Effective laws to end HIV and AIDS: Next steps for parliament

UNDP has supported the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) in the development of a resource, “Effective Laws to End HIV and AIDS: Next Steps for Parliaments”. This knowledge product provides examples of selected parliaments that have adopted rights-based laws to support effective HIV responses, particularly in relation to people living with HIV and key populations, including sex workers, transgender people and people who use drugs. By highlighting positive examples of parliamentary processes undertaken to pass rights-based laws that support effective HIV responses, the resource aims to encourage and assist parliamentary scrutiny of legislation that impacts on HIV and provide practical guidance to parliamentarians who are interested in supporting such rights-based law reform efforts to undertake the same, pursuant to global commitments that governments have made to introduce such legislation.

Transgender visibility: The ‘AIDS Tchê’ initiative in Brazil |...

The Week of Transgender Visibility recently took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, with three days of events and initiatives supported within the AIDS Tchê initiative, part of a UN Integrated Plan designed to support the poorest and most remote areas of the country.

Global Commission on HIV and the Law: Knowledge Products January 2014

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, the Global Commission on HIV and the Law issued its report, HIV and the Law: Risks, Rights and Health, in July 2012, presenting persuasive evidence and actionable recommendations which can save lives and money, while playing a transformative role in the AIDS response. Since then activities to advance the Report’s findings and recommendations have taken place in at least 84 countries and are classified under the following activities:

Discussion Paper on Transgender Health & Human Rights

UNDP’s HIV, Health & Development Group is pleased to launch a Discussion Paper on Transgender Health & Human Rights prepared by Jack Byrne, an expert on trans health and human rights issues. UNDP is grateful to the large number of trans people and other advocates for trans people’s health and human rights who contributed to this paper at various stages.

National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 a positive step towards HIV...

On December 26, 2013 the President of the United States Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 (NDAA). The Act contains important provisions for HIV criminalization reform advocates and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities.

Specifically, the Act contains language from an amendment co-sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) – H.R. 1843, the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Action. According to a statement issued by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, “This amendment requires a report to Congress on the use of the Uniform Code of Military Justice regarding military service members living with or at risk of contracting HIV. This report is essential to understanding how we can modernize discriminatory and outdated laws and practices related to HIV.”