Avac Event

The GPP Body of Evidence: GPP Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks, REAL and REAL2

GPP is an essential part of clinical trials research, and an ethical imperative to creating equitable and effective clinical trials. GPP is created by and for communities, so it necessarily looks different and takes multiple forms in different cultural contexts. This kind of responsiveness is inherent to GPP, but it also makes it difficult to measure and evaluate.

In this webinar, we learned from the Realist Review of Community Engagement and the REAL2 review of participatory research that both examined frameworks for evaluating community engagement efforts, as well as the Global Health Network’s new course on evaluation, and other evaluation efforts in the field of GPP.

Moderator:

  • Jessica Salzwedel, AVAC

Panelists:

  • Alun Davies, The Global Health Network
  • Sassy Molyneux, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust
  • Dr. Robin Vincent, Oxford University

Recording / Alun Davies Slides / Sassy Molyneux Slides / Dr. Robin Vincent Slides

Avac Event

It’s Not Just about the Trial: GPP from discovery to delivery in TB research

GPP enhances every stage of the research lifecycle. In this webinar, our partners at TB Alliance, SMART4TB, and THINK will shared experiences, lessons learned, and innovative approaches in integrating GPP at the organizational, network and situational level, from drug development through delivery.

Moderators:

  • Stacey Hannah, AVAC
  • Dr. Michele Tameris, University of Cape Town

Panelists:

  • Stephanie Seidel, TB Alliance
  • Erica Lessem, SMART4TB
  • Masingita Lambane, THINK

Recording / Stephanie Seidel Slides / Erica Lessem Slides / Masingita Lambane Slides

Fighting the Same Fight Again

Civil Society and Community Engagement in Global Health Initiatives
Authors: Samantha Rick (AVAC), Quentin Batreau (GFAN), Eolann MacFadden (Frontline AIDS)

Pandemic Accord negotiations have so far failed to effectively engage advocate and civil society voices. With key parts of the Pandemic Accord moving toward further negotiation over the next few years, the Coalition of Advocates for Global Health and Pandemic Preparedness calls on advocates in and around the World Health Assembly to continue to rally for meaningful engagement with civil society and community and leadership roles for both in the ongoing multilateral process for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR).

For decades civil society and community organizations have been recognised and legitimately engaged as vital stakeholders and leaders in the HIV response. But this principle of inclusion has been inadequately upheld in other health areas, and vitally important initiatives, including the negotiations of the Pandemic Accord, have failed to build on the success of the HIV response and fully utilize existing models and mechanisms for engagement. Without them, these efforts exclude critical stakeholders when they should integrate civil society organizations (CSOs) as a crucial driver of policy and programming. Although certain initiatives have created some opportunities for CSO involvement, organized campaigns and public outcry have been necessary to garner a seat at the table. With every new program, fund, or secretariat, advocates are compelled to engage in the same repetitive battle to obtain a minimum of two voting seats and consultation prior to decision-making.

Civil society representation at the World Health Assembly has been reduced, a formal mechanism for engagement at UN High Level Meetings has been rejected, requests for even observer status during Pandemic Accord negotiations have also been rejected, and civil society and community advocates have experienced hostility at international convenings such as International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA). Preventing, preparing, and responding to disease outbreaks requires public trust, understanding of regional or cultural ways of working, geographical limitations, and the true needs of communities. We cannot build effective health infrastructure by erecting barriers to civil society and community leadership. 

It is absolutely crucial that civil society and communities band together to demand meaningful engagement in the processes that follow and refuse to permit governments and institutions from rolling back CSO access and decision-making power even further. 

We have seen throughout the 40 years of the HIV/AIDS response that meaningful engagement  turns the tide when biomedical innovations fall short of their potential because of real-world challenges. Decision makers, government representatives, and multilateral institutional leaders must enshrine a baseline level of meaningful civil society engagement practices where and when international decisions are made. As lessons from the global HIV response show us, it is possible, if not probable, that many of the outstanding issues in the Pandemic Accord could have been solved with civil society input and influence, as knowledge-brokers who bring unique insights, find solution, and foster trust where it’s needed most.

The Coalition of Advocates for Global Health and Pandemic Preparedness is a group of organizations advocating for an integrated and holistic approach to preparedness that emphasizes equity, inclusion, and synergies of multiple global health programs in advancing preparedness. We believe that all global health initiatives should be centered on the key principles of community leadership, equity, access, and human rights and that efforts to fight current epidemics and strengthen health systems are central to equitable pandemic preparedness.

The biggest lesson from the fight against HIV, TB, and malaria is that if space is not reserved for civil society, we must take it – “Nothing For Us Without Us”. Join us at the World Health Assembly or watch the recording of our side event focused on civil society engagement if you can’t make it to Geneva, and keep demanding meaningful engagement in every global health initiative.

Join us as we Commemorate HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

As we prepare to commemorate HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) on May 18, the field continues to see some modest scientific breakthroughs, while still facing extraordinary challenges.

Avac Event

HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections: Progress and gaps

13:00 – 14:30 CEST PM

Please join this webinar being held in the run up to the 77th World Health Assembly.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will launch a publication, which describes progress and gaps identified during the first two years of implementing the global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for 2022-2030.

Moderators will ask key leaders in the responses to HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs how we can increase visibility, political will and community activism to accelerate action.

Panelists include:

  • Jérôme Salomon, WHO, Switzerland
  • Jessica Hicks, World Hepatitis Alliance, United Kingdom
  • Maureen Luba, AVAC, Malawi
  • Meg Doherty, WHO, Switzerland
  • Patty Garcia, Cayetano Heredia University, Peru
  • Philippe Duneton, Unitaid, Switzerland
  • Sabin Nsanzimana, Ministry of Health, Rwanda (TBC)

The conversation will be moderated by Charles Gore from the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and Birgit Poniatowski from IAS – the International AIDS Society.

The webinar is organized by IAS – the International AIDS Society – and its partners, WHO, Medicines Patent Pool and Unitaid.

Avac Event

What’s Next for the Pandemic Accord? A civil society and communities perspective

13:30-15:00PM Geneva Time

This side event featured expert panelists discussing what’s promising in the Pandemic Accord, what we expect from governments, and what’s missing for successful implementation. Selected panelists came from different health areas but all have experience in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

This panel also helped civil society prepare for the coming year and gain capacity to meaningfully engage in advocacy around implementation of the Accord. 

This event was co-sponsored with Care and Frontline AIDS. This in-person meeting will be recorded and the recording will be posted on this page following the event.

Will the Pandemic Accord Fail to Learn the Lessons of the HIV Response?

STOPAIDS, GNP+, WACI Health, AVAC & GFAN

In their statement at the 8th Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) meeting, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) highlighted that from the HIV experience we know that if public health measures do not take human rights into account, we will leave marginalised populations behind, fail to address structural barriers to access to quality healthcare, and miss essential interventions altogether.

At the final negotiation meeting of the Pandemic Accord, Member States risk failing to learn these key lessons from the HIV response. 

Over the last two years we’ve seen the limited references to human rights further reduced with each version of the proposed Pandemic Accord text. In the revised text published in April 2024, Member States propose the Agreement is guided by the principle of ‘full respect for the dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms of all persons, and the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health of every human being’. Beyond this, key provisions including the need to develop and implement policies to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all people has been removed and the text fails to recognise or support the critical role of communities. 

Local communities are pivotal in advancing the HIV response, leveraging local knowledge to enhance policy execution, and reaching groups left behind by government-led responses.This is true in the HIV response, and is true in public health programs more broadly: participation from communities and civil society is crucial to minimise the gaps of public programs, ensuring that they reach all vulnerable populations, including the most marginalised. Engagement at the community level also ensures that large-scale policies are effectively translated for local contexts, reducing barriers to access and strengthening impact. To not include organisations that already have a plethora of expertise in the areas the Accord aims to help with would be irresponsible, and would be ineffective on behalf of the communities they aim to serve. The HIV response is globally recognised for its inclusion of communities in governance and decision-making and it is critical the Pandemic Accord replicates this inclusion in the implementation and governance of this instrument. 

At the final negotiation meeting, we must see Member States agree a Pandemic Accord that is grounded in human rights and supports the critical role of communities. We urge Member States to:

Download the full statement here.

Avac Event

Analysis & Impact of the Ugandan Constitutional Court Ruling on HIV Services

Please join us for a deep dive into the recent ruling on the Anti-Homosexuality Act by the Ugandan Constitutional Court, with a focus on implications for HIV programs in Uganda and beyond, and connections to the US Supreme Court Dodds decision.

Speakers Include:

  • Andrea Gillespie, Associate Director of Global Advocacy, Human Rights Campaign
  • Maureen Milanga, Director International Policy and Advocacy, Health GAP
  • Ugandan activist TBC

AVAC Fellows Program

Capability Statement

The AVAC Fellows program empowers advocates to create lasting impact within their communities and beyond. Alumni often pursue further training, lead advocacy movements, and play significant roles in shaping health policies and national strategies.

Our Work with Key Populations

Capability Statement

AVAC advocates for effective HIV prevention, supports Key Population-led research participation, fights against criminalization policies, accelerates access to innovative prevention tools, and champions broader health equity issues.