MEPs call for an EU Action Plan on HIV/AIDS
Members of the Informal Working Group on HIV/AIDS in the European Parliament have issued a joint statement:
“We must act now, and we must act together. Now is the time for a new EU Action Plan on HIV/AIDS”
The MEPs include:
Dr Vytenis Andriukaitis (Socialists & Democrats, Lithuania)
Marc Angel (Socialists & Democrats, Luxembourg)
Romana Jerković (Socialists & Democrats, Croatia)
Rasmus Nordqvist (Greens/European Freedom Alliance, Denmark)
Krzysztof Śmiszek (Socialists & Democrats, Poland)
Maria Walsh (European People’s Party, Ireland)
In 2015, the EU commited to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, pledging the end of the HIV epidemic by 2030. But with just over 4 years left to go, that goal is slipping beyond reach. As MEP Andriukaitis states, only 4 countries in the EU/EEA have met their targets.
The HIV response must be rooted in human rights. MEP Śmiszek underlines that many communities most affected by HIV/AIDS still face discrimination and criminalisation, including gay and bisexual men, transgender and gender diverse people, sex workers, people with a migrant background, people who use drugs, and those in prison. These laws and practices deny access to life-saving care and violate fundamental rights.
MEP Jerković urges greater awareness that HIV is no longer a death sentence, a manageable chronic condition that enables people living with HIV to live longer and fulfilling lives. For the first time, a generation of people living with HIV is ageing. But as they grow older, complex health challenges arise, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and mental health issues. To address these challenges, we need a multidisciplinary, person-centred approach that integrates care and responds to individual needs and preferences.
The reality is that people living with HIV continue to face significant barriers to care. People, and especially women living with HIV face intersectional stigma, discrimination and marginalisation and a lack of access to respectful, inclusive services that meet diverse health needs. For MEP Walsh, HIV response must apply a strong gender lens and recognise the intersection between gender and HIV status.
MEPs Angel and Nordqvist reminded us that the funding decisions we make today determine whether this vision will come alive. Particularly where community-led services are concerned, they are at the heart of the HIV response, and funding is not just an imperative but a strategic choice.
The MEP Informal Working Group is coordinated by the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, a Strategic Partner of HIV Outcomes.
For more information about the group and its activities, please contact Gonçalo Pinto Mendes at goncalo.pintomendes@unitenetwork.org.