As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the HERO Awards under the theme TENAC10US, we are pleased to announce UNAIDS as the Host of this special HERO Awards.
This announcement comes just after the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, which resulted in the adoption of the 2026 Political Declaration by UN Member States, reaffirming their commitment to accelerate action to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
“Communities have always been at the heart of the HIV response, challenging stigma, reaching people excluded from services and holding systems accountable. The 2026 Political Declaration reaffirms that ending AIDS by 2030 will depend on protecting, resourcing and sustaining community leadership. The HERO Awards honour the courage and tenacity of those who continue to drive change, even in increasingly difficult environments,”
said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The 10th anniversary of the HERO Awards under the powerful theme “TENAC10US”, celebrating the resilience, persistence, and courage of individuals and communities driving change in increasingly challenging environments.
Asia and the Pacific, with 60% of the world’s population, remains home to the world’s second-largest HIV epidemic. Currently, around 7 million people are living with HIV. Each year, an estimated 280,000 people acquire HIV and 120,000 die from AIDS-related illnesses.
Fiji, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, are grappling with some of the world’s fastest-rising HIV epidemics.
“We’re pleased that UNAIDS has accepted to take on the role as the Host of the 10th HERO Awards as UNAIDS has the unique role of coordinating the AIDS response – we have missed 2025 targets and will not be able to meet the 2030 targets without renewed political commitments,”
commented APCOM Executive Director, Midnight Poonkasetwattana.
UNAIDS has been a key partner of APCOM since its early days, from the ground-breaking Risks and Responsibilities Conference in 2006 which led to the formation of APCOM in 2007.
Since then, UNAIDS has supported a wide range of APCOM-led initiatives across the region, including innovative HIV prevention efforts such as the Prevention Package in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia; the online HIV testing campaign, TestBKK, which has since been adapted in several countries across the region through TestXXX; and PrEParing Asia 2025: Making PrEP Choice a Reality, a regional conference advancing access to and choice in HIV prevention. UNAIDS has also provided technical support to strengthen APCOM’s engagement in the Global Fund process and supported APCOM in establishing the Emergency Response Fund for LGBTI human rights, which provides timely assistance to organizations and communities responding to urgent human rights challenges across the region.
As foreign assistance for HIV declines, community-led organisations need funding, protection and a central role in the HIV response.
Around 76% of HIV prevention spending in the region still comes from external sources, leaving outreach and community-led services for key populations exposed as international support sharply declines from 2025. APCOM, through its Regional Community Caucus, has been advocating for increased investment into community-led prevention (see APCOM Community Summit, PrEParing Asia 2025: Making PrEP Choice a Reality) as currently in the region, community-led services remain heavily dependent on international funding, and sadly coverage of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is only around 2.5% of what is needed.
As the first UN agency to Host a HERO Awards, UNAIDS will highlight the people-focused and community-led response as per the The Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031, and the priority Asia-Pacific region is to ensure that prevention, testing, treatment, and care reach those facing the greatest barriers, including people living with HIV, key populations, young people, and migrant workers.
In this regard, we are delighted to welcome Youth LEAD as our newest regional community partner, coinciding with the celebration of the TENAC10US HERO Awards. In 2024, Youth LEAD partnered with UNAIDS and WHO and brought together young key populations, governments, and partners from 11 countries to co-design HIV and STI prevention roadmaps grounded in community leadership, meaningful youth engagement, and rights-based services.
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