UNDP at AIDS 2022: Pre-conference sessions

Connecting LGBTI+ and key population activists in Africa | Innovative strategies to counter criminalization and discriminatory laws | Inclusive social protection for PLHIV and key populations.  

Wednesday, 27 July 2022 

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Ending AIDS is possible, but a course correction is needed to get the response back on track. Intersecting and deepening inequalities fuel the HIV epidemic, increasing disparities in access and blocking progress, especially for key populations and adolescent girls and young women. The 10-10-10 targets in the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 call on countries to take legal, policy and programmatic measures to address human rights barriers and structural drivers. 

This preconference spotlights some of the transformative actions needed to reduce inequalities, shift social norms and respect, protect, and fulfil human rights in the HIV response. Three interactive sessions will discuss how to strengthen partnerships between LGBTI+ and key populations activists in Africa, highlight innovative strategies and tactics to counter discriminatory and punitive laws including decriminalization, and share good practices to scale up HIV sensitive social protection for people living with HIV and key populations. 

Visit UNDP@AIDS 2022 for more information.  

Capacity: 450 

Organizer: United Nations Development Programme 

Contact: [email protected]  

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Session 1: Connecting LGBTI+ and key population activists in Africa, Time: 14:00 – 15:00, Venue: Room 516/ Channel 6 

HIV responses in Africa increasingly include attention to key populations. This has helped create political space to discuss LGBTI+ issues, as well as increasing funding, especially for groups focused on men who have sex with men and trans women.  

Nevertheless, many LGBTI+ activists express concerns about the implications of key population thinking and funding. These include the lack of attention in HIV work to LBQ women or to health and rights issues beyond HIV, and the implications of uneven funding.   

The two movements also sometimes use different tactics to drive change, with key population activists often having significant skills and impressive track records at working “within the system” while LGBTI+ activists may use more adversarial, “outsider”, approaches.  

What lessons have been learned from each of these movements, working on their own and with each other, and why and how could they work together most effectively in the years ahead?  

Session 2: Innovative strategies to counter criminalization and discriminatory laws, Time: 15:15 – 16:15, Venue: Room 516/Channel 6 

The 10-10-10 targets in the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 call on countries to repeal punitive laws and policies against key populations and to enforce supportive laws and policies that combat stigma, discrimination, and gender-based violence. Some countries have made progress on elements of the 10-10-10 targets but none are on track to achieve the targets by 2025.  

While pursuing the essential but possibly longer-term path to law reform (including decriminalization), many countries and communities are innovating, developing, and deploying different policy and program strategies and tactics to counter the discriminatory and punitive laws and criminalization which impede access to HIV services. 

The session will highlight promising examples and good practice from communities and governments, as well as feature the initial findings of an evidence review and lessons from the independent evaluation of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law for achieving the 10-10-10 targets.  

Session 3: Inclusive social protection for PLHIV and key populations, Time: 16:30: 17:30, Venue: Room 516/Channel 6 

Despite an increasing number of countries investing in social protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, social protection systems still do not systematically include people living with HIV and key populations. One thing that the pandemic has shown is that it is possible to rapidly expand or launch social protection measures to cover those who are otherwise unprotected. However, people living with HIV and other key populations did not always benefit. 

The Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 highlights the key role of people-centred social protection and calls for an intensified push to encourage meaningful, equitable investments by diverse sectors in inclusive, HIV-sensitive social protection.  

The UNDP and ILO pre-conference will launch a checklist on inclusive social protection for people living with HIV and key populations and discuss the results of the pilot assessments of national social protection systems. The session will also showcase good practice and strategies from different regions.