Huffington Post: Moving The HIV Trajectory To Access And Equity For All
Tewodros Melesse, director general of International Planned Parenthood Federation

“The response to the global HIV epidemic has made significant strides towards stabilizing it. But can we say we’ve seen the end of it? No, that would be premature. If anything, with funding decreasing and attention given to other health priorities, progress is slow. … If we are to reach the 20 million who are without treatment, not only do we require approaches that are rights-based and inclusive, but there also needs to be funding to match ambition. As a leading sexual and reproductive health and rights advocate and service provider, we [at International Planned Parenthood Federation] call on donors to support the full replenishment of the Global Fund and meet the target of $13 billion at the replenishment meeting in Canada in September. The human rights of key populations, people living with HIV, and women and girls must be the fundamental principle on which our response is predicated. It is only then efforts to achieve access, equity, and rights now can become a reality” (7/18).

STAT: Prevention must be at the forefront to meet global HIV goals
Peter Piot, director and professor of global health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and founding executive director of UNAIDS, and Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC

“…Proven [HIV] prevention strategies exist. … But there is a massive failure to deliver effective prevention, especially among young women …; people who use drugs …; and … gay men and other men who have sex with men. … Clearly, we need a huge shift in both mentality and approach. … We all need to … [use] every tool and every bit of useful data, while tackling stigma, drug abuse, gender violence, and other factors that put some people at much higher risk than others. Meanwhile, researchers need to keep up the search for new tools, including vaccines and cures. Today’s prevention methods can go a long way if we use them well, but they’re still not enough to close the door on the epidemic. Big endeavors need ambitious goals. The 90-90-90 strategy has prompted a huge and welcome outpouring of energy, enthusiasm, and investment into treating HIV/AIDS. It’s now time to commit to bringing the rest of HIV prevention into the foreground” (7/18).

Devex: Why we can’t treat our way out of the AIDS epidemic
Anne Stangl, senior behavioral scientist at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

“…As we head into the 21st International AIDS Society conference, it is critical that we sharpen our focus on human rights. After more than three decades combating HIV, it is clear that we can’t simply treat our way out of this epidemic. We must make certain that those most vulnerable to HIV infection have equal access to high-quality prevention, care, and treatment options, and are supported to actively engage in these services. We can only accomplish this by using a human rights-based approach — one that places people who are marginalized, excluded, or discriminated against as the central focus — to design, implement, and evaluate human rights programs and national policies. Only then will we truly be able to end AIDS in a generation” (7/18).