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ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE HIV PREVENTION INITIATIVE

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The Sustainable HIV Prevention Initiative emerged from multi-country discussions at the 22nd International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), held in December 2023 in Harare, Zimbabwe. The Initiative aims to share and advance country-led sustainable HIV prevention responses, such as Malawi’s Blantyre Prevention Strategy, and to examine and deepen the understanding of core capabilities and health system functions that define the “how” of sustainable HIV prevention programming in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

It is funded by a grant from the Gates Foundation and co-chaired by leaders from Malawi’s National AIDS Commission, Ministry of Health, and Georgetown University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health. It is also supervised by a Steering Committee consisting of individuals with prevention expertise and extensive experience overseeing and coordinating HIV prevention efforts. The initiative has two major deliverables:

 

  • A convening of government and technical experts and;

  • A series of papers to be published in the Lancet HIV and Lancet Global Health.

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Participants at the February 2025 Sustainable HIV Prevention Initiative convening.

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Ima John-Dada (Head of HIV Prevention, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria); Getrude Mbhalati (HIV Youth Manager, National Department of Health, South Africa); Dr. Gift Kawalazira (Director of Health and Social Services, Blantyre District Council, Malawi); Dr. Peter Mudiope (HIV Prevention Coordinator, Uganda AIDS Commission); Yohane Kamgwira (BPS Prevention Coordinator, National AIDS Commission, Malawi; Prof. Alister Munthali, Director of Programmes, PALM Consulting Limited

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Dr. Martias Joshua, Chief of Health Services - Reforms, Ministry of Health, Malawi, gives the keynote address

FEBRUARY 2025 SUSTAINABLE HIV PREVENTION CONVENING

The Sustainable HIV Prevention Initiative convened leaders from the National AIDS Coordinating Authorities and HIV directorates of 11 African countries, along with local and global technical and civil society experts in Lilongwe, Malawi, in February 2025.

 

The countries represented were:

 

  • Eswatini

  • Ghana

  • Kenya​

  • Malawi

  • ​Nigeria

  • Rwanda

  • South Africa

  • Tanzania

  • ​​Uganda

  • Zambia

  • Zimbabwe​​​

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The meeting aimed to:

 

  • Deepen the dialogue by moving beyond the WHAT to the HOW of sustainable HIV response, ensuring efforts are embedded within strong, resilient health systems.

  • Highlight critical health systems innovations from countries in the region that demonstrate practical, scalable solutions.

  • Discuss actions being taken by governments, civil society, and other stakeholders in response to disruptions in U.S. foreign assistance.

  • Ensure these insights inform national and donor-promoted sustainability dialogues, including through the forthcoming Lancet HIV and Lancet Global Health paper series.

 

A report summarizing the convening is available here.

Representatives of the National AIDS Coordinating Authorities present at the February convening.

LANCET HIV AND LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH PAPER SERIES 

Editors at Lancet HIV and Lancet Global Health have approved a joint paper series that will be published over the course of 2025 with plans for a formal launch at the December 2025 ICASA conference in Ghana.  The series will include papers that build on one another, highlighting key themes and evidence related to strengthening health systems’ capacity for sustainable HIV prevention and broader health system goals:

 

  • Framing Paper → HIV Prevention is Not on Track: How Adopting a Health Systems Approach Can Help Change That

  • Functions and Management → The Functions and Management of a Sustainable and Integrated HIV Prevention Response.

  • Digital Health →The Role of Digital Health in Improving the Effectiveness of HIV Prevention

  • Community Engagement → Enhancing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of HIV Prevention Through Systematic Community Engagement, Learning, and Response.

  • New Product Introduction → Strengthening Nationally-led Approaches to New Product Introduction for HIV prevention.

  • Future Directions → Looking beyond 2030: Recommendations and Call to Action for Sustainable HIV Prevention Programming.

 

The publications will be made available on this page as they are published.

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