AIDS 2024: Nineteen Key Insights from the 25th International AIDS Conference

The Health Advocacy Coalition team attended an international conference in Munich last week AIDS 2024. It is a key global platform and the largest global event for advancing the response to the HIV epidemic. Although founded back in 1985, the conference is still unrivaled in the world, in particular due to the synergy at the intersection of science, advocacy and human rights – as the event brings together scientists, policy makers, health professionals, media, key communities and, of course, the very people living with HIV.  

It is communities that are now at the center of the world’s attention across continents and contexts, hence the conference slogan “Put People First!” (#PutPeopleFirst #communitiesfirst).

This year, AIDS 2024 was joined by the Chancellor of Germany and the Executive Director of UNAIDS, a Nobel Laureate and professors from the world’s top universities: each and every one emphasizing the importance of an HIV response that focuses specifically on the person as the highest value and ultimate beneficiary – and therefore on respecting inalienable human rights.  

This is the HAC team’s approach: working with communities in very different countries, in very different circumstances, to catalyze sustainable health improvement – changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Every day, we are committed to empowering communities of key and vulnerable populations to increase their influence on decision-making processes related to both prevention, treatment, care and support for HIV, HCV and TB patients, and advocacy for their issues at the appropriate levels.

During AIDS 2024 we organized 4 sessions, each of which included a panel discussion and a Q&A section. We are pleased to share with you the summarized results and 20  key insights:

• Experiences in Institutionalizing and Integrating CLM in Challenging Contexts in EECA
• Decentralization of HIV-associated Services – Practices in the EECA Region
• Improving access to and optimizing the range and costs of HIV testing: a global advocacy experience
• The New Political Declaration on UHC – Are We Getting Closer to the Goals?