World AIDS Day 2023: calls to action

Health workers

• Advocate for access to essential HIV services;
• Incorporate HIV into routine health interventions;
• Deliver care that is kind, respectful of human rights and without stigma.

Ministries of Health, National AIDS Commissions and other public health leaders

• Allocate sufficient resources improve the quality of HIV services and make them more resilient and sustainable;
• Focus efforts to reach populations that are vulnerable or that are key to the HIV response, including, children, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, sex workers, and prisoners;
• Expand high quality HIV services for youth at risk, adolescents, pregnant women, men who have sex with men in a flexible and sustainable manner;
• Empower communities to combat stigma and discrimination.
• Support and empower frontline health workers (nurses, midwives and community health workers) to deliver high-quality HIV services, while recognizing their critical contributions in providing HIV services;
• Ensure appropriate and sufficient personal protective equipment and hand hygiene items, as well as the provision of a supportive, safe working environment to improve the safety of working conditions in health care settings.

Civil society

• Help to reach vulnerable, stigmatized and other difficult-to-reach populations;
• Speak out against stigma and discrimination;
• Help young people take leadership in the AIDS response so that services meet their needs.

Community leaders

• Ensure essential HIV services are maintained in the community;
• Reach out to key and vulnerable populations and assist them to access HIV services when needed;
• Ensure that adolescents, youth at risk, pregnant women and infants receive adequate care that incorporates HIV;
• Combat stigma and discrimination to ensure that everyone feels safe to access HIV services;
• Support health workers to provide HIV services to everyone in the community.

HIV program managers

• Focus on key and vulnerable populations for delivery of HIV services.
• Support and empower health workers to deliver high quality HIV services to everyone who needs them;
• Ensure adequate training in HIV services for health workers.