrekar, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme. “We must call on international efforts to focus on ensuring vaccines and treatments are accessible and available to all who need them and draw on the experience of the AIDS movement to ensure a response rooted in solidarity, compassion, inclusion, and equity.”

Many communities affected by mpox face discrimination, similar to people who are affected by HIV and AIDS. Stigma and discrimination undermine epidemic responses, driving people with symptoms underground and hindering efforts to protect public health. UNAIDS urges people to show compassion and solidarity to people affected, not intolerance and discrimination. We at UNAIDS, across the entire Joint Programme, also emphasize the crucial role of involving communities in every stage of the response—from development to implementation and monitoring.

The emergence of the 2024 mpox variant once again demonstrates the need for international, multisectoral coordination and solidarity to end pandemics. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is committed to bring its expertise and support to countries to help.  UNAIDS urges all media covering the crisis to follow the regular updates being issued by WHO and Africa CDC.

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.

Joint Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima

GENEVA, 19 July 2024 — As courts and parliaments in a number of countries are in the midst of considering the legal framework around the rights of LGBTQ+ people, we highlight that punitive laws against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people violate human rights and undermine public health.

Such laws cost lives.

Laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ people must be consigned to history – and a growing number of countries are doing just that. 

The big – and very welcome – global shift is away from criminalization. Over two-thirds of countries now do not criminalize LGBTQ+ people.

In the last 10 years alone, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Cook Islands, Dominica, Gabon, India, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Singapore, and Trinidad and Tobago have all repealed laws that had criminalized LGBTQ+ people. 

There is a whole host of reasons why such laws must be scrapped.

Such laws are based on prejudice.

As Namibia's High Court recently noted, "the enforcement of the private moral views of a section of the community (even if they form the majority of that community), which are based to a large extent on nothing more than prejudice, cannot qualify as such a legitimate governmental purpose."

Such laws infringe upon human rights. 

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court put it clearly: “The criminalization of same-sex sexual expression between consenting adults is intrusive by its very nature and thereby offends the right to liberty and personal privacy.”

Many such laws are actually legacies of colonialism, imposed by colonial powers themselves. 

The now scrapped punitive anti-LGBTQ+ law in Mauritius, the Supreme Court of Mauritius recently noted, “was not the expression of domestic democratic will but was a course imposed on Mauritius and other colonies.”

Such laws harm public health.

Criminalization of LGBTQ+ people generates justified fear amongst people who need access to health services, and amongst the frontline workers who provide those services.

In criminalizing countries, there is decreased provision and uptake of HIV prevention services, and decreased uptake of HIV care and treatment services. A study in sub-Saharan Africa showed that HIV-prevalence among gay men and men who have sex with men was five times higher in countries that criminalized same-sex relationships than in non-criminalized settings.

Criminalizing countries have significantly lower rates of both knowledge of HIV status and HIV viral suppression among all people living with HIV.

Such punitive laws have no “law and order” justification.

In decriminalizing homosexuality in Singapore, there was clear recognition by the Government that there was no basis for making private sexual behaviour between consenting adults a crime.

Such laws lead to harassment.

As the Supreme Court of India has stated, punitive legislation has “become an odious weapon for the harassment of the LGBT community by subjecting them to discrimination and unequal treatment.”

There is extensive evidence that such discriminatory laws increase exposure of people to brutal hate crimes, police abuse, harassment, blackmail, torture, and denial of access to healthcare, education and housing. 

They also drive impunity and undermine the rule of law, harming LGBTQ+ people, their families, communities, and the whole of society. 

Stigma kills. Solidarity saves lives.

The progress that has been won around the world, in legislation and attitudes, needs to continue, as does the increasing recognition that people should not be criminalized for who they are and whom they love.

Anti-rights policies, proposals and propaganda need to be challenged head on.

Together, we call on all countries to remove all punitive laws against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.

Decriminalization of LGBTQ+ people is vital for protecting everyone’s human rights and everyone’s health.

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.

In April, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, governments renewed their commitment and determination to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the principles of which are embedded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including commitments to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services and to advance reproductive rights.1

Significant progress has been made over the past three decades. Since 1990, the number of women using modern contraception has doubled. Since 2000, maternal mortality has declined by 34 per cent. By 2022, access to HIV treatment had averted an estimated 20.8 million deaths globally. More recently, however, this progress has stalled and in some instances is reversing. Looking forward, the prospect of continued progress is far from guaranteed. The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent and increasing conflict, climate change, rising inequalities and deepening polarization are all undermining access to quality, essential health services. These setbacks demand urgent action.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by these challenges, hindering their right to make informed decisions and exercise full bodily autonomy without coercion, violence or discrimination – fundamental human rights. Equitable and sustainable access to human rights–based sexual and reproductive health interventions and information remains beyond the reach of many – especially marginalized women, adolescent girls and those living in humanitarian crises and conflict zones. The latest data show that close to half of women of reproductive age cannot make their own informed decisions about whether or when to become pregnant, and many still lack the autonomy and agency to fully exercise their reproductive rights.

On World Population Day, as UN agencies mandated to advance the health and rights of all people and ensure no one is left behind, we call upon the global community, including governments, donors, civil society organizations, and the private sector to strengthen access to a comprehensive package of sexual and reproductive health services as part of universal health coverage, delivered through resilient health systems including at the primary healthcare level. We underscore the need to implement evidence-based, normative guidance to strengthen access to affordable, high quality and rights-based care. To ensure services are acceptable to all, efforts are needed to eliminate stigma and discrimination and dismantle harmful social and gender norms.

We also call for accelerated access to comprehensive sexuality education and strengthened action across social sectors, such as education and gender, to enhance the health and well-being of girls and women throughout their lives. Promoting comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is not only the right thing to do – it is also the smart thing to do. Investing in women’s and girls’ reproductive rights and agency and expanding access to services is proven to have remarkable returns, including in terms of social wellbeing, economic prosperity and peace, which our world so desperately needs. Additional financing from all sources – domestic, international, public, private – is essential to create long-term positive outcomes for women and girls.

We must also urgently support the increasing efforts of young people, women and communities to speak up about sexual and reproductive health concerns and to design and deliver solutions that respond to their needs and to the realities of a changing world, where climate change in particular, affects sexual and reproductive health and rights. An inclusive, bottom-up approach to designing and delivering health interventions with and for communities can deliver more sustainable results and reach those who are furthest left behind.

We urge the public and private sectors to collaborate in exploring cutting-edge technologies like telemedicine, artificial intelligence, big data analytics and predictive modeling to bridge geospatial gaps and expand access to essential services, particularly in remote and underserved areas. At the same time, we call on innovators to address the risks inherent in these new technologies, including gender gaps in access, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and systematic biases embedded in tech design.

Finally, we call upon governments, communities, civil society organizations and the private sector to unite to prioritize universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, in ways that advance gender equality and promote the full realization of human rights, in line with the groundbreaking vision of the ICPD Programme of Action. We ask for more than a commitment, more than business as usual — this is an appeal to collaborate and innovate in ways that ensure everyone can realize their rights to health, dignity and security. As we head towards the Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly in September, now is the time to act boldly and decisively, forging a path towards a more just, equitable and sustainable world for all.

Thirty years ago in Cairo, 179 governments adopted a framework that recognized sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights and the empowerment of women and girls as foundational pillars of sustainable development – the landmark Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. As UN agencies, we stand together committed to advancing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, which are integral to everyone’s right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and essential for the achievement of gender equality.

[1] https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/content/regional-reviews-icpd-programme-action

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.

GENEVA, 21 JUNE 2024—UNAIDS applauds the judgment by the High Court of Namibia, striking out as unconstitutional the law which had criminalised same-sex relationships.  The court found the law incompatible with the constitutional rights of Namibian citizens. This decision, which is in line with a series of judgments by courts in Southern Africa in recent years, marks a significant victory for equality and human rights for all Namibians and will help protect the health of everyone.

"This decision by the High Court of Namibia is a powerful step towards a more inclusive Namibia," said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. "The colonial-era common law that criminalized same-sex sexual relations perpetuated an environment of discrimination and fear, often hindering access to essential healthcare services for LGBTQ+ individuals. To protect everyone’s health, we need to protect everyone’s human rights.”

Originally introduced during colonial rule in Apartheid South Africa and maintained in Namibian law when the country gained independence in 1990, this law had been used to rationalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in Namibia. It not only violated the constitutional rights of Namibian citizens but also posed a challenge to public health. The climate created by the law discouraged LGBTQ+ individuals from seeking HIV testing and treatment, undermining efforts to control the epidemic.

"By decriminalizing same-sex relationships, Namibia creates a safer environment for LGBTQ+ communities," said Ms. Githuku-Shongwe. "This allows them to access vital healthcare services, contributing to the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030."

UNAIDS urges all countries to follow Namibia's lead, remove punitive laws, and tackle prejudices against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people. Since 2019, Botswana, Gabon, Angola, Bhutan, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Singapore, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Cook Islands, Mauritius, and Dominica have all repealed laws that criminalized LGBTQ+ people.

A more just, equitable and kind world is a healthier one for everyone.

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.