Global Commission on HIV and the Law - UNAIDS/UNDP Information Note

The Global Commission on HIV and the Law was established in 2010 to develop actionable, evidence-informed and human rights-based recommendations to enable effective HIV responses and realize the human rights of people living and most vulnerable to HIV. To this end, the Commission focuses on some of the most challenging legal and human rights issues in the context of HIV, including criminalization of HIV transmission and behaviors and practices such as drug use, sex work and adult consensual same sex sexual relations.

The Commission comprises eminent leaders from public life who will provide global leadership on HIV-related legal and human rights issues by: (1) synthesizing what is known about the interaction between the legal environment and HIV; (2) fostering evidence-informed public dialogue on the need for rights-based law and policy reform in the context of HIV and; (3) identifying clear and actionable recommendations with a concrete plan for follow-up.

Building on the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011, the work of the Commission is constructed along three mutually reinforcing axes – findings and recommendations, a Technical Advisory Group to help generate and build consensus around the evidence base, and Regional Hearings to ensure participation and inclusion of affected communities and law and policy makers. The work of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law will be linked to the Global Commission on HIV Prevention, to be convened by the UNAIDS Secretariat. These two Commissions will ensure that law, human rights and HIV prevention will receive the interrogation and exposition necessary to facilitate the achievement of universal access and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).