On World AIDS Day, the global response to HIV stands on the cliff.Global development

IPandemics, inadequate policies, people die. As the Covid-19 pandemic expands and the HIV pandemic continues, this is more apparent today than ever before. From rules for access to testing to the distribution of new medical technologies or the use of criminal law in public health, there are problems with policy making. On this World AIDS Day, the reaction of AIDS worldwide is on the cliff.

Actions over the next few years will guide us towards stopping HIV, making deaths and new infections rare, or resurrecting viruses that thrive on social deficiencies.

We are in a poor position. There is no country in the world We have perfectly aligned domestic law and policy with the best HIV science that is undermining our response. Still, we have hope because policies can change rapidly. Covid-19 has seen governments around the world pass new policies to combat the virus without treatment or (until now) vaccines.

The reaction of AIDS today is a story of inequality. Young people in East or Southern Africa live in areas where new HIV infections have decreased by 38% since 2010, while young people in Eastern Europe or Central Asia have increased infections by 72% and epidemics in the region. Is expanding. Haiti’s youth grew up in low-income countries where AIDS-related mortality has fallen by 52% over the last decade and are now lower than in Jamaica, a middle-income country with a 7% increase.

Science is not a barrier. We have a deeper understanding of HIV epidemiology than ever before.Just recently, a long-lasting injection Proven to be effective For HIV prevention in women. Evidence shows that criminalizing sex work, drugs, or same-sex relationships does not stop HIV.

But science makes little sense when laws and policies promote inequality and prevent the enjoyment of benefits.

New report from HIV Policy Lab Shows the disconnect between what we know and how it is translated into a policy.The· 2020 Global HIV Policy Report Shows that only a handful of countries meet international standards, even 80% of their policies. Only one-third makes HIV prophylaxis available to everyone at significant risk. Without it, they cannot provide new evidence that long-acting drugs work.

Treatment of HIV needs to be easier to fit people’s lives, and in some countries it helps people limit clinical visits. At least 59 countries supply three months’ worth of medicines at a time, and 32 countries supply six months’ worth of medicines. Some have adopted this as a reaction to Covid-19. More people need to follow.

Meanwhile, laws around the world criminalize either same-sex sexual relations, sex work, personal substance use, or exposure / infection to HIV (and in some cases all four). However, there is clear evidence that criminalization moves people away from HIV services and increases their risk.

Aligning with international policy standards can make all the difference to AIDS. Countries in eastern and southern Africa, where HIV prevalence is declining, are doing more than countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where prevalence is rising. But in Africa too, much more is needed.

For example, in Angola, most people who know they live with HIV are untreated. Angola leaders changed the law a few weeks ago to decriminalize same-sex sexual relations. This is an important move in situations where men who have sex with men face a much higher HIV positive rate than the general public.

This is why UNAids prioritizes policy. In 2016, the world set a goal to end AIDS by 2030. We are not on track.So new UNAids World AIDS Day Report Contains new targets. These include the goal of more than 90% of countries decriminalizing sex work, possession of small doses of drugs, and same-sex sexual behavior by 2025. There are significant benefits to achieving this goal.

There are policy lessons to be learned from the coronavirus. We know the power of the community and within the limits of the pandemic, some countries allow more flexible and community-based services. Such innovations make the healthcare system more pandemic, even in poorer countries.

Pandemics follow the shortcomings of our society. They show who has the power and who does not. In HIV and Covid-19, the burden of death and infection is not evenly distributed. Governments have the incredible power to use legislation and policymaking as tools to combat inequality. Now is the time to act to align policy with science to end these pandemics.

• Winnie Byanima is UNAids Secretary-General and UN Deputy Secretary-General. Matthew Kavanagh is Director of Global Health Policy and Political Initiatives at Georgetown University. O’Neill Institute