UNAIDS urges the President not to sign the Bill and calls on Senegal to safeguard life-saving health services including HIV prevention, treatment and care.

GENEVA/DAKAR, 18 March 2026—On 12 March 2026, the Parliament of Senegal voted overwhelmingly to impose harsher penalties for “unnatural acts” including homosexuality and promoting or encouraging homosexuality. UNAIDS is deeply concerned about the implications for the country's public health achievements and urges the President not to sign the Bill.

The final adopted text includes a critical public health safeguard clause which UNAIDS urges Senegal to adhere to. The clause reads: “However, activities carried out by duly authorized health structures and organizations within the framework of public health policies shall not be considered as offenses under this article.”

UNAIDS acknowledges and values Senegal's longstanding partnership in the fight against HIV. The Ministry of Health and the country's National Council for the Fight Against AIDS have worked with partners to ensure that people living with HIV can access the care they need and that prevention reaches the populations most at risk. These gains have saved lives and represent an investment by the Senegalese people in their own health and future.

Senegal is confronted however, by significant challenges in its response to HIV and UNAIDS urges Senegal to maintain a strong focus on the public health evidence, legal framework and community partnerships required to achieve impact and a sustainable response with essential services accessible to the most vulnerable people. 

In Senegal, 79% of people living with HIV are on lifesaving treatment, however, between 2010 and 2024, new HIV infections in Senegal increased by 36% making Senegal one of only four countries in the West and Central African region experiencing a rise in new HIV infections. 

Evidence shows that criminalization causes people to turn away from health services. Criminal laws also increase stigma and discrimination against groups that are already marginalized. An effective HIV response based on solid public health evidence and protections for access to services for the most vulnerable is urgent for Senegal. 

UNAIDS calls on Government authorities to:

• Ensure the full and effective implementation of the public health exemption enshrined in the Bill, through clear ministerial guidance and legal certainty for health organizations and workers.
• Protect the confidentiality of medical information and the patient-provider relationship as non-negotiable foundations of a functioning health system.
• Ensure that community-based organizations providing HIV prevention, testing, treatment support, harm reduction and care can continue to operate without fear of prosecution.
• Maintain international funding channels and partnership frameworks that sustain HIV service delivery and ensure that donors and implementing partners have legal clarity regarding their continued engagement.
• Engage in open dialogue with health authorities, civil society, and UN partners to monitor the impact of the Bill on service access and take swift action where public health gains are at risk.

Ending AIDS requires reaching everyone, particularly people most at risk of HIV. UNAIDS remains committed to working together with Senegal to end AIDS as a public health threat in the country.

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.