Community Partnerships in action to end AIDS

This landmark report from all 11 UNAIDS cosponsors: Community Partnerships in Action to End AIDS, captures something essential that often goes unsaid in our global health discussions – it is the people and communities that matter.

Over the past two decades, we have witnessed extraordinary progress. In 2024, 31.6 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy; new HIV infections have fallen by 61% since 1996; and since 2000, we have averted an estimated 30 million new infections. Families and communities have been fundamentally transformed. These are among the greatest public health achievements of our time.

But recent funding cuts and service disruptions are threatening to undo decades of hard-won progress at a time when science has delivered the tools to fundamentally accelerate efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat. Communities – the very frontlines of our response – are bearing the brunt. They possess unique insights, know how to address local barriers, provide peer support, and strengthen accountability. Yet more than ever, they need continued support, access to decision-making spaces, and resources to lead.

This report demonstrates something we know to be true: meaningful partnerships with communities and civil society drive progress. From young people in Jamaica challenging stigma so their peers can access essential services, to people living with HIV in Sudan maintaining treatment continuity during crisis and conflict, to transgender communities in Bolivia creating safe spaces offering health, legal, and psychosocial support – community-centred action is essential for lasting change.

The stories in these pages – from 25 countries across every region – show us the way forward. They remind us what is possible when those most affected are supported to lead.