The latest on AVAC.org

December 17, 2019

Check out the resources below for the latest AVAC material, including our just-released AVAC Report 2019: Now What?, our opinion piece on Devex highlighting priorities for 2020 and beyond, and several new resources and publications!!

AVAC Report 2019: Now What?

Our November publication of our annual report asks Now What? as we look ahead to 2020 and the certainty of missing HIV prevention targets set by UNAIDS. In answer, we issue a call to action: enact bold, activist, visible leadership on HIV; sustain investment; use today’s evidence to guide tomorrow’s prevention targets; and double down on multilayered prevention approaches.

Check out these additional resources in the report:

The Global Development Community is Listening

On December 3rd, Devex published AVAC’s opinion piece exploring the critical challenges and opportunities we laid out in Now What? Read on for the actions we think will make the difference from leaders and communities at every level.

Youth Leadership Will Turn the Tide Against HIV

We commemorated World AIDS Day 2019 with the launch of a series of blogs from the new generation of leaders who must carry the torch to end the epidemic. Learn why we call these leaders Generation Now and have pledged our support to their remarkable efforts. And read the blogs to see their responses, framing the challenges ahead.

Abuja Commitments for Spending on Health Put in Context

To coincide with the recent ICASA conference Accountability International published, with support from the AVAC-led Coalition to Accelerate & Support Prevention Research (CASPR), Mind the Gap: African HIV Financing Scorecard. This report tracks current African domestic investments in HIV treatment and prevention. The report also makes the case for the importance of considering other indicators, beyond the 2001 Abuja pledge of 15 percent of annual budget investments into the health sectors, when evaluating political will and opportunities to increase investment and access to health.

Learning from “Like” Products to Accelerate the Introduction of New Prevention Options

As part of the OPTIONS Consortium, which AVAC co-leads, we published The Dapivirine Ring: Key learnings from like-product introductions, which examines historical experiences introducing products that share characteristics with the dapivirine vaginal ring, specifically, products that were vaginally inserted or partially efficacious.

The Complex Challenges of HIV Vaccine Development Require Renewed and Expanded Global Commitment

Several AVAC staff and partners contributed to a new viewpoint in The Lancet journal describing what it will take to develop and deliver an HIV vaccine. In The Complex Challenges of HIV Vaccine Development Require Renewed and Expanded Global Commitment, the authors highlight the need to plan now for regulatory review, procurement, and implementation of a potential HIV vaccine to speed its availability. Additionally, drawing on our Resource Tracking Working Group data, the authors call for increased funding for HIV prevention research and the need for strengthening the pipeline of early stage HIV vaccine candidates.

Support AVAC

As the end of the year approaches, we hope you’ll remember AVAC in your charitable giving. Help us sustain this essential work with your support in one or more of the following ways: