Ahead of AIDS 2026, VirusOFF is launching an information campaign on what HIV prevention looks like today in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – not only in strategies, reports or international discussions, but in the real lives of people, communities and services.
This campaign is for community members, partner organisations and everyone working on HIV prevention in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including key populations.
At the centre is a person’s right to real choice in HIV prevention. Prevention cannot be a single, universal approach for everyone. People need access to different tools and services: testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis, harm reduction services, counselling, support for sexual and mental health, legal and social assistance and navigation within the health system.
Choice exists only when services are genuinely accessible, safe, confidential and understandable. In practice, this can mean being able to test without fear or judgement, receiving counselling in one’s own language, not losing access to treatment after moving, finding a service in a new country or reaching professionals you can trust.
This conversation is especially important for EECA. HIV prevention in the region often takes place amid unstable funding, stigma, mobility, the impact of war, unequal access to services and pressure on civil society. In many countries, community-led organisations are the first to see where systems fail: where low-threshold services are missing, where support is available mainly in large cities, where people are left without follow-up or avoid seeking help because of fear, discrimination or past negative experiences.
This is why HIV prevention is not only about services. It is also about human rights, sustainable funding, trust, gender sensitivity, mobility, mental health and meaningful community participation in decisions that shape people’s lives.
The AIDS 2026 theme, Rethink. Rebuild. Rise., offers an important frame for this conversation. What do we need to rethink in HIV prevention? What needs rebuilding after years of crises, funding cuts and unequal access? And what must become stronger so that people affected by HIV are not left without support?
As part of this campaign, VirusOFF will speak with regional leaders, community representatives, experts, activists and practitioners who work every day in the HIV response in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We will look at what already works, what remains out of reach, how needs change for people on the move, why prevention must be flexible and how to ensure EECA voices are heard globally.
This campaign is about HIV prevention as a space of choice, trust and access – and about why, without communities, human rights and sustainable solutions, the right to prevention choice remains a nice phrase rather than a real option for everyone.
#RethinkRebuildRise #AIDS2026 #IAS #VirusOFF
