On May 27, 2025, in Casablanca, during the AIDS Impact 2025 conference, recommendations for the report “Glasgow Manifesto: Advocating for Policy Change for People Aging with HIV” were presented. This document, prepared by the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), analyzes the policy framework and provides recommendations for seven countries in the WHO European Region: Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Romania, Turkey, and Georgia.
The Glasgow Manifesto is an initiative of the International Coalition of Older People with HIV (iCOPe HIV), which calls for reforms in health care, social protection, and research aimed at improving the quality of life of people aging with HIV. In 2020, the number of people aged 50+ living with HIV reached 7.5 million, and this figure continues to grow.
Key recommendations of the Manifesto include
- Developing new care models that address the complex medical and social needs of people aging with HIV, with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary, integrated, and preventive approach.
- Ensuring access to services such as rehabilitation, dental care, mental health, assistive devices, and support in daily life, regardless of financial means.
- Low-threshold access to healthcare, including clinical, community, and virtual services, taking into account the right to reasonable accommodation.
- Training staff who provide services to older people to work with people living with HIV and combating ageism in health care.
- Ensuring a decent standard of living and social protection, including access to housing, food, and other resources necessary for health.
- Conducting targeted research that includes older people living with HIV and takes their priorities into account.
- Involving older people in decision-making in response to HIV, including priority setting, funding allocation, and messaging.
The event in Casablanca featured presentations by EATG Executive Director and lead researcher of the report Nicoletta Polichek, as well as EATG Quality of Life Program Chair Mario Cassio. They emphasized the importance of including the experiences of people living with HIV in shaping policies and practices that affect their lives.
The full report is expected to be published in fall 2025. It will provide a detailed analysis of policies that support the implementation of the Manifesto in each of the seven countries and highlight common challenges, such as stigma and insufficient integration of services for people aging with HIV.
This initiative is an important step towards ensuring a dignified life for people ageing with HIV and calls for joint action by healthcare professionals, researchers, civil society organisations and policymakers.
Read the document Recommendations An Analysis of Policy Framework and Recommendations in 7 WHO Europe Countries:
