The 26th International AIDS Conference 2026 (AIDS 2026) taking place 26-31 July in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is one of the largest conferences on global health development issues to enhance the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It serves as a forum for the intersections of science and advocacy, and serves as a platform to intensify and much needed political commitments to HIV/AIDS.
Taking place just after the adoption of the 2026 UN Political Declaration, comes at a crucial time for the HIV response. In the face of an unprecedented funding crisis and major cutbacks to HIV programmes, the world’s largest conference on HIV and AIDS will bring together people living with HIV, researchers, policy makers, healthcare professionals, funders, media and communities.
“It’s so important that Asia and the Pacific region is represented at AIDS 2026 as an important conversation on scaling up of long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP, is being discussed. Our region whilst very good at being the innovators, we are not so good with scaling up of PrEP. We are currently only reaching 2.5%, which means we are falling short of the PrEP target by 97.5%.”
Midnight, APCOM Executive Director
In Asia and the Pacific region, Fiji, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, are grappling with
some of the world’s fastest-rising HIV epidemics.
The priority for the 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 migrants.
Strong political commitment, national leadership, long-term partnership and community trust
have expanded access to testing and treatment, multi-month dispensing, stronger links with
the wider health system, and innovations such as PrEP and HIV self-testing.
Joint Statement by:
Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala,
WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Region
Eamonn Murphy,
UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe and Central Asia
What to expect at AIDS2026:
Elevating Asia-Pacific Key Population Advocacy Priorities
AIDS2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference, will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at a pivotal moment for the global HIV response under the theme ‘RETHINK. REBUILD. RISE.’. With the global HIV response facing an unprecedented funding crisis and deep cuts to HIV programmes, AIDS2026 will serve as a critical rallying point for people living with HIV, key populations, researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, funders, media, and other stakeholders. The conference aims to rethink the future of the HIV response, rebuild momentum behind evidence-based and community-led strategies, and rise to meet the challenges of a rapidly shifting funding landscape.
As we move toward AIDS2026, APCOM identifies three urgent advocacy priorities for key populations in Asia-Pacific:
- PrEP and investments towards prevention
Asia-Pacific still lacks equitable access to CAB-LA and differentiated PrEP delivery. At AIDS2026, key populations and communities must push for regional financing for PrEP programmes, regulatory pathways for new HIV prevention products, and key population-led and context-appropriate demand generation programmes.
- Investments in key population-led responses
AIDS2024 highlighted declining funding for community-led HIV programmes. At AIDS2026, key populations must demand increased domestic financing, sustained global investments, and accountability mechanisms ensuring funds reach key population-led organisations at the country level.
- Structural reforms that promote human rights and address stigma, discrimination and criminalisation
At AIDS2026, APCOM calls for stronger advocacy towards decriminalisation of same-sex relations, sex work, and drug use, protection of trans and gender-diverse rights, and dismantling of structural inequalities that drive HIV vulnerability.
Key populations and their communities continue to shape the HIV response through community-led services and innovations grounded in lived experience. Their presence at global platforms remains essential. As we move towards AIDS2026, the Asia-Pacific community must strengthen advocacy for increased investments in HIV prevention, the sustainability of key population-led organisations, greater meaningful community involvement, and the protection of civic spaces.
Our Commitment to Raise Voices from Asia and the Pacific
at the International AIDS Conference
APCOM has always had a presence at the International AIDS Conference since 2010, as we believe that key population communities from Asia and the Pacific play a crucial role in the AIDS response, in particular when it comes to prevention, community-led services, and innovative approaches.
Crucially though, we want to raise issues on the prevention gap in the region, and that our epidemic remains outside the political support as it is concentrated on key populations.
AIDS 2024, Munich, Germany
KEY POPULATION VOICES AT GLOBAL PLATFORMS: APCOM’s AIDS2024 Engagements
AIDS 2022 Montréal, Canada
AIDS 2020, Virtual
AIDS 2018 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
AIDS 2016 Durban, South Africa
AIDS 2014 Melbourne, Australia
AIDS 2012 Washington DC, USA
