AIDS 2026 will  be the first major global gathering following the UN General Assembly  High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS where countries came together and committed to new targets as part of efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. 

The conference comes at a critical moment as these global commitments must translate into country-level implementation. Sustained political leadership is needed as well as and concrete financing commitments from both donors and countries most affected by HIV, particularly in a time of constrained resources. 

On the opening day of the conference (27 July), UNAIDS will be releasing a special report, United to End AIDS, which gives the latest data on HIV from 2025. 

UNAIDS will  focus its engagement on three strategic areas:          

• Supporting all countries to achieve the targets set out in the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2031 and the 2026 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS
• Protecting HIV prevention and community-led services, particularly for key populations, women and girls, and young people.
• Mobilizing sustainable HIV financing, including maintaining international support and advancing domestic financing and transition planning.

EVENTS:

SATURDAY 25

Living 2026  Pre-conference - 08:00-17:00 

LIVING2026 is convened by GNP+ in partnership with the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC), marking ten years of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).

SUNDAY 26

Rethink, Rebuild, Rise - SRHR/HIV integration and community leadership in a new funding era - Room 103 / 14:00-15:00 

A powerful opening dialogue on the political context of the HIV response. Focusing on human rights, global equity, and the political courage needed to rethink and rebuild resilient health systems.

MONDAY 27

Making HIV elimination in the Americas a reality: Leadership, evidence, action - Room 204 / 11:30 – 12:30 

This symposium will present HIV elimination as an urgent public health priority and a realistic goal for the Americas. It will highlight country leadership and share lessons learned from applying evidence to policy and practice. The session will formally introduce the Alliance for the Elimination of HIV in the Americas, a regional platform created to accelerate progress toward 2030.

Opening press conference: Launch of UNAIDS special report – United to end AIDS - Press conference room / 14:00 – 15:00 

On the opening day of the 26th International Aids Conference in Rio de Janeiro, taking place from 27 to 31 July 2026, UNAIDS is releasing a new report showing the extent and impact of funding cuts and disruptions experienced in 2025 as well as global progress in the AIDS response. 

Women's networking Zone 2026 Opening ceremony - Global village / 15:00-16:30 

TUESDAY 28

A wake-up call for youth-led HIV responses: Are young people being left behind? – Youth pavilion / 13:00 – 14:00 

This panel discussion will bring together representatives from Y+ Global programmes and external partners to explore how youth-led responses to HIV are evolving in today's changing landscape. Panellists will reflect on the challenges facing youth-led organisations, examine what a truly inclusive and integrated response looks like, and highlight practical solutions to ensure young people remain at the centre of programme design, implementation, advocacy, and decision-making.

WEDNESDAY 29

Leadership at the tipping point: Protecting the gains and advancing progress in a new era of the HIV response – Room 201 / 10:30 – 11:30

This symposium will examine ways to balance global solidarity and national sovereignty in an evolving landscape that demands both. Speakers will discuss strategies to ensure that the urgent need to prioritize a renewed HIV response is met at all levels: within national budgets; through coordination at the regional level; and by bold investments into the architecture required to bring discovery to delivery.

Leading for the future: Re-centering women, children, and adolescents as a pathway to sustained HIV epidemic control - Room 201 / 18:00-19:30 

This Symposium is about shaping the future we want — together. As Keynote Speaker, Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, will reflect on the leadership and collective commitment needed to build the future we want — in the spirit of the newly adopted UN Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS and with communities leading the way. 

THURSDAY 30

Global Inequality Council high-level meeting Ebola, AIDS, COVID and Beyond: Breaking the inequality-pandemic cycle, featuring Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz - 10:30 – 11:30 

From Political Declaration to community action: Using the 2026 UN High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS as an advocacy tool - 16:30 – 17:30 

FRIDAY 31

Political leadership matters: Renewing parliamentary action for the HIV response - Room 205 / 10:30-11:30

Following the UN High-Level Meeting, this session of the Global Parliamentary Platform on HIV and AIDS will demonstrate how parliamentary leadership can help rethink strategies, rebuild political momentum, and rise to future challenges in the global HIV response.