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HIV Response: Communities cannot lead under uncertainty
Since its establishment in 1994, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has joined efforts in the comprehensive global response to HIV/AIDS. Historically, UNAIDS has been a key actor in positioning, shaping and scaling up the response to HIV. Every year, its governing body, the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), convenes to establish its priorities, and yearly plan of action. This year, Organización Llaves, IPPF’s Collaborative Partner in Honduras, was invited to take part of the meeting.
On June 27th, Keren Dunway represented Llaves in the panel A vision for a sustainable HIV response, analysing the role of youth-led organizations in HIV sustainability:
“For the past 10 to 15 years, many organizations, including ours, have consistently issued an urgent call: The HIV response is only effective when communities lead,” she declared. “However, we cannot lead under the heavy uncertainty around sustainability. Many organizations are actively fighting to create policy change and meet the needs of people living with HIV while being under-resourced and without knowing if they will have the funding to continue next year. This is especially true for organizations of key populations, women-led organizations, and youth organizations.”

Llaves’ advocacy has been instrumental in achieving access to comprehensive care for people living with HIV in Honduras. Furthermore, their commitment to youth has been a central aspect of their work, as their youth network continues to grow strong. At the PCB, they once again brought attention to how critical youth, women and key population organizations are to improving the sustainability of the HIV response.
“New challenges lie ahead, making it even more important to reduce dependence on external donors and promote local ownership of our response,” Keren stated. “Diversifying funding mechanisms is essential to ensure financial sustainability. Governments must take responsibility and support their national networks and HIV programs. And coming from my 19 years of experience as an activist, significant change is required, especially in the paternalistic and adult-centric attitudes we young people often face, particularly when we are women, young, belong to key populations, or come from the Global South.”
when
country
Honduras
region
Americas & the Caribbean
Subject
HIV and STIs
Related Member Association
Llaves - Honduras

"Significant change is required, especially in the paternalistic and adult-centric attitudes we young people often face, particularly when we are women, young, belong to key populations, or come from the Global South.”

She ended by calling on governments and stakeholders to support and invest “in community and youth-led organizations, which bring unique strengths and capabilities essential for an adaptive and resilient response. A forward-looking vision for a sustainable HIV response must have contributions from all sectors, ensuring that health, including sexual and reproductive health, and well-being and dignity to everyone, with accountability from all involved sectors.”
About Organización Llaves
LLAVES is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 by Allan Dunaway and Rosa Gonzalez in response to the particular needs of people living with HIV, specifically in the defense of the human rights of this population. LLAVES has developed expertise in the area of communication and uses it as a vehicle for primary and secondary prevention of HIV and other STIs, human rights advocacy, political advocacy, promotion of values, as well as the involvement of other key actors in the response to the epidemic, and its territorial areas of work are regional, national and international. LLAVES seeks to enhance the availability and quality of access to and use of key information, products and services for development that contribute significantly to improving the lives of people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups.
The advocacy developed by LLAVES has been instrumental in achieving access to comprehensive care for people living with HIV, as well as a legal framework such as the special HIV Law and its reform. LLAVES has also been active in the development and implementation of the Five Year Plan on HIV and Human Rights: Reducing Human Rights Related Barriers to Access to HIV Services, an ambitious plan that aims to reduce legal, policy, scientific and community gaps. It comprises seven program areas, aimed at strengthening programs to protect and promote human rights, because human rights-related barriers impede the reach, use and impact of comprehensive HIV prevention and care services.