The UN AIDS chief Winnie Byanyima warns that global progress against HIV/AIDS is under threat due to an unprecedented human rights backlash that is stigmatizing groups most at risk. Countries with anti-LGBTQ laws or that criminalize sex work and drug use are seeing infections rise or plateau.
Stigma, discrimination, and lack of sex education exacerbate the issue. Byanyima said this "anti-human rights, anti-democratic" pushback jeopardizes efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, an achievable but not guaranteed goal.
While some African countries are on track, infections are rising in regions like Eastern Europe and North Africa. In 2022 there were 39 million people globally living with HIV, including 1.3 million new infections and 630,000 AIDS-related deaths despite treatment access scaling up.
Byanyima called for recognizing, engaging and funding community organizations to help fight stigma and wider backlash. Other challenges include sustaining funding and ensuring affordability of new therapies in lower income settings. UNAIDS urges letting communities lead to get the AIDS response back on track in the face of mounting hostility to marginalized groups.
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