Frontline AIDS

Leveraging the power of our global partnership to speak out in support of bodily autonomy and gender equality (ongoing)

We remain firmly opposed to the Mexico City Policy. Our research from 2018 shows how the reinstatement of this policy disrupted HIV/SRHR programmes and compromised access to services, with a significant impact on the most marginalised.

The overturn of Roe vs Wade reignites these concerns. We fear this development could see our partners - once again - being forced to make impossible choices between providing abortion-related care and human rights-based SRH services, and risking being refused US funding for HIV prevention and treatment. It also sets a worrying precedent for other countries and opens the door to a revocation of other hard-won gains on civil rights, including same sex marriage legislation.

We will continue to be vocal, taking coordinated action to counter these narratives, and advance support for bodily autonomy, human rights and SRHR.

Mobilising Support for Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Eastern and Southern African (ESA) (2021- present)

In June 2021, UNESCO selected Frontline AIDS and LVCT Health to mobilise civil society across East Africa and counter opposition, ahead of the renewal of the ESA Ministerial Commitment on CSE.

We held a series of regional consultations focused on earlier commitments. We developed a regional “Call to Action” to amplify and strengthen civil societies voice within this process - which was endorsed by over 270 organisations. The call to action was used to influence the final draft and build support among national governments.

We’re now working with regional networks to convene a civil society platform to drive accountability and track the delivery of this Commitment, including influencing the new results and accountability framework.

The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Umbrella Programme (2016-2023)

This programme seeks to improve SRHR and HIV outcomes in Uganda and works in collaboration with civil society organisations to increase access and use of quality, rights-based, and integrated SRHR and HIV services. It also aims to foster enabling environments for young people in all their diversity. This includes advocacy at the local level to improve access to SRHR services and commodities and to increase the meaningful involvement of young people in service delivery. This advocacy work is now being co-led by a cadre of young advocates who have been trained and supported to lead this work. The programme strives to use gender-transformative approaches and works directly with communities and local leaders to challenge GBV and gender norms that pose a barrier to SRHR.

About Frontline Aids

Together with our partners, we have been on the frontline of the world’s response to AIDS for 30 years. We were founded in 1993 as the International HIV/AIDS Alliance to support the work of existing community-led organisations responding to HIV and AIDS. We have a rich history of working with partners to reach marginalised communities. Today, our global partnership works in more than 100 countries to support local, national and global community action on HIV, health and human rights.

Our mission is to support community-led organisations to break down social, political, and legal barriers to create a future free from AIDS. Frontline AIDS partners innovate and work across six action areas to achieve this. The AIDS response began in communities, both at country and global level. Communities shoulder the burden of pandemics, and local knowledge and leadership is critical to finding effective and sustainable solutions to end them.

We commit to become an anti-racist organisation and strive to ensure that power and leadership sits locally and nationally with the communities that are at the heart of our partnership. We are also continually reducing our carbon emissions and are committed to achieving net zero by 2050.