Safeguarding the Future Role of Civil Society in the HIV Response: Opportunities and Challenges

On June 23, on the margins of the 2026 United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, the KAS New York Office, in partnership with the German Ministry of Health, convened a breakfast roundtable discussion high-level breakfast roundtable on “Safeguarding the Future Role of Civil Society in the HIV Response: Opportunities and Challenges.”

The discussion brought together European policymakers, Member States, UN representatives, and civil society leaders to examine how civil society leadership can be protected and strengthened in the next phase of the global HIV response.

Speakers included Parliamentarian State Secretary Georg Kippels and representatives from UNAIDS, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE), and Deutsche Aidshilfe.

Participants emphasized that while the tools to end AIDS as a public health threat exist, momentum is lagging. Shrinking civic space, funding constraints, geopolitical pressures, and growing threats to LGBTQI+ rights risk undermining hard-won progress. At the same time, the discussion highlighted the urgent need to use existing resources more effectively and to ensure that civil society is meaningfully included in policymaking and implementation.

Key takeaways included:
📍Civil society and community-led organizations must be consulted more systematically in policymaking and decision-making processes.
📍Funders and partners should avoid fragmented approaches and support stronger coalitions, rather than reinforcing silos across the HIV response.
📍Sustained political leadership is urgently needed. Participants called for Member States to champion the global HIV response and help restore momentum toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.
📍Germany and the Netherlands were recognized as core partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS and important advocates for civil society engagement, human rights, and global health cooperation.