Who Is Involved in the Global Response to HIV and AIDS?

There are many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in the global response to HIV and AIDS. Below are some of the largest NGOs working to prevent new HIV infections and scale up access to treatment and related health services for people with HIV.

The Global Fund

The Global FundExit Disclaimer is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as epidemics. An international organization founded in 2002, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries. The Fund works in partnership with governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector, and people affected by the diseases to challenge barriers and embrace innovation. From the peak of the HIV crisis in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Fund has cut annual AIDS-related deaths and new infections by half. Of the 38 million people living with HIV, 27.5 million are on antiretroviral therapy today—21.9 million in the countries where the Global Fund invests. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse these extraordinary gains, but the Global Fund partnership has acted fast to continue essential HIV services and protect health care workers from COVID-19.

International AIDS Society

Founded in 1988, the International AIDS SocietyExit Disclaimer (IAS) is the world’s largest association of HIV professionals, with members from more than 170 countries. It promotes the implementation of evidence-informed and human rights-based strategies for improving the lives of people with and most vulnerable to acquiring HIV. Through its various programs and campaigns, IAS harnesses research, shapes the evidence base, and amplifies the voices of vulnerable communities to influence policy across the HIV prevention-to-care continuum. It also undertakes advocacy, supports capacity building, and engages in collaborative partnerships both across IAS and with other organizations, civil society, and communities around the world. IAS is the steward of the world’s most prestigious HIV conferences—the International AIDS ConferenceExit Disclaimer, the IAS Conference on HIV ScienceExit Disclaimer, and the HIV Research for Prevention ConferenceExit Disclaimer.

Kaiser Family Foundation

The Kaiser Family FoundationExit Disclaimer (KFF) is a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues, as well as the U.S. role in global health policy. KFF’s global health policy workExit Disclaimer focuses on providing the latest data and information on the U.S. role in global health to offer a comprehensive picture of the U.S. global health policy landscape, focusing on key issues facing policymakers, journalists, non-governmental organizations, and others working in the global health arena. In the area of HIV policy, KFF conducts research and analysis on current HIV-related policy issues, with a focus on the U.S. government’s response to the epidemic domestically and around the world. It also maintains a dashboardExit Disclaimer monitoring the status of PEPFAR countries’ progress toward achieving global HIV targets.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDSExit Disclaimer (UNAIDS) is an international organization that leads the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development GoalsExit Disclaimer. The organization provides strategic direction, advocacy, coordination, and technical support to help catalyze and connect leadership from governments, the private sector, and communities to deliver life-saving HIV services. It generates strategic information and analysis that increases the understanding of the state of the HIV epidemic and progress made at the local, national, regional, and global levels. It also leads the world’s most extensive data collection on HIV epidemiology, program coverage, and finance and publishes the most authoritative and up-to-date information on the global HIV epidemic. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to achieve its mission.

World Health Organization

The World Health OrganizationExit Disclaimer (WHO) is a United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable so that all individuals can attain the highest level of health. Within WHO, the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections ProgrammesExit Disclaimer (WHO/HHS) leads the development and implementation of the global health sector strategy on the elimination of these three diseases as public health threats. WHO/HHS develops global evidenced-based guidelines and provides technical support to address public health gaps and challenges common to the three diseases. Visit WHO’s HIV/AIDS health topic pageExit Disclaimer for more country-specific information, data, and more.