Reducing inequalities demands focused efforts to meet the needs of people who are most vulnerable and underserved, recognizing that people living with HIV and key populations in emergency and humanitarian settings are highly vulnerable to the socioeconomic impact of emergencies. They typically are least protected by national social safety nets and often experience multilayered inequalities which heighten their vulnerability. The Strategy calls for equal access to HIV services for people living with and affected by HIV in humanitarian emergencies (including refugees and internally displaced persons) and for ensuring that their health, food, nutrition, shelter and water basic needs are covered in humanitarian responses.
Humanitarian Settings and Pandemics
Overview
Joint Programme Results
As the number of people affected by emergencies or living in humanitarian settings continued to rise in 2022–2023, the Joint Programme intensified its work to address HIV in humanitarian settings. Thirty-nine countries had specific measures in place for vulnerable persons living with HIV and HIV/TB in humanitarian settings, and 46 countries affected by humanitarian emergencies implemented services for key populations in such settings. The Inter-Agency Task Team on HIV in humanitarian emergencies is being revigorated, informed by the 53rd PCB decisions related to HIV in humanitarian emergencies.
The Joint Programme contributed to mitigating the impact of conflict and natural disasters to protect progress against HIV and ensure continued access to life-saving HIV services and rights protection. UNHCR and partners strengthened public health knowledge and programming in humanitarian settings through guidance and skills-building tools. In Ukraine, the Joint Programme partnered with communities, national and local authorities to provide life-saving HIV and other services. WFP partnered with the All-Ukrainian network “100% Life” to deliver food assistance to over 200 000 people living with HIV/TB in 2022–2023, while UNICEF assisted nearly one million people with HIV diagnostics. UNFPA addressed gaps in the availability of life-saving supplies through targeted support for humanitarian logistics and supply chain management and UN WOMEN promoted gender-responsive humanitarian approaches. Examples of other support including nutritional services to people living with, at risk of or affected by HIV in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, where about one million people have been displaced due to armed conflict.
In 2023 UNHCR’s annual public health inclusion survey reported that 98% of the surveyed countries had included a universal “test and treat” approach for HIV in their national policies and 89% of countries had adapted this for refugee settings. Policy changes in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco incorporated the “prevent HIV, test and treat all” approach in national policies.
The Joint Programme supported countries to overcome service disruptions during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and to build more resilient systems for health and pandemic preparedness in ways that benefit the HIV response and leverage lessons learned from HIV. As of 2023, 55 countries reported the inclusion of priority HIV services in national pandemic preparedness plans or frameworks.
Investments
UNAIDS Investments on
