GEC launches two new editions of HIV Prevention Handbook at Global Equality Summit

The Global Equality Caucus has unveiled two new versions of its HIV Prevention Handbook at the Global Equality Summit in Cape Town.

During a special presentation during the Summit plenary, attending legislators and other stakeholders were introduced to the new editions, with one focused on Eastern & Southern Africa and one on Latin America.

This follows existing versions for the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions, published in 2023 and 2022 respectively.

The HIV Prevention Handbook is a resource attached to GEC’s programme to bring HIV prevention policy to the attention of legislators, and highlights specific interventions and policy recommendations in an accessible format to assist lawmakers in their advocacy.

The handbooks primarily look at how the HIV epidemic has disproportionately impacted marginalised communities such as LGBT+ people, and identify regional statistics and contextually-relevant responses to improve access to prevention options.

Presenting the handbook for Eastern & Southern Africa, Tshepo Kgositau, GEC Regional Manager for Africa, pointed to how the region is the most severely impacted by the epidemic and, despite significant progress over the past two decades, requires strong commitments from lawmakers to meet targets. With new emerging technologies such as long-acting injectable PrEP, it is important that legal frameworks and policy decisions keep pace with available prevention tools so that populations exposed to HIV-related stigma can access services safely and freely.

The Eastern & Southern Africa handbook also reiterates the importance of sustainable funding if HIV is to be eliminated as a public health threat by 2030, with legislators urged to consider domestic funding models to support the provision of services such as antiretroviral therapy, gender-affirming care and integrated family planning.

Multiple case studies in the handbook illustrate how some countries have successfully implemented programmes, including Zambia’s pioneering rollout of long-acting injectable PrEP, specialist trans healthcare clinics in South Africa, and the diversification of HIV testing options in Uganda - although laws that criminalise LGBT+ people and other key populations continue to act as a barrier to access.

Launching the Latin America handbook - which is available in both English and Spanish, with a Portuguese version publishing soon - Erick Iván Ortiz, GEC Regional Manager for Latin America, warned that a regional trend towards populism and democratic backsliding is threatening health budgets and the civic participation of marginalised people. LGBT+ people in particular face disproportionate discrimination, violence and financial instability, disconnecting them from HIV services.

Important regional interventions highlighted include amplifying youth-targeted campaigns to improve young people’s access to prevention services, as has been done in Colombia; state-sponsored condom distribution programmes in collaboration with civil society actors, as in Chile; and national PrEP strategies such as that implemented in Brazil, which seek to overcome social barriers to access for groups such as trans people, indigenous populations and migrants.

Commenting on the launch of the handbooks, Andrew Slinn, GEC Head of Operations and project lead, said: “Our HIV prevention project is into its third year and I am proud we now have four regionally-tailored handbooks that legislators can utilise in their work. These handbooks are specifically designed to provide fast, accessible evidence on effective HIV prevention strategies, with policy proposals attached to each strategy. Legislators should feel confident to draw on these proposals when advocating for under-served communities, and the information in these handbooks should assist them in persuading colleagues to collectively work towards HIV healthcare equity for LGBT+ people.”

All four editions of the HIV Prevention Handbook are available to download from GEC’s HIV Prevention Portal now. The project is supported by ViiV Healthcare.