During the 53rd meeting of UNAIDS' Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) held in Geneva, Switzerland, the UNAIDS board adopted decisions on key populations with a focus to increase access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and other social protection services for transgender people.
Member states and the Joint Programme recognized that each key population, including transgender people, is diverse, and experiences multiple and intersecting forms of stigma and discrimination, and therefore requires evidence-based, data-informed tailored programmes, services and resources that are responsive to their specific needs in the HIV response.
Exact follow-up actions they agreed upon include:
- Address gaps in population size estimates and expand disaggregated data on key populations focusing on existing gaps in transgender populations, in diverse situations and conditions, including through community-led data generation;
- Optimally resource and scale-up tailored and effective HIV prevention, testing and treatment programmes and services that address the diverse needs and circumstances of key populations, including transgender people;
- Increase the proportion of community-led services for HIV prevention, testing and treatment and for societal enablers to reach the 30-80-60 targets, as described in the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026, including through mechanisms to increase and facilitate funding and sustainable financing for community-led HIV organizations, including for those led by key populations;
- Address gender inequality, all forms of stigma, discrimination and marginalization, and review and reform harmful and punitive laws and policies that hinder access to HIV-related services for key populations;
- Reinforce an evidence-based public health approach to HIV, particularly in the context of gender equality and human rights;
- Integrate social protection with health and HIV responses by taking people-centered approaches, which addresses economic inequalities making education, welfare, and social protection systems more inclusive of key populations.
And finally, the board requested UNAIDS to reinforce and expand the meaningful engagement and leadership of all key populations, including transgender people, in the HIV response.
This is the first time a member state-led UN body has adopted a consensus decision that includes specific references and commitments to transgender people and actions to be taken by member states. Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Christine Stegling said, "We have broken through a barrier. UNAIDS is now fully focused on maximizing the programmatic impact of this decision in-country, for communities and with communities."
The past two PCB meetings took place midway through the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 so this decision will help UNAIDS focus on achieving the 2025 targets. The UNAIDS PCB is the premier UN and global forum on HIV, bringing together civil society, cosponsors and member states to help chart the future of the response to HIV, including the development of the next Global AIDS Strategy, the vision for 2030 and beyond. The PCB NGO delegates are comprised of people living with HIV and/or key populations including transgender people. They participate in all aspects of the board's work and strongly advocate for people living with HIV and affected by HIV.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations-UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank-and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org
