In 2016 WHO merged separate strategic and technical advisory committees for HIV and viral hepatitis to create a Strategic and Technical Committee on HIV and Viral Hepatitis (STAC-HIVHEP). STAC-HIVHEP advised on the content and implementation of Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) for the period 2016-2021 – the strategies were adopted at the 69th session of the World Health Assembly (resolution WHA69.22).
The three global health sector strategies are soon coming to an end. Each of the strategies seeks to ensure the epidemics are ended as public health threats by 2030, yet despite considerable progress in some areas of prevention and treatment, in most cases, most interim 2020 targets across the strategies will not be reached. Each epidemic requires a revised strategic framework, reflecting the increasingly complex operational context, and strengthened political commitment to guide the final push to reach respective sustainable development and WHA-adopted goals. As such WHO is seeking to develop 2022-2030 strategies for these areas.
The Department of Global HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes (HHS) is organizing a final virtual meeting of the existing STAC-HIVHEP, together with experts in sexually transmitted infections to provide a timely and strategic steer to WHO at the start of the post 2021 strategies’ development process.