“With only eight years left before the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a global health threat. Economic, social, cultural and legal inequalities must be addressed as a matter of urgency. In a pandemic, inequalities exacerbate the dangers for everyone. Indeed, the end of AIDS can only be achieved if we tackle the inequalities which drive it. World leaders need to act with bold and accountable leadership. And all of us, everywhere, must do all we can to help tackle inequalities too,” UNAIDS

With the onset and subsequent aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a shift in the conversation that has seen HIV/AIDS take a back seat and becoming less and less talked about. In our communities, it is easy to see how people have become desensitized to the topic of HIV/AIDS yet the numbers are still there and are still growing.

As much as this has become somewhat of a household topic, it is imperative to remember that this is still a pressing issue that must continue to be advocated for.

The “Equalize” slogan is a call to action. It is a prompt for all of us to work for the proven practical actions needed to address inequalities and help end AIDS. These include:  

• Increase availability, quality and suitability of services, for HIV treatment, testing and prevention, so that everyone is well-served. 
• Reform laws, policies and practices to tackle the stigma and exclusion faced by people living with HIV and by key and marginalised populations, so that everyone is shown respect and is welcomed. 
• Ensure the sharing of technology to enable equal access to the best HIV science, between communities and between the Global South and North. 
• Communities will be able to make use of and adapt the “Equalize” message to highlight the particular inequalities they face and to press for the actions needed to address them.  

Credit to unaids.org for some of the text incorporated into this post.