protest

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has finally been reauthorized for another five years, and it’s time to hold the United States accountable for its work.  It’s pretty clear that, under PEPFAR, the rights of women and young people are ignored.  The many strings attached to its plan undermine the needs of women and young people and their ability to have ownership over their own reproductive and sexual health. 

One of the most harmful pieces within PEPFAR II is the requirement that the State Department report to Congress any time a country with a generalized epidemic expends less than 50 percent of its funds to prevent sexual transmission of HIV on abstinence, delay of sexual debut, monogamy, fidelity, or partner reduction.  Evidence from best practices indicates that a comprehensive prevention strategy that also includes education about condoms and harm reduction are critical to achieving a substantial reduction in new infections.   read more »

As a committed SGACer and activist, the experience of going to the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City proved to be an amazing, draining, energizing and exhausting experience all wrapped up together. Getting on the 5:45 am shuttle from the hotel to the conference and not returning again via cab until after midnight is certainly tiring. I know that I definitely consumed a significant quantity of coffee just to be able to maintain some semblance of coherency and alertness—we all did! From speakers and sessions to the twice daily activist meetings, multiple protests a day, and meetings with people, we were kept pretty busy running around. However, my energy increased as the week progressed, in large part because of the passion from the people around me, and the realization that while much work has been done in the area of HIV/AIDS, there is still an enormous amount left to be done.

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