GENEVA, 19 December 2025— UNAIDS notes with concern the adoption of the bill banning so-called LGBTQ “propaganda” in Kazakhstan. While the stated objective of the legislation is the protection of children and traditional values, it may inadvertently restrict access to critical public health information and services, affecting the country’s efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

Kazakhstan has made remarkable progress in strengthening its HIV response. The country is advancing rapidly toward the 95–95–95 targets (95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status; 95% of people who know their HIV status are on treatment and 95% of people on treatment have a suppressed viral load), expanding access to modern treatment for 90% of people living with HIV who knowing their status, and scaling up Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) from 200 to more than 132,000 clients in just two years. Community-led services are now integrated nationwide through social contracting, and the country domestically funds 94% of HIV response— an exceptional demonstration of national ownership and commitment.

Evidence from across the region and globally shows that punitive and restrictive laws increase stigma, discourage people from seeking HIV services, and limit the ability of service providers to deliver essential HIV prevention and reproductive health information. Such measures can push LGBTQ communities underground, creating significant barriers to access prevention, testing and treatment, and increasing the risk of new HIV infections among a population already disproportionately affected by the epidemic.

To safeguard these achievements and protect public health, UNAIDS calls Kazakhstan to reconsider the legislative amendments, ensuring that all people in the country continue access the services they need without fear, stigma, or discrimination.

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.