The United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS has concluded in New York, with a new Political Declaration on HIV expected to be adopted as its outcome.
Such documents matter. They shape political priorities, funding decisions, international support and state commitments for the years ahead. Yet many representatives of communities, people living with HIV and civil society organizations are clear: the proposed text does not match the scale of the current crisis.
It falls short on the issues without which ending AIDS as a public health threat will not be possible: human rights, meaningful access to services, sustainable support for communities, attention to key populations, modern HIV prevention and treatment tools and real political accountability.
The world already has the knowledge, tools and experience needed to change the course of the HIV response. But without bold decisions, adequate funding and meaningful community participation, these tools will not reach the people who need them most.
In response, international networks of people living with HIV, communities and civil society organizations have developed an alternative People’s Declaration on HIV and AIDS.
This is not only a response to a weakened political text. It is a reminder to governments that the HIV response cannot be designed without the people most affected by it.
The People’s Declaration calls for real commitments: human rights, decriminalization, access to HIV prevention and treatment, sustainable support for community-led organizations, meaningful participation of communities in decision-making and funding that reflects real needs rather than political compromise.
Organizations, activists and advocates who share the concern that governments have once again failed to show the level of political will and leadership needed to end AIDS as a public health threat are encouraged to support the Declaration and share it with colleagues and partners.
When official declarations become less ambitious than reality demands, community voices must be heard even more clearly.