Publications

This report focuses on one of these essentials—the central role of human rights as it relates to ensuring access to HIV prevention and treatment services and addressing the structural determinants that increase vulnerability to HIV.  

This report shows that world leaders can fulfil their promise to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, and in so doing prevent millions of AIDS-related deaths, prevent millions of new HIV infections, and ensure the almost 40 million people living with HIV have healthy, full lives. Through powerful case studies and new data, the report shows how some countries are already on the right path—and how all countries can get on it.  

In 2023, 6.6 million [6.1 million–7.5 million] people living with HIV were residing in Asia and the Pacific, making this the world’s largest epidemic after eastern and southern Africa. The region accounts for a quarter of annual new HIV infections globally (23%). People from key populations and their sex partners are disproportionately affected. Among countries with available data, HIV epidemics are growing in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. Between 2010 and 2022, numbers of new HIV infections increased by 32% among gay men and other men who have sex with men and by 85% among non-client sex partners of people from key populations.

Spectrum: A Tool for Key Population-Led Law and Policy Reform illustrates how people living with HIV, other key populations and their allies can strategically approach law and policy reform to remove barriers to HIV and health services in a combination of different ways. The Spectrum can be applied to shape and structure the strategies and interventions for law and policy reform that are best suited to their realities. 

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law highlighted the significant role an enabling legal and policy environment plays in reducing HIV infections, specifically with respect to key populations. In the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, Member States pledged as part of the historic 10-10-10 targets that by 2025 less than 10 percent of countries will have punitive legal and policy environments that lead to denial or limitation of access to services.

The purpose of the new HIV response sustainability approach and the Roadmap is to secure the future of the HIV response, though not in isolation from other priorities. The existing HIV response also must be transformed. Many of the pertinent analyses, actions, and transformations to be undertaken require clear, well-crafted steps towards stronger health systems, betterintegrated services for HIV, stronger country ownership and more streamlined donor contributions to strengthen country systems.  

As progress lags in achieving most of the health targets of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 stand out as a beacon of hope. Since 2010, annual new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have declined globally by 38% and 51%, respectively.  

This guidance acknowledges that an HIV-related human rights crisis refers to a specific situation that is characterized by a clear and pressing danger or an actual shift, such as an event, or series of events, that leads to unsafety or potential harm. It emphasizes the need for an urgent and immediate emergency response to prevent, or mitigate the harm caused by the crisis.

In January 2023, there were 1,454a confirmed HIV-positive individuals reported to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) and were accounted to the total (110,736) reported cases since January 1984. Moreover, 422 (29%) of individuals reported in January had an advanced HIV infections at the time of diagnosis. There were 39 deaths that were newly reported this year.  Of the total reported cases this period, 1,383 (95%) were male while 71 (5%) were female. Moreover, 834 (57%) were cisgender, 49 (3%) were transgender women, 12 (1%) identified as others, three (<1%) as neither man nor woman, one (<1%) as transgender man, and 555 (38%) had unknown gender identity.   

In February 2023, there were 1,292 confirmed HIV-positive individuals reported to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) and were accounted to the total (112,028) reported cases since January 1984. Moreover, 337 (26%) of individuals reported in February had an advanced HIV infections at the time of diagnosis. There were 44 deaths that were newly reported this year.  Of the total reported cases this period, 1,236 (96%) were male while 56 (4%) were female. Moreover, 695 (54%) were cisgender, 37 (3%) were transgender women, eight (1%) identified as others, five (<1%) as neither man nor woman, and 547 (42%) had unknown gender identity'.