Advocating for Health Equity

Shaping a new era of global health investment, policy, planning and prevention

AVAC Meeting in NYC

Advocacy and activism have been a linchpin in the history of HIV treatment and prevention. The visionary work of passionate advocates has resulted in hard-fought global gains against HIV.

AVAC is part of a robust civil society movement helping to shape a new era of global health spending and planning related to HIV prevention. We mobilize to ensure programs, products and policies are evidence-based, inclusive and effective. With our partner network, we identify critical needs and develop strategic campaigns to advance HIV prevention, with a focus on ensuring a rich pipeline of options move through research and development, and rollout effectively to reach the communities who need them most.

Our advocacy takes place:

  • Where funders, policies and programs come together.
  • At the point of service delivery, where options from the pipeline must become choices in people’s lives. 
  • At Parliaments, State Houses, Ministries of Health, National legislatures, and international bodies,to press for global and country accountability.
  • In the hands of robust and sophisticated coalitions of African-led civil society organizations.

Upcoming Events & Webinars

African Workshop on HIV & Women 2025

Meeting

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Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2025

Meeting

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What's New

report

Worldwide Prevention, Shared Protection

This Issue Brief describes the impacts of the elimination and reduction of funding that supports sexually transmitted infection (STI) research, testing, and prevention programming. This funding is critically important as STI rates continue to increase globally with more than 1 million curable STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis, acquired every day. Without appropriate testing, treatment, and prevention programs, there is a risk that STI rates will continue to increase leading to more cases of infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and cancers.

STIs
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podcast

Lawsuit Wins and What's at Stake

On February 10, AVAC led other organizations to sue  the US government including the President, the US State Department and USAID,  seeking emergency relief from an Executive Order that inhumanely froze all funding for foreign assistance. This case may well help to determine the future of foreign assistance, executive overreach, and the role of evidence, facts, and values in US policy. AVAC’s Executive Director, Mitchell Warren and Public Citizen Litigator, Lauren Bateman explain these lawsuits and why they matter.

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LEN Generics — Can we go faster?

The timeline for generic LEN for PrEP to come to market is expected to be significantly shorter than for CAB for PrEP. Bioequivalence (BE) testing for LEN, which demonstrates a generic product works in the body in the same way as the originator product, is likely to be six months, vs. the 18 months for CAB for PrEP, because of differences in the drug formulation.

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The Latest on Advocating for Health Equity

Event

Fight for Firewalls: HIV and Health Data Privacy in the Snowballing Surveillance State

With the increased abuse of technology in surveilling and criminalizing healthcare, especially abortion and gender affirming care, more and more people are asking: is my personal health data safe? People living with HIV and human rights advocates have been demanding answers to this question for years, particularly in relation to the collection, sharing, and storing of HIV genetic data without the consent of people living with HIV.

Kendra Albert, a public interest technology lawyer, will discuss the current state of health data privacy, especially as it relates to people living with HIV. Participants will learn basic concepts in health data privacy and what actions they can take to improve health data privacy on the state level. Moderator: Martha Cameron, International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW), North America Presenters: Kendra Albert, Albert Sellars LLP Kae Greenberg, Center for HIV Law and Policy

Article

Protect Federal Funding for HIV, TB, and STI Research and Prevention at the National Institutes of Health

AVAC and 627 organizations, institutions, researchers, clinicians, public health advocates and stakeholders submitted a written letter to the Senate HELP Committee urging lawmakers to reject the cuts to NIH funding for HIV, TB, and STI research and highlighting the impact of these cuts on lifesaving innovation and research infrastructure.

Report

Advocates’ Guide: Understanding the President’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget and Its Implications for Science, Research and Global Health 

The US administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget marks a sweeping rollback of federal investment in health, research, and global development. For advocates, researchers, and implementers, this proposal demands urgent attention and action.