Report

Power to the people

This report argues that power in fact rests in the hands of the people, as can be seen in countless local, national and international movements to redistribute power and bring greater attention to neglected issues.

Mass movements to redistribute power often have humble beginnings, born out of desperate need or simmering injustice—sparks of frustration that ignite infernos of change. In the early days of the HIV response, grossly insufficient leadership and medical care ignited a global civil society movement. It was the loud and persistent voice of people living with HIV and key populations at high risk of infection that accelerated the pace of research on antiretroviral medicines and drove down their prices, and it is that same determination that continues to expand the provision of affordable, life-saving treatment to millions of people around the world living with HIV.

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Ensuring that people and communities have the power to choose, to know, to thrive and to demand is the key to ending AIDS

Game-changing approaches, such as medicine to prevent HIV (PrEP), integration of contraceptive services with HIV testing, viral load suppression (U = U), harm reduction, and comprehensive sexuality education, give people the power to protect themselves from HIV and, for people living with HIV, the power to thrive.

NAIROBI/GENEVA, 26 November 2019—A new report by UNAIDS, Power to the people, released ahead of World AIDS Day, shows that where people and communities living with and affected by HIV are engaged in decision-making and HIV service delivery, new infections decline and more people living with HIV gain access to treatment. When people have the power to choose, to know, to thrive, to demand and to work together, lives are saved, injustices are prevented and dignity is restored.

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