HIV Policy Lab Team

The state of the science around ending HIV has never been better, but slow translation of scientific advances into laws and policies is a major barrier to progress in the fight against HIV. Laws and policies drive who has access to the benefits of science, how people living with and affected by HIV are treated, how health systems are structured, and how officials engage with communities. This report presents the state of HIV policy in countries around the world in 2020. Drawing on data from the HIV Policy Lab, it tracks which countries have adopted 33 key HIV-related laws and policies recommended by UNAIDS and WHO and which have not. Overall it shows that policy barriers exist throughout the world that undermine access to high-quality HIV treatment and prevention and increase people’s vulnerability to HIV infection and death. Not a single country has adopted all 33 recommended policies—policy change is needed everywhere in order to end AIDS.