Global HIV Prevention Coalition Newsletter

This has been a science focused quarter for the Global HIV Prevention Coalition (GPC); the announcement of the results from PURPOSE 1 for Lenacapavir, an innovative long-acting prevention option; dissemination of results from SEARCH Dynamic Choice studies and many other research initiatives as well as key strategic meetings across partners, regions and countries – detailed update is below.

Strengthening prevention programming in Asia and the Pacific

Over a quarter of all new HIV infections globally occur within the Asia and Pacific region. Most of the new infections (78.6%) occur among key populations and their sexual partners. This is significantly more than the global rate (approximately 54.7%). To which end, UNAIDS and UNFPA co-organized an Asia-Pacific regional prevention meeting from 9 to 11 June, in Bangkok, Thailand to strengthen and sustain regional support for in-country prevention programs as well as the national development and implementation of the GPC ten-step prevention roadmap. Participants included delegates from 13 countries:  Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. One notable outcome of this meeting was the establishment of the prevention regional task force comprised of representatives from national programs, communities, the United Nations and other partners. The task force is intended convene periodically to discuss priorities and programmatic pillars based on the regional work plan.

Early Results from the SEARCH Dynamic Choice Study

During a webinar to present the early_results from the SEARCH Dynamic Choice study, AVAC and Professor Moses Kamya of Makerere University mentioned that success in HIV prevention depends on availability and accessibility of options by choice highlighting that, “respecting people’s preferences is key to HIV prevention”. In the study conducted in Kenya and Uganda, three ARV-based prevention products were provided: oral PrEP, long acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) and PEP to both men and women, and an option to switch products. Early results showed an increase in uptake of HIV prevention options overall with majority opting for CAB-LA because it was perceived as most convenient and less associated with stigma as compared to the oral PrEP. Find out more on the latest in HIV Prevention Research.

Trending HIV Prevention News

1. A press release from Gilead announced the twice-yearly Lenacapavir demonstrated 100% efficacy for the investigational use of HIV prevention in cisgender women. To ensure that the drug when publicly available is equitably accessible to all populations especially in low-and middle-income countries, a letter of three hundred signatories including Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, the Nobel-winning scientist who helped discover HIV, was sent to Gilead in a call for cheaper version of this HIV drug.

2. Namibia was certified by WHO for achieving the silver tier and bronze tier on the path-to-elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of the hepatitis B virus and HIV respectively Read more.

3. UNAIDS Executive Director and Inequality Council urge G20 to back bold network on medicine production and address the social determinants of pandemics highlighting the need for enabling all people to access prevention and treatment options including the latest long-acting technologies.

Landmark Trial in South Africa and Uganda Finds Twice Yearly HIV Prevention Injection safe and highly effective

AVAC called for accelerated regulatory review and ambitious introduction plans following the groundbreaking results of the PURPOSE 1 HIV prevention study among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda. An independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) found the regimen to be safe and highly effective, with no infections seen among trial participants who received injectable Lenacapavir – one of the drugs in the trial. Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines on doxycline – an oral antibiotic – post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections. You may read AVAC’s Advocate's guide to DoxyPEP.

Accelerating HIV Prevention to End AIDS through Innovations and Community Engagement in Nigeria

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS in Nigeria under the leadership of Dr Temitope Ilori hosted the first HIV prevention conference, 7-9 May 2024. The conference aimed at optimizing innovative HIV prevention approaches towards achieving epidemic control, promoting equitable and inclusive human rights-based approaches to prevention, and strategizing for increased domestic funding towards community ownership and sustainability of HIV prevention programmes. At this meeting, the UNAIDS Country Director, Dr. Leopold Zekeng, highlighted the need to bridge gaps in political leadership, funding, data, and creating an enabling environment for effective implementation of programs.

Domestic financing for HIV Prevention: Sustainable and resilient approaches towards targets in Mexico, Uganda and Zimbabwe

Countries in low- and middle-income countries are still heavily reliant on international funding; however, for a more sustainable and resilient HIV response, domestic financing strategies are required. Three case studies from Mexico, Uganda and Zimbabwe exhibit how they have adopted different domestic financing strategies to accelerate HIV prevention towards targets –these were presented at the HIV Multi-Sector Leadership Forum quarterly meeting that took place on 13 June 2024.

While Uganda’s case study focused on integrating HIV prevention into multi-sector budgeting, hence in2023, over USD 16 million domestically was mobilized for HIV prevention; a triple optimization strategy was implemented thus saving more than 1.6 billion Mexican Pesos invested in the combination prevention strategy in 2019; and in Zimbabwe, the 3% AIDS levy on corporate and personal incomes to bridge donor resource gaps resulted in over USD 30 million domestic funds for prevention the country’s notable 78% reduction in new HIV infections. The National AIDS Coordinating Authorities in these three countries coordinate the resource allocation and use.

Harm Reduction programme review, capacity and partnership strengthening in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Ukraine

UNODC ROSA Bangladesh Programme Office held a series of training workshops to develop action plans identifying challenges and how to strengthen partnership between UNODC and government partners including Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Prison, Police, Dept. of Narcotics Control (DNC), I/NGOs 9 Harm Reduction Programme implementers). As well as strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh Police to counter the drug related crime and to support civil society organization in effective implementation of harm reduction programmes with people who use drugs, HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases’ prevention.  Consultations have also been held in the Philippines. Meanwhile in Ukraine, three NGOs from Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa conducted a pilot study showed a relatively lower HIV Prevalence among those reached compared to those not reached; New Psychoactive Substance users have low knowledge of HIV Prevention and treatment as well as a strong need to upskill on ground workers.

Making Waves with Adolescent Girls and Young Women in HIV and AIDS Programing

An article by young female leaders in the Sub-Saharan region, underscored, structural and gender inequalities as key challenges still faced by AGYW. At the individual level, many AGYW lack empowerment to make decisions about their own sexual and reproductive health. Meaningful involvement means strengthening advocacy and awareness, equal access to education and resources, mentorship and networking as well as strong support systems.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is an important part of the HIV prevention toolbox especially for young people, yet not all countries are implementing quality programmes at scale. Frontline AIDS implemented a new project entitled Youth_Voices for CSE, with Y+ and Act Ubumbano in Cameroon and Tanzania. As part of this project, 36 young advocates were equipped with the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to effectively communicate the benefits of CSE, and address misinformation campaigns head-on. The young advocates were also supported to develop simple advocacy plans and local pro-CSE campaigns and events, capitalizing on the regional commitments both governments have recently made. Find out more AGYW updates from the Education plus: Power with girls and young women in Africa, newsletter published in April.

Reaching Men, Ending AIDS

The Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) call to action was updated in April – imploring key stakeholders to not only urgently unite, mobilize, and advocate for continued prioritized funding, sustained commitment, and strategic integration of VMMC into national and global prevention strategies but also how they can effectively do so. In parallel, the Men & HIV Technical (MENHT) Working Group held its’ 9th webinar on navigating challenges and strategies: Men’s engagement in HIV prevention and care – strategic discussions were held to address complexities and identify methodologies vital for improving the participation of men in HIV prevention and care continuum. You may find more webinar resources here. The MENHT newsletter provides a detailed recap of the webinar and any other key updates on Men and HIV.

More differentiated, equitable and people-centered condom programming

A healthy condom and lubricant programme/market is one that is growing equitable use, while decreasing reliance on external subsidy. The CWG Planning workshop took place April 18, in Washington DC aiming at aligning with key stakeholders on the vision of sustainable condom markets, identify how to achieve to sustainable, healthy condom markets and how the group can serve as a coordinating body to keep the collective and individual organizations on track to achieve agreed milestones – a recommendation from the Mann Global Health report. A key outcome of this meeting was a consolidated workplan addressing 6-month to1-year priorities.

Mann GlobalHealth in partnership with UNFPA, UNAIDS developed selected case studies on microplanning for sex worker-led condom programs in Malawi, healthy condom markets, condom programming to the last mile in Uganda, and virtual demand generation in Zambia.              

 Multi-Country discussion: Is the current sustainability discourse country-centric?

A high-level meeting of a thought leadership group of Director Generals of AIDS Commissions on sustainability and their technical prevention focal points was held between 23- 25 April 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya.  Countries in attendance included: Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho and Zambia. Discussions from this meeting will inform a paper that articulates the position of the national prevention leadership on the current HIV sustainability discourse and a proposed country-centric approach.

U=U key Message Development Workshop with Key and Vulnerable Populations in Philippines.

Sixty -five representatives of key and vulnerable population groups attended the five-day workshop, in Pasay City, to design culturally appropriate messages and visuals in advance of the launch of a new national Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) campaign targeting Key Populations (KPs) and other vulnerable groups to HIV infection. The workshop organized by the US centers for Disease control under the PEPFAR served as a platform for developing communication strategies and interventions aimed at empowering key populations and vulnerable groups with the knowledge and tools to advocate for increased access to HIV treatment and care. With these coordinated efforts, the Department of Health and its’ partners aim to curb the rising HIV incidence and ensure that those affected receive the care and support they need.

News highlights

1. Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady of Ghana, has urged for a united front to fight stigma, promote human rights, and ensure fair access to HIV prevention services for all, during her keynote address at the 2024 National HIV prevention summit in Accra on Thursday, 13 June 2024, themed, “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges, Uniting for Effective HIV Response.”
2. The Global Fund has promised to commit $700m over the next three years to combat communicable diseases in Uganda. HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria.
3. Improving the precision of HIV prevention programs through an improved approach of Sub-national HIV estimates in Priority Populations.
4. "We now have the scientific tools to end the HIV epidemic; the challenge lies in delivery."  an exclusive Pharma Boardroom interview, AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren.

GPC Upcoming Events

1. 1st African Union Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa – 2-5 July 2024.
2. South to South Learning Network Webinar: HIV prevention self-assessment tools – 18 July 2024
3. International AIDS Conference 2024, 22 – 26 July 2024; look out for the GPC at AIDS 2024 update
4. South to South Leaning Network: PrEP and PEP (integrated service delivery) – 1 August 2024
5. Global HIV prevention working group meeting –2 August 2024
6. South to South Learning Network webinar: HIV prevention management – 26 September 2024.

Finally, a big thank you to all who have utilized and referenced the GPC report and Resource Hub – since launching these two in the first quarter, we have had the report referenced in multiple documents as well as conferences, meetings and the resource hub has had over 82,275 page views.

For any comments or questions on the above, please contact us at hivpc@unaids.org.

Kind regards,

Global HIV Prevention Coalition Secretariat | UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS | 20, Avenue Appia CH-1211 Geneva 27. Switzerland.

About the GPC

In 2017, a global coalition of United Nations Member States, donors, civil society organizations, and implementers was established to support global efforts to accelerate HIV prevention.  Membership includes 38 of the highest HIV-burden countries, UNAIDS Cosponsors, donors, civil society, and private sector organizations. The overarching goal of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition is to strengthen and sustain a political commitment to primary prevention by setting a common agenda among key policy-makers, funders, and programme implementers.