Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, participated in a panel focusing on decriminalizing sex work for effective HIV response.
AIDS conferences have a long history of activism and global politics. This year the US election, the need to replenish the Global Fund, and funding for other pressing global problems, feature.
AIDS 2024 had a strong emphasis on HIV, human rights, and politics. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Administrator of the UNDP, gave a talk: “Global Health is a Matter of Global Politics”.
Front-line activists described the rise since 2023 in repressive laws and policies targeting marginalized communities around the world at the 25th International AIDS Conference.
An underlying theme at AIDS 2024 is attention to global targets and if the “global HIV strategy” (if there is such a singular thing) is on track or off.