AHD Regional Advocacy Meeting Recap

In April 2025, AFROCAB collaborated with the Fight Aids Coalition (FAC) and Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) to co-host a regional Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) advocacy meeting, bringing together representatives from community-based organizations, advocacy groups, healthcare professionals, and researchers. This meeting aimed to:

• Provide updates and strengthen the capacity of meeting participants on key AHD topics

• Assess the impact of recent changes to the global HIV funding landscape and begin to engage in collaborative problem-solving

• Develop clear and actionable national and regional advocacy strategies and frameworks for AHD

• Publish a unified advocacy statement reflecting shared goals and clear priorities to be used for regional and global engagements

• Strengthen partnerships for AHD advocacy to drive measurable impact in reducing AHD incidence and mortality

This meeting, with representation from 13+ countries across Africa, served as a platform to strengthen the capacity of implementing partners, enhance understanding of AHD, and drive forward impactful advocacy for AHD in low- and middle-income countries.

In addition to providing essential background information on key clinical AHD topics, including current WHO guidance and the current commodity landscape, there was also an important emphasis on experience sharing from meeting participants that allowed for cross-country learning on the AHD response in each country, as well as funding impacts, challenges, and lessons learned. These panel discussions included helpful initial idea generation on problem-solving and strategies for addressing critical gaps.

Learning was also emphasized throughout the meeting, with clinical sessions capacitating meeting attendees on:

• AHD diagnostics

• Differentiated service delivery

• Pediatric-specific care

• Tuberculosis diagnosis, prevention, and treatment

• Cryptococcal meningitis diagnosis, prevention, and treatment

• Malnutrition

• Severe Bacterial Infections

On the final day of the meeting, the focus was fully on incorporating learnings from the prior two days into actionable and impactful advocacy plans at the national, regional, and global levels. Meeting participants broke into small groups to draft and refine their national-level advocacy strategies. Several countries, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Lesotho, presented case studies of learnings from their national advocacy efforts to help guide and inform the planning sessions.

There was also extensive discussion around global advocacy, including the necessity of alignment on key priorities when thinking ahead to several opportunities to engage with major partners and donors to ensure AHD is included in broader health agendas and funding proposals. A key resource in these engagements will be the Nairobi Statement on AHD Advocacy, developed collaboratively by meeting participants to serve as a unifying call-to-action on the prioritization of AHD.

The meeting emphasized the critical role of community leadership, evidence-based advocacy, and strategic engagement with policymakers and global health institutions. The co-creation of the Nairobi Statement on AHD Advocacy stands as a landmark outcome, signaling a shared commitment to drive visibility, investment, and action toward addressing AHD across Africa. To read the full Nairobi statement, please click here.

Moving forward, the collective resolve is clear: to ensure that no one living with or vulnerable to AHD is left behind. This will require sustained collaboration, follow-up on country-level advocacy plans, strategic alignment with global health agendas, and continued sharing of tools and lessons. Together, participants have laid a strong foundation for bold, coordinated advocacy that can influence both national health policies and global funding priorities.

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This meeting was funded by Unitaid, whose generous support of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)-led THRIVE Project is enabling access to critical prevention, screening, and treatment commodities for advanced HIV disease to dramatically reduce mortality among adults and children living with HIV. In partnership with CHAI through this project, AFROCAB is leading community and civil society engagement in collaboration with global and local stakeholders.