UNAIDS is deeply saddened by the death of Stephen Lewis, an early and vocal champion of the AIDS response who passed away on 31 March 2026. UNAIDS expresses its sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Stephan Lewis was a strong supporter of the AIDS response and showed great leadership and courage in speaking out against HIV-related stigma and discrimination in the early days of the epidemic.

Stephen Lewis’s work with the United Nations spanned more than two decades. He was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001 until the end of 2006 and later established the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2003, which remains focused on community organizations working on HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. He also served as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on HIV & the Law. 

He was bold, compassionate and tireless in confronting HIV-related stigma and discrimination from the early days of the epidemic and his contribution to the AIDS response will not be forgotten. 

Stephen Lewis devoted his life to advocating and drawing attention to the AIDS crisis and calling on leaders and the public to respond. 

His leadership championed the welfare of people living with HIV and supported communities to be meaningfully involved in the HIV response. It is thanks to leaders such as Stephan Lewis that today more than 31 million people globally have access to HIV treatment. 

What Stephen Lewis said in April of 2004 still holds true today “Surely the increasingly realistic prospect of prolonging and saving the lives of millions of men, women and children will galvanize the international community and open the vaults of compassion. If ever there was a test of human solidarity, that test is now.” 

UNAIDS pays tribute to Mr Lewis's leadership and mourns the loss of a remarkable colleague and advocate. His legacy will live on through the work he advanced and the lives he impacted around the world.

GENEVA, 31 March 2026—The HIV response is at a tipping point. If HIV prevention is deprioritized and defunded, gains made in stopping new HIV infections could be reversed. 

With 1.3 million new HIV infections per year in both 2023 and 2024, the world remains off-track to end the pandemic. Yet, global HIV prevention targets are achievable. At the end of 2024, five countries—Lesotho, Malawi, Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe—had achieved a 75% reduction in new HIV infections compared to 2010. New targets for 2030, co-developed with countries and communities, have informed the new Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031.

The Global HIV Prevention Coalition (GPC), which was established in 2017 to strengthen and sustain political and financial commitment to primary prevention, has used these targets and the Strategy to develop the HIV Prevention 2030 Global Access Framework.

“Our vision is that everyone in need has access to HIV prevention options. This is achievable if investments in prevention are robust and sustained, if countries ensure effective use of resources, and if programmes are evidence-based and grounded in human rights with communities at the centre,” said Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS.

The Access Framework outlines how, by 2030, countries can ensure that 90% of people in need of prevention services have access and that 90% of people living with HIV are virally suppressed. This, in combination, would lead to a 90% reduction in new HIV infections globally.

To attain these targets in a time of limited resources, the 2030 Prevention Access Framework defines five Ps for prioritization: put the People in greatest need at the centre; Place—focus on the highest-burden locations; the right Platforms—for service delivery; the right Package—of prevention options to offer people choices; Price—cost effectiveness to ensure sustained country implementation.

Ensuring access to HIV prevention now means shifting towards country-led and domestically funded programmes, finding local solutions for sustained impact.

Topline targets for prevention options were translated into key numeric milestones for 2030: 40 million people living with HIV globally on HIV treatment; 20 million people accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options to prevent HIV; 20 billion condoms, and at least 20% of domestic HIV financing dedicated to prevention. 

The future of the HIV response will be determined by whether we can deliver combination prevention at scale, rooted in human rights and dignity, driven by governments, communities and young people, and integrated within sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA is committed to meeting the needs of all population groups, particularly those of adolescent girls and young women. We will continue working with partners to address critical gaps to ensure no one is left behind." said Pio Smith Deputy Executive Director ai UNFPA 

HIV prevention innovations have further expanded choice for populations at risk. New long-acting options for prevention such as lenacapavir—twice yearly injections to prevent HIV—are becoming available. Trusted access platforms such as stigma-free health services integrating HIV prevention, community outreach, pharmacies, youth-innovative virtual and telehealth platforms, supported by generative AI, are critical in facilitating access to prevention options.

“The cost of inaction is detrimental. Innovations, including new and emerging long-acting prevention options, especially lenacapavir, have added to the array of prevention choices. Now, speed, scale and equity are still needed to translate exciting science into public health impact,” said Mitchell Warren, GPC Co-chair and Executive Director of AVAC. “History will judge us harshly if we as a global community fail to meet this scientific moment.”

Despite global commitments, primary prevention investments remain far below required levels particularly in many low- and middle-income countries. Governments need to commit at least one fifth of domestic HIV funding to HIV prevention programmes and ensure prevention commodities such as anti-retroviral-based prevention, condoms, needles and syringes and voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention should be available and accessible to users at affordable prices.

“A fit-for-purpose global prevention mechanism must reinforce country leadership, safeguard and optimize prevention financing, and align partners and resources to country priorities and systems,, which will reduce fragmentation and strengthen prioritization and timely decision making so that available resources are fully leveraged for impact,” said Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, GPC co-chair, Secretary of the HIV Multisector Leadership Forum 

UNAIDS, UNFPA, GPC and partners will continue to steer progress through a global campaign to sustain momentum and reach the 2030 prevention targets.

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 towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Civil society organizations in Uzbekistan help deliver peer-to-peer outreach, HIV testing, awareness-raising and prevention. As external funding for HIV declines in the land-locked country in Central Asia, it now faces a critical task: ensuring that prevention and community-led services are sustained.

Community organizations provide support that is not always visible in the country. Over the years, their direct engagement with populations affected by HIV or at risk of HIV has shown that barriers to services exist.  Stigma, fear, limited awareness and existing policy constraints continue to prevent people from accessing testing, treatment and health care.

“Our added value lies in our grassroots experience,” said Sobir, a local representative of a community organization providing HIV services. “We know what the challenges are in the healthcare system and understand where the gaps are.”

He gave the example of self-testing kits. Despite being available online people still did not use them. “The government is working to expand access, but our role is to help ensure these services actually reach people and that they trust us.”

With an estimated 60,000 people living with HIV and a growing share of infections linked to sexual transmission, Uzbekistan ranks among the third highest epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Uzbekistan has made significant progress in expanding access to HIV testing and treatment and strengthening national ownership of its response. Most HIV treatment and diagnostic services are now financed through the state budget, and treatment is free and accessible to all people in need. But HIV prevention programmes and community outreach have so far relied heavily on external support, including from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

“Bridging this gap will be essential to maintaining progress and reducing new HIV infections,” said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Asia-Pacific. “Treatment alone will not end the epidemic. Strengthening prevention, supporting community-led services and addressing stigma are critical.” 

In his view with sustained investment in community-led services, strong partnerships, and a long-term commitment to programme sustainability, the country could well become the first in Central Asia to reach the 95–95–95 targets. The Government’s decision to strengthen cooperation with the non-governmental sector and national and local level resources have been encouraging signs. 

“We actively work with the Republican AIDS Center, the Ministry of Health and social protection,” said Sergey Uchayev, Head of Ishonch va Hayot, the ‘'Union of People Living with HIV in Uzbekistan’ network.” They involve us in developing policies, strategies, and plans. There is growing interest at different levels in working with us,” he said. 

At the same time, he echoed concerns raised by many civil society organizations about the absence of a functioning mechanism that allows government institutions like his to contract HIV services from community-based organizations.

“State budget allocations for HIV services require defined standards, budgeting frameworks, financing mechanisms, and strong transparency and accountability systems,” he said. “Without this, available resources from state and local budgets cannot yet be effectively channeled to community-led HIV services.”

The time to act is now. “With many of the key elements already in place, and while donor funding is still available, we should not miss this opportunity,” he added.

Such systems are already in place in Moldova, as well as in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. He believes UNAIDS and partners can play a critical role in bringing stakeholders together and facilitating this process.

In Tashkent, mid-March 2026, the United Nations in Uzbekistan convened the first Joint UN–Government Steering Committee meeting on the new United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2026–2030. The meeting discussed priority areas for joint action, including the sustainability of the HIV response.

As Uzbekistan undergoes rapid social and economic transformation, the public health sector is no exception.

UNAIDS is deeply saddened by the passing of His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, a steadfast champion of dignity, inclusion, and the HIV response across the Pacific.

“Ratu Epeli Nailatikau played an important role in shaping the HIV response in the Pacific. His efforts to address stigma and promote community-led approaches have left a lasting impact on the region’s journey toward ending AIDS.” – Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS

As UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for the Pacific, and across his distinguished service as Speaker of Parliament and former President of Fiji, Ratu Epeli demonstrated a rare combination of leadership and humility, using his influence not for recognition, but in service of others, particularly the most vulnerable.

His commitment to HIV was deeply personal and unwavering. He stood publicly and consistently with communities affected by HIV, at a time when stigma and silence often prevailed. He used his voice to normalize open dialogue, challenge discrimination, and advocate for responses grounded in dignity and human rights.

Ratu Epeli’s contributions to the HIV response in Fiji and the Pacific were both visible and transformative. He played a pioneering role in convening regional leadership, including chairing a landmark meeting of Pacific Parliamentarians on HIV in 2004 in Fiji, helping to elevate political ownership of the response at an early stage. He championed legal and policy reforms that strengthened the enabling environment for HIV, including his leadership during the enactment of Fiji’s HIV/AIDS Act in 2011, which embedded a human rights-based approach to the national response. He also supported the removal of HIV-related travel restrictions, positioning Fiji as a leader in reducing discrimination and advancing equitable access to services.

Beyond policy, he was deeply engaged at the community level. He travelled across Fiji, including visiting schools, to speak directly with young people about HIV prevention, awareness, and responsibility, helping to shape a generation with greater understanding and openness. He also engaged directly with people living with HIV and key populations, lending his presence and voice to efforts aimed at breaking down stigma and strengthening community-led responses.

Ratu Epeli worked closely with UNAIDS over many years, not as a symbolic figure, but as an active and trusted partner. From global platforms, including addressing the United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS, to national and community engagements, he consistently called for bold action to end stigma and advance equitable access to prevention, treatment, and care.

He was more than an ambassador in title. He was a bridge between leadership and community, between policy and lived experience. His advocacy helped shape a more open, inclusive, and people-centred HIV response in Fiji and across the Pacific. Like the spirit of rugby he often invoked, he reminded us that ending AIDS requires teamwork, discipline, and collective responsibility, no one wins unless we move forward together.

UNAIDS extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, the people of Fiji, and communities across the Pacific whose lives he touched through his leadership and compassion.

His voice will be deeply missed, but his legacy will endure in the continued effort to end HIV and ensure that no one is left behind.