Press statement

UNAIDS saddened by death of HIV and sex worker rights activist Andrew Hunter

GENEVA, 27 December 2013—The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is deeply saddened by the death of Andrew Hunter, who was known and respected for his tireless promotion of the rights of people from key populations most at risk of HIV, particularly sex workers.

Mr Hunter was a driving force of the sex workers rights movement globally and across Asia and the Pacific for decades. He was the President of the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) and one of the founding members of the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) and NSWP.

“The global AIDS movement has lost a great advocate and activist who was a phenomenal force of energy,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Andrew was a courageous champion of sex worker-led HIV programming. We will miss his vision, energy and compassion."

Mr Hunter was a member of the UNAIDS Advisory Group on HIV and sex work. He also led NSWP and APNSW’s meaningful participation in the development of policies and tools on HIV and sex work, and on HIV treatment access.


UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.


Contact

UNAIDS Geneva
Sophie Barton-Knott
tel. +41 22 791 1697
bartonknotts@unaids.org

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