Fiji

Key Results in 2022-2023

In 2023, the Government increased the budget for the HIV response to bridge the funding gaps.
The Prime Minister announced a unified government response to tackle the rising HIV infections in the country.
Multimonth dispensing and postal delivery of antiretroviral medicines are implemented.

Joint Programme Results

Advocacy as well as technical and financial support from the Joint Programme enabled Fiji to strengthen access to HIV services for vulnerable and key populations, including people living with HIV. For instance, the Government implemented multimonth dispensing of antiretroviral treatment and postal delivery in remote areas with technical support from the Joint Programme (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). In addition, a newly established peer-support group for people living with HIV organized monthly support sessions as well as developed an information booklet for people living with HIV in the local language (UNAIDS Secretariat).

Fiji and seven other countries—Federal State of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon, Tonga, and Vanuatu – revised their midwifery curriculum and developed guidelines for family planning and youth - friendly sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. These countries also upgraded selected health facilities to scale up integrated HIV, sexual and reproductive health, and family planning services for women and young people (UNFPA).

HIV incidence per 1000 uninfected populations

Source: AIDSinfo

AIDS mortality per 1000 population

Source: AIDSinfo

Progress towards 95-95-95 targets

Source: AIDSinfo

Comprehensive sexuality education was implemented in all seven countries through systematic engagement of communities affected by HIV and open dialogues on sensitive issues, such as gender equality and bodily autonomy, a fundamental right of people to have power and agency to make choices over their bodies and futures, without violence or coercion. In five countries, national multi-stakeholder committees played a critical role in effectively strengthening community engagement, designing school comprehensive sexuality education curriculums, and advocacy. Uptake and utilization of HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services – targeting women, young people, persons with disabilities and people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression – were also improved through various means of behaviour change communication and demand generation initiatives using in and out-of-school comprehensive sexuality education and mass media (UNFPA).

Key representatives of key population organisations were empowered to promote HIV combination prevention services and referrals to point-of-care targeted testing services through training sessions co-organized with the Ministry of Health (WHO). Furthermore, access to initiatives, including the Condomizing Hotspots programme and Sex Ed O’clock sessions were improved through technical and financial assistance provided and mobilized to local LGBTQI+ community-led programmes (UNAIDS Secretariat).

In 2023, the Government announced a budget increase to address the huge funding gap for the HIV response following intense advocacy and technical support from the Joint Programme. In addition, donor support for Fiji's HIV response increased, including the re-entry of Fiji for eligibility to the Global Fund grant mechanism, thanks to a successful advocacy campaign, led by the Joint Programme in partnership with international donors and academia. The campaign highlighted the rising new HIV infections in Fiji, existing gaps in the health systems, frequent HIV medicine and commodity stockouts, unmatched domestic funding and the need for consorted advocacy efforts to increase international support for an effective, robust, resilient system (UNAIDS Secretariat).