Publications

Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the world’s top infectious killers. Each day, around 4000 people lose their lives to TB and around 30,000 people fall ill with this disease. This preventable and curable disease is deeply rooted in communities “left behind” - where poverty is pervasive and human rights and dignity are limited. The devastating social and economic impact on people affected and their families is profound. This Status Update provides an overview of progress towards global TB targets set in the political declaration of the first UN High-Level Meeting on TB, spanning the period 2018- 2022. It is based primarily on data compiled by WHO’s Global TB Programme from all Member States in annual rounds of data collection.

Over more than a decade, the world has made considerable progress in reaching women with services to reduce vertical transmission of HIV. Most countries have adopted lifelong ART to “treat all” pregnant women, regardless of their CD4 count, as part of a public health approach and one of the key objectives to achieve the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV. Yet, results of efforts to reduce the number of new paediatric HIV infections have fallen short against the 2020 Start Free target, among others; the goal of ending HIV and AIDS in children remains elusive. This key considerations document expands on the 2020 “last mile” operational guidance, with specific considerations for countries with lower HIV prevalence. It builds on the experiences of countries that have been validated for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis and translates the valuable lessons and promising practices of these countries into an operational framework for national programmes, consisting of 12 strategies and enablers to guide efforts towards Fast-Tracking EMTCT in lower prevalence countries.

The Operational guidance on adaptation and implementation of WHO’s Multisectoral Accountability Framework to end TB (MAF-TB) provides practical advice on key approaches and interventions needed to establish the MAF-TB at the national (and local) levels with concrete country examples, best practices and case studies under each suggested approach and interventions. 

PrEP Product Awareness, Preferences, and Past Experiences among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Asia and Australia (PrEP APPEAL) was a survey study in 16 countries and territories in Asia and Australia. The overall goal of PrEP APPEAL was to identify values and preferences about PrEP, as well as barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake, among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Asia and Australia. Key findings

• PrEP awareness was high with 81% of TGW, 80% of MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, 91% of MSM in high-income countries and 97% of MSM in Australia having heard of PrEP.
• Among participants who had heard of PrEP, 48% of TGW, 25% of MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, 19% of MSM in Asian high-income countries, and 47% of MSM in Australia were current PrEP users.
• Of those who had never taken PrEP, 57% of TGW, 72% of MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, 70% of MSM in Asian high-income countries, and 65% of MSM in Australia stated that they would like to take PrEP.
• Across all populations, cost was the most important driver of choice to use PrEP.
• The type of PrEP was the next most important driver of choice to use PrEP for TGW, MSM in Asian low- and middle-income countries, and MSM in Australia.
• Side effects were the second most important driver of choice to use PrEP for MSM in Asian high-income countries.

Drug use continues to be high worldwide. In 2021, 1 in every 17 people aged 15–64 in the world had used a drug in the past 12 months. The estimated number of users grew from 240 million in 2011 to 296 million in 2021 (5.8 per cent of the global population aged 15–64). This is a 23 per cent increase, partly due to population growth. Cannabis continues to be the most used drug, with an estimated 219 million users (4.3 per cent of the global adult population) in 2021. Use of the drug is increasing and although globally cannabis users are mostly men (about 70 per cent), the gender divide is reducing in some subregions; women account for 42 per cent of cannabis users in North America. It is estimated that in 2021, 36 million people had used amphetamines, 22 million had used cocaine and 20 million had used “ecstasy”-type substances in the past year. The proportion of female users is higher in the case of amphetamine-type stimulants (45 per cent of users are women) and non-medical use of pharmaceuticals (between 45 and 49 per cent of users are women), whereas the highest share of men is found in users of opiates (75 per cent) and cocaine (73 per cent). Opioids continue to be the group of substances with the highest contribution to severe drug-related harm, including fatal overdoses. An estimated 60 million people engaged in non-medical opioid use in 2021, 31.5 million of whom used opiates (mainly heroin).

Two decades ago, the global AIDS pandemic seemed unstoppable. More than 2.5 million people were acquiring HIV each year, and AIDS was claiming 2 million lives a year.  UNAIDS data show that today, 29.8 million of the 39 million [33.1 million–45.7 million] people living with HIV globally are receiving life-saving treatment. An additional 1.6 million people received HIV treatment in each of 2020, 2021 and 2022. The path to ending AIDS is clear. We have a solution if we follow the leadership of countries that have forged strong political commitment to put people first and invest in evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment programmes.

Insights from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, is a situational analysis developed by Youth LEAD to explore the healthcare inclusion of transgender youth in the Asia- Pacific, particularly in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. This study was conducted as a formative research in understanding the challenges and opportunities on good practices of transgender health for youth and proposing culturally-appropriate recommendations. This study was conducted under the partnership umbrella between Youth LEAD and Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN), under the Project “Transcending Borders: Strengthening trans and gender diverse movements towards transformative leadership, legal protection and trans-competent healthcare in Asia-Pacific and Africa” funded by the Robert Carr Fund (RCF).

The “Engagement of Youth in the Country Coordinating Mechanism and Global Fund Processes in the Asia-Pacific” situation analysis is an advocacy tool for young key populations across the Asia-Pacific region. This is the product of Youth LEAD, the Asia-Pacific Network of young key populations, developed with the technical assistance of Frontline AIDS; a partnership of organizations working with communities in more than 100 countries, taking local, national and global action on HIV, health and human rights and financially supported by the Global Fund Community Engagement Strategic Initiative. All rights reserved. Publication of the Youth LEAD can be obtained from the Youth LEAD website (youth-lead.org) and official address below. Requests for the permission to reproduce or translate Youth LEAD publications- for noncommercial distribution only- should be addressed to the Youth LEAD Secretariat.

The “Young Key Population and Youths Engagement in the Global Fund 7th Grant Cycle” is an engagement tool for youth-led organizations and Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM) across Asia-Pacific countries in supporting their process of submitting Global Fund funding requests.

About this Evaluation UNAIDS Independent Evaluation Office requested an evaluation of the regional Data Hubs in order to understand and explore: History of the creation and implementation of the regional Data Hubs. The existing programmatic and technical design and implementation of the Data Hubs. The implicit theory of change, i.e., how the Data Hubs are intended to support and link to UNAIDS larger Mission and Global Strategy. Recommendations for the future of the Data Hubs.