World AIDS Day 2024: Unite to reach all
World AIDS Day 2024
Unite to reach all
Global solidarity starts with you, on World AIDS Day and every day
This World AIDS Day on 1 December, IAS President Beatriz Grinsztejn calls on all of us to Unite to reach all, emphasizing the importance of coming together to ensure that no one is left behind in the HIV response.
This World AIDS Day, let’s combine our forces to build a truly equitable HIV response that reaches all.
In 2023, around 5.4 million of the 39.9 million people living with HIV worldwide – one in seven – were not aware of their status. At the same time, 9.3 million – nearly one in four – were not receiving life-saving treatment. With 7.5 million people having started pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to date, we will not achieve the global goal of 10 million PrEP initiations by 2025.
Those who are not being reached are especially likely to be struggling with poverty and social inequalities or to be members of key and affected populations, including men who have sex with men, sex workers, trans people, people who use drugs, migrants and people in prisons and other closed settings.
Despite significant advancements in long-acting PrEP and treatment, these technologies are largely out of reach in low- and middle-income countries. High drug prices, restrictive licensing and limited manufacturing capabilities are likely to hinder the rollout of the long-acting PrEP products, cabotegravir and lenacapavir, while long-acting HIV treatment becoming accessible in the hardest-hit regions is an even more distant prospect.
For millions, barriers such as inequities, stigma, discrimination and harmful laws continue to stand in the way of comprehensive HIV care. Less than 3% of resources were spent on HIV prevention for key populations. This investment gap must be bridged if we are to reach all.
Unite to reach all this World AIDS Day
This World AIDS Day, the International AIDS Society calls on people everywhere to rally around the theme, Unite to reach all. We must unite science, policy and activism to ensure that all can seamlessly access the support and care they require.
The voices of scientists, healthcare providers, policy makers, civil society and people living with and affected by HIV need to come together to ensure that the benefits of scientific advancement reach everyone.
The world has the means to end HIV as a threat to public health and individual well-being for all by 2030. We can only achieve this by addressing gaps in care, especially in low- and middle-income countries, reforming law and policy, improving access and strengthening health systems.
Reforming discriminatory laws and policies is essential to reducing HIV vulnerability. We must unite to advocate for reforms so everyone can access care without fear of harassment, discrimination or legal consequences.
Equitable access in all global regions is needed for long-acting PrEP and treatment to achieve their potential. We must work together to remove barriers and create solutions that will allow those with the greatest need to access the most effective forms of HIV prevention and treatment.
We need to create health systems that involve communities, are adequately resourced, turn research into practical solutions and are free of stigma and discrimination.
No one understands the challenges of HIV better than people living with and affected by HIV, who must be at the forefront of the response to reach everyone.
How you can get involved on this World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is a moment to reflect, remember and act. Progress is happening, but we can’t stop now. We need to Unite to reach all to ensure that no one is left behind in the HIV response. Whether you’re advocating for access to the best healthcare, sharing your story or making policy change happen, every action counts. Collectively, we can create a groundswell of support and create a more equitable HIV response.
Here’s how you can Unite to reach all:
Advocate for key communities
Support the rights of marginalized communities, including women, girls, people who use drugs, sex workers and the LGBTQ+ community. Write or call your local or national representatives to urge them to remove discriminatory laws and fund inclusive health programmes.
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Visit IPU Parline Database to find and contact your national representatives or use the UN Permanent Missions Database for global contacts.
Challenge stigma
Speak out against HIV-related stigma and discrimination in your community and online. Advocate for inclusive policies and practices that protect the dignity and rights of all people living with or affected by HIV.
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Find data and resources to learn more about HIV-related stigma around the world on the People Living with HIV Stigma Index and how you can stand up to it on HIV.gov.
Demand policy change
Push for urgent action to remove discriminatory laws and increase funding for HIV prevention, treatment and care. Call or write to your local representative and demand that they prioritize HIV-related issues on the legislative agenda.
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Visit PrEPWatch.org for toolkits, guides and data to support your efforts in improving access to PrEP and other HIV prevention strategies.
Participate in World AIDS Day events
Join local or virtual events around the world to raise awareness, show solidarity and advocate for change. Find events near you or online!
Amplify your voice on social media
Spread the word using #UniteToReachAll on social media. Share why you believe in an inclusive HIV response and how we can make it happen. You can also share how you and/or your organization are helping reach all.
How the IAS is uniting to reach all
The IAS is uniting the global HIV response through its conferences and programmes aimed at closing scientific gaps, making the latest HIV knowledge available to all, and supporting a shift towards evidence-based differentiated, integrated and stigma-free models of service delivery.
Some examples of the work of the IAS:
IAS flagship conferences
Through its flagship conferences – the International AIDS Conference, IAS Conference on HIV Science and HIV Research for Prevention Conference – the IAS unites up to 20,000 experts, advocates and policy makers from over 170 countries each year. These events bridge science, policy and activism, ensuring that breakthroughs in HIV research lead to real-world impact. By fostering global collaboration, the IAS accelerates access to prevention and treatment and advocates for stigma-free policies. Past conferences have led directly to policy changes in host countries and beyond.
IAS Educational Fund
The IAS Educational Fund brings the latest HIV science to regions, reaching over 30,000 people since 2016. Through regional workshops and symposia, scholarships and webinars, the programme fosters local and regional collaboration to empower communities of HIV professionals, healthcare workers, policy makers and advocates.
Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD)
The IAS Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD) programme aims to ensure the scale-up of DSD to improve access to and quality of prevention, testing, treatment and care services for people living with and affected by HIV and maximize synergies with other health areas.
Towards an HIV Cure
The IAS Towards an HIV Cure programme advances the HIV cure field in countries where resources for HIV are limited.
Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise
The IAS Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise promotes HIV vaccine development by sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, prioritizing HIV vaccine R&D on the global health agenda, and supporting early-career African researchers and advocates through capacity-building initiatives.
Community-Led Monitoring (CLM)
The IAS Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) programme supports the adoption of CLM to improve the quality and effectiveness of HIV service delivery. CLM is an evidence-informed mechanism that empowers communities to collectively identify and address health challenges, service gaps and inequalities they encounter. By engaging directly with service providers and recipients, communities analyse their data and advocate with stakeholders in government and beyond to improve access to and quality of care.
Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER)
The Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) addresses knowledge gaps in paediatric and adolescent HIV by building the next generation of scientists and leaders committed to advancing research and programming in the field. CIPHER has supported 53 early-career investigators since 2012, helping them take on the role of principal investigators for the first time and supporting impactful research that addresses gaps in the paediatric and adolescent HIV response.
Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS)
The Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) covers various aspects of HIV science with a special focus on implementation science to make the latest HIV knowledge available to a wide audience. Since 2004, 2,480 articles have been published and are accessible on an open-access basis to all. Since 2022, over 4,100 people have participated in online JIAS workshops.
Heart of Stigma
The Heart of Stigma programme supports stakeholders in the HIV response to scale up efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV. In 2024, Heart of Stigma provided three civil society subgrants to facilitate effective and sustained change, reduce HIV-related stigma and ensure that services reach all who need them.
Person-Centred Care (PCC)
The Person-Centred Care (PCC) programme advocates for healthcare that empowers clients and is shaped by people’s needs. It does this by bringing together policy makers, advocates, healthcare providers and people living with and affected by HIV to build consensus and disseminate good practice models of person-centred care.
The IAS will again unite thousands of HIV stakeholders from around the world at IAS 2025, the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science, in Kigali, Rwanda, from 13 to 17 July 2025.
World AIDS Day resources
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Events in Geneva to commemorate World AIDS Day, in partnership with local NGOs
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Webinar: Unite to reach all with person-centred HIV prevention
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Special HIV unmuted World AIDS Day podcast episode: Getting to the heart of stigma
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Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) viewpoint: The ground has shifted under PEPFAR – what does that mean for its future?
Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag, #UniteToReachAll by:
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Sharing how you are contributing to the global effort to reach all
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Describing why you believe in an inclusive HIV response and how we can make it happen
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Showing your support by posting one of the #UniteToReachAll graphics below
We must unite science, policy and activism to ensure that everyone has the HIV knowledge, support, prevention and treatment they need. #UniteToReachAll www.iasociety.org/WAD2024
Share on XTo truly reach everyone, key and affected populations must be at the forefront of the HIV response. #UniteToReachAll www.iasociety.org/WAD2024
Ending the HIV pandemic requires more than scientific breakthroughs – it demands unity and legal and policy reform, coupled with strengthened health systems that work for all people. #UniteToReachAll www.iasociety.org/WAD2024
The world has the means to end HIV as a threat to public health and individual well-being by 2030. But we can only achieve this by reforming policy and law, strengthening health systems and improving access. #UniteToReachAll