World AIDS Day

  On World AIDS Day , the World Health Organization (WHO)  is calling on governments and partners to rapidly expand access to new WHO-approved tools including lenacapavir (LEN) to drive down infections and counter disruption to essential health services caused by cuts to foreign aid. Despite dramatic funding setbacks, the global HIV response has gained a remarkable momentum in 2025 with the introduction and WHO approval of twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention. LEN, a highly effective, long-acting alternative to oral pills and other options, is a transformative intervention for people who face challenges with regular adherence and stigma in accessing health care. WHO released in July this year new guidelines recommending the use of lenacapavir as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention. Sharp and sudden reductions in international funding this year led to disruptions in HIV prevention, treatment and testing services, with es...

Calls to action Campaign materials Facts and figures Sustaining HIV, hepatitis and STIs services amid declining health aid

   Number of People contaminated by HIV.

   HIV‑related causes

  People were living with HIV globally.

Essential topics  > Transmission of HIV  > Prevention of HIV: practicing safer sex, including condom use  > Treatment of HIV  Desirable topics  > HIV-related stigma and discrimination  > Sources of counselling and testing services; seeking counselling, treatment, care and support  > Other HIV and AIDS-related specific content Source: Measuring the education sector response to HIV and AIDS—guidelines for the construction and use of core indicators. Paris: UNESCO; 2013.  UNESCO has developed a set of “essential” and “desirable” topics of a life skills-based HIV and sexuality education programme. The essential topics are those that have the greatest direct impact on HIV prevention, while desirable topics are those that have an indirect impact on HIV prevention but are important as part of an overall sexuality education programme

HIV-sensitive social protection enables people living with HIV and other vulnerable populations to access services together with the rest of the population; this prevents the exclusion of groups. HIV-sensitive social protection is the preferred approach as it avoids the stigmatization that can be caused by focusing exclusively on HIV. Approaches to HIVsensitive social protection include the following: financial protection through predictable transfers of cash, food or other commodities for people affected by HIV and those who are most vulnerable; access to affordable quality services, including treatment, health and education services; and policies, legislation and regulation to meet the needs (and uphold the rights) of the most vulnerable and excluded people. Source: UNAIDS terminology guidelines  2015.