Next month, the HIV Justice Network (HJN) will head to the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro with a strong presence in both the main conference and the Global Village. Together with allies, advocates and community leaders from around the world, we will spotlight the growing harms caused by punitive laws, policies and practices that single out people living with HIV, while showcasing the global movements challenging them and sharing practical tools, strategies and best practices for advancing HIV justice.
HJN representatives will contribute across the conference programme, including within the conference’s Track F leadership and rapporteur teams. In addition, HJN Supervisory Board member Immaculate Owomugisha Bazare will speak during a high-profile Thursday morning plenary focused on HIV decriminalisation and human rights — an important and visible moment for the HIV justice movement.
HJN’s contributions to the conference will include oral and poster presentations, as well as a Global Village booth designed as a space for people living with HIV, advocates and allies from different regions to exchange experiences, share stories and strategies, and build solidarity.
Two dedicated Global Village sessions will focus on some of the movement’s most urgent priorities:
“Practical tools for community action against HIV criminalisation” will highlight advocacy resources, legal literacy tools and community-led strategies to challenge punitive laws and practices. The session will also mark the launch of HJN’s forthcoming Guidance on Good Practices in HIV Decriminalisation.
“Breastfeeding is not a crime! Building a consensus against surveillance, coercion and punishment”, will examine punitive responses to infant feeding by women living with HIV and promote rights-based, evidence-informed approaches grounded in bodily autonomy and informed choice.
At a time of escalating attacks on science, human rights and civil society, AIDS 2026 will be a crucial space to reaffirm that effective HIV responses must be grounded in evidence, justice, and community leadership. We know that many people living with HIV, advocates and allies who should be part of these conversations will not be able to travel to Rio due to funding cuts, visa barriers and growing political hostility. HJN will do everything we can to ensure that the fight against HIV criminalisation remains visible, urgent and impossible to ignore – amplifying community voices, sharing key discussions and outcomes, and keeping HIV justice firmly on the global agenda.