Key populations living with HIV face stigma due to fear and ignorance surrounding HIV transmission; and stigma due to negative societal attitudes and perceptions that exist towards same-sex relations, sex work and drug use. In most countries the HIV response is not sensitive to the needs of key populations living with HIV. Standard HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services often do not include relevant information for key populations living with HIV to live healthy and dignified lives. Health care providers are uninformed or there are legal and policy barriers that make it impossible to discuss sex work, drug use and same-sex relations in a health care setting.

To end the HIV epidemic, we need to enable communities most affected by and at risk of HIV. They play a crucial role in the solution, because they know best what is needed and what works. The Love Alliance programme brings all those communities together to end AIDS. The programme builds on existing evidence on the effectiveness of rights-based responses and advocates for adequate levels of funding and for taking truly human rights-based programmes to scale.

Key populations living with HIV face stigma due to fear and ignorance surrounding HIV transmission; and stigma due to negative societal attitudes and perceptions that exist towards same-sex relations, sex work and drug use. In most countries the HIV response is not sensitive to the needs of key populations living with HIV. Standard HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services often do not include relevant information for key populations living with HIV to live healthy and dignified lives. Health care providers are uninformed or there are legal and policy barriers that make it impossible to discuss sex work, drug use and same-sex relations in a health care setting.

To end the HIV epidemic, we need to enable communities most affected by and at risk of HIV. They play a crucial role in the solution, because they know best what is needed and what works. The Love Alliance programme brings all those communities together to end AIDS. The programme builds on existing evidence on the effectiveness of rights-based responses and advocates for adequate levels of funding and for taking truly human rights-based programmes to scale.

People who use drugs often face severe stigma and discrimination and lack access to much-needed health services. Even when these services are available, many drug users are afraid to make use of them because of fear of imprisonment and human rights abuses. As a result, sharing/using unsterile injecting equipment is the primary route of HIV transmission in many regions in the world.

To end the HIV epidemic, we need to enable communities most affected by and at risk of HIV –like people who use drugs. They play a crucial role in the solution, because they know best what is needed and what works. The Love Alliance programme brings all those communities together to end AIDS. The programme builds on existing evidence on the effectiveness of rights-based responses and advocates for adequate levels of funding and for taking truly human rights-based programmes to scale.

Globally, sex workers are 13.5 times more likely to be living with HIV than others. Sex work is criminalised in over 110 countries contributing to high levels of violence, stigma, discrimination and other human rights violations. This often results in inconsistent condom use and prevents sex workers from accessing necessary legal support and health care. For example, only 22.5% of female sex workers in Africa have access to HIV prevention programmes. These barriers make sex workers considerably more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS, as well as other sexually transmitted infections and different forms of violence.

Women are disproportionally affected by HIV. As a result, AIDS remains the number one death cause for young women worldwide and the number of news HIV infections among young women is on the rise. Main drivers for increased levels of contracting HIV is poverty, lack of opportunities to education and gender inequality. Gender norms limit women’s decision-making authority and control over their bodies, therefore diminishing their capacity to protect their sexual health and limiting their access to services and treatment.

Ending AIDS by 2030 means that we need to put adolescent girls and young women at the centre of the response.

Young people often lack access to sexual information and services. Policies are often not well aligned to the reality of young people. Young people are not always aware of their rights. This hinders their access to sex education and there is a lack of youth-friendly health services. Therefore, young people are often unable to make informed choices concerning their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with all the consequences that that entails.

With youth partners in the lead and capacitated to influence policies, implement quality interventions and become sustainable, we aim to reach 500,000 young people (10-24) in sub-Saharan Africa between 2022 and 2025. We do so through activities that:

• Strengthen the agency of young people to meet their own health needs
• Increase HIV prevention choices for adolescent girls and young women
• Improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for adolescents and young people living with HIV

HIV is among the leading causes of death for adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa.

LGBTIQ+ people are 13 times more likely to acquire HIV than other adults. They often face high levels of stigma, discrimination and violence, which directly limits their access to (life-saving) health care.

To end the HIV epidemic, we need to enable communities most affected by and at risk of HIV –like the LGBTIQ+ community. They play a crucial role in the solution, because they know best what is needed and what works. The Love Alliance programme brings all those communities together to end AIDS. The programme builds on existing evidence on the effectiveness of rights-based responses and advocates for adequate levels of funding and for taking truly human rights-based programmes to scale.

Communities know best how to identify children most vulnerable to HIV infection and how to support them to test for HIV, initiate treatment and sustain treatment for the long-term. Building on local knowledge and local community structures, community-based models are effective, sustainable and critical for filling the gaps in paediatric HIV care and treatment to reach global goals.

HIV care and treatment for children and pregnant women in low-resource settings comes with a number of challenges. These include long distances to health facilities, stock outs of antiretroviral treatment or lack of paediatric antiretroviral treatment, health facility staff shortages and high workloads. These  health system challenges are complicated by community challenges – poverty, food insecurity, stigma and discrimination. Those most affected are children. This is unacceptable. Join us in bringing kids to care!