Equalize
The global HIV response is in danger. Over the last few years progress towards HIV goals has stalled, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are at risk as a result.
In 2021, an estimated 1.9 million people in the Western Pacific Region were living with HIV. Every day, approximately 329 people are newly infected and 115 people die as a result of HIV.
Key populations – including sex workers, men who have sex with men, trans- and gender-diverse people, people who inject drugs, people in prisons, and their partners — account for the vast majority of new infections in the Western Pacific. These are populations who often face legal and social barriers that increase their vulnerability to HIV and impede their access to prevention, testing and treatment programmes.
Progress against HIV has been uneven and unequal
While there have been many successes in the response to HIV in the Western Pacific Region, there are some worrying shifts. In most settings, key populations have limited access to HIV services due to a combination of structural barriers, such as stigma, discrimination, criminalisation and other restrictive and punitive policies which increase their risk of HIV. The percentage of pregnant women living with HIV and receiving antiretrovirals for the prevention of transmission of HIV to their children has also stalled in the Region.
On 1 December WHO joins partners to commemorate World AIDS Day 2022, under the theme “Equalize”. WHO is calling on global leaders and citizens to boldly recognize and address the inequalities which are holding back progress in ending AIDS; and equalize access to essential HIV services particularly for children and key populations.
Key messages:
1. Renew our commitment to end HIV
Persistent economic, social, cultural and legal inequalities and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crisis require renewed efforts to maintain visibility for HIV and to end AIDS as a public health threat.
2. Focus on equality
Inequalities still persist for the most basic services like testing and treatment. We must ensure that everyone, everywhere has equal access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care. Health services should be adapted to reach and meet the needs of populations most at risk and affected, and this includes implementing a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to stigma and discrimination in all health services.
3. Elimination litmus test – children and key populations
WHO recommends a renewed focus on populations that have been left behind in the global response to HIV and AIDS. We can only end AIDS by scaling up HIV services and removing structural barriers & stigma and discrimination of key populations in every country.