Rethink.  Rebuild.  Rise.

Reflections on the 2026 International AIDS Conference

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Last week, the world’s leading HIV responders – scientists, activists, policymakers, and NGOs – convened for the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Represented by Lucy Munthali, Deputy Program Manager (Malawi), and Molly Brostrom, Program and Grants Manager (USA), GAIA was there!

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The gorgeous Rio setting offered much-appreciated vibrancy to the first international convening since massive funding cuts rocked the global epidemic response. Presentations described the loss of $2.1B in global assistance (a 25% decline), thousands of clinics closed, children dropped from ART, and funding for key populations zeroed out. As UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima exhorted attendees: “The era of relying on international aid is over… We must build something new — an AIDS response for the world that we have today, not the world we wish existed.”  

                                             “Decades to build;
                                              months to unravel."                                                               - A headline presentation from AIDS 2026

But the news was not all bleak. The conference highlighted exciting scientific advances that give hope:  new prevention and treatment options, findings that could one day support an HIV cure, and progress towards a vaccine. However, concerns about equitable access – GAIA’s core mission –  were raised simultaneously.  When Brazil’s Minister of Health, Dr. Alexandre Padilha, warned that “innovation without access is injustice,” we heard a rallying cry.

The Conference offered a platform to network and showcase GAIA's ground-breaking work to the global community. We were proud to highlight GAIA’s strengths at this critical moment: expanding access to hard-to-reach communities; operating in partnership with local government;  integrating HIV services within primary care; and our success at Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in our Mangochi antenatal care program. And through discussions with MOH partners, we have new ideas on how to expand this PMTCT work to other districts, within the existing community health structure.

AIDS 2026 offered the opportunity to learn from global peers and be part of the conversation that is shaping the future of equitable community-centered healthcare. It was inspiring to see the shared commitment across countries to ensuring that quality health care remains accessible to all people. 

–  Lucy Munthali and Molly Brostrom

For more information about the International AIDS 2026 Conference and its key takeaways, visit: https://www.iasociety.org/blog/aids-2026-key-takeaways