Statement of Members of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law on the Passing...

The HIV Prevention and AIDS Control Act was passed by the Ugandan Parliament on 13 May 2014. We have learned with great dismay that the Act contains punitive provisions including the imposition of lengthy custodial sentences for the intentional transmission of HIV (up to 10 years) and attempted transmission (up to 5 years). The HIV Prevention and AIDS Control Act was enacted despite an overwhelming body of evidence cited in our report and several other sources which show the harmful impact of these well-intentioned but ultimately misguided laws.

UNDP highlights the importance of competition in increasing access to health...

New York – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released a new guidebook today encouraging low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to make greater use of competition law and policy to increase access to HIV treatment and other health technologies.

Governments and civil society actors in a growing number of countries have successfully used competition law to promote healthy, open and fair market conditions in the health technologies sector, “yet many others are only now recognizing the importance of competition law, and are beginning to devote more legislative and administrative resources to the field,” Frederick Abbott, editor and one of the five authors of the Guidebook, said.

Friendly clinics for sexual diversity | Manuel Irizar

In recent years, Argentinian society has made significant progress as relates to the full exercise of citizens’ rights. However, sexually diverse groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LBGT) people still face discriminatory situations affecting dramatically their quality of life.

Strengthening Access to Justice and Legal Empowerment for People living with...

Access to legal-aid services for people living with HIV and most vulnerable populations is central to a more effective response to the HIV epidemic in China. Legal aid plays an important role in guaranteeing protection from discrimination, getting redress for rights violations and supporting access to HIV prevention and treatment services. Yet, the enforcement of even the most basic human rights for people living with HIV in China is difficult because of high levels of stigma, a serious shortage of legal aid services and concerns about the possible disclosure of people’s identity during legal proceedings. A recent UNAIDS study [1] revealed that only 30% of HIV discrimination cases have judicial follow-up, with many potential clients being afraid of taking any legal action.

UNDP and UNFPA Meeting of Experts to Reflect on the Recommendations of the...

UNDP and UNFPA convened a meeting of experts on 24-26 April 2014 in New York to examine strategies to reflect on the recommendations of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law related to sex work. The participants were composed of experts from sex work communities, human rights and HIV, women’s rights, anti-trafficking groups, academia, and donors and individuals from UN agencies working on sex work-related issues. Informed by the various disciplines and multiple perspectives of participants, the discussions aimed to reflect on the Commission’s recommendations and to deliberate on ways forward in advancing the best rights-based policy frameworks on the issue of sex work and HIV as well as the evidence available and required to inform robust and rational policy.