Message for World AIDS Day 2025

By EACS President,  Miłosz Parczewski

This year’s World AIDS Day comes at the end of a challenging year.

We are seeing continued advances in HIV prevention, treatment and optimisation of care.

However, equity and access gaps continue to exist with recent political abandonment and international and national funding cuts endangering decades of progress.  Weakened HIV services across the world, including Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia may have devastating effects.

Furthermore, wars, conflicts, aggression and  human rights violations affect our communities worldwide, including transgender people, people in migration and displaced populations, and the LGBTQI+ communities.

But there is also cause for optimism. At our European AIDS Conference in Paris this October (EACS 2025), we saw remarkable progress and celebration of unprecedented biomedical innovation. It is clear that scientific research into HIV is as strong as ever.

Our conference featured more than 800 abstracts spanning topics from long-acting PrEP and HIV prevention among people in migration to cancer screening, neurological co-morbidities, and the role of AI in care models. Many presented positive news in areas such hepatitis B reactivation and quality of life in people living with HIV. Additionally, there is an ongoing transition from focus on viral suppression to holistic, long-term co-morbidity management.

However, we cannot be complacent. Data and discussions at EACS 2025 also showcased implementation gaps, persistent stigma, and the profound health disparities affecting marginalized populations – particularly people in migration, women, and transgender individuals.

We saw some sobering figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Europe’s rising HIV related deaths between 2010 and 2022 means the region will likely miss most of the 2030 UNAIDS targets.

For PrEP, the ECDC data shows the progress but also the shortfalls. 345,000 people are currently receiving PrEP across Europe and Central Asia, against a target of 500,000. 71% of all PrEP users are concentrated in just four countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. This means a large proportion of people in need are left behind, including migrant populations, who represent a disproportionate share of new HIV diagnoses in Europe, yet face formidable barriers to care.

EACS 2025 also reaffirmed the strength of the HIV community – a true powerhouse in driving effective implementation of prevention and care. This was demonstrated in Paris by a range of advocacy activities as well as art exhibitions, short films, access to testing and PrEP clinics, and the Living Free with HIV charity run. A highlight was the launch of the Paris Communities Declaration, a community-led call on governments and the EU to protect health systems and, invest in frontline services.

This commitment is reflected in the ongoing dedicated work of EACS members, who integrate clinical work with research to achieve excellence in HIV care. Every day their activities reaffirm our commitment: equitable access to healthcare for all, raising standards of care, reducing disparities, and ensuring no one is left behind.

Educational initiatives like the HIV Summer School, the newly introduced European Diploma in HIV Medicine (congratulations to the first recipients!), and support for early-career clinicians through YING continue to bring together experience with enthusiasm to learn and progress.  

Our WAVE group continues to raise the profile care for women with HIV by advocating for better research, clinical inclusion and access through activities such as meetings on breastfeeding, the WAVE in Ukraine workshop and the excellent menopause video and factsheet.

Our Standards of Care work defines and promotes consistent, quality care across Europe, and most recently addressing gaps linked to stigma, migration and testing access. The first audit on PreP was presented at EACS 2025. Together with ECDC we have already published four Standard of Care modules on different topics.

Meanwhile, our policy and advocacy work ensures that scientific evidence shapes public health decisions, through active engagement with WHO, EU institutions and national partners.

And there is much more I could mention!

The pace of this work is relentless. But World AIDS Day is a moment to pause, reflect on how far we have come, and remember those lost along the way. It is a time to look forward with determination: to keep pushing for prevention, support, care and research. EACS remains focused on this mission to promote excellence in prevention, care, research and education for HIV and related conditions across Europe - today and every day of the year.

Miłosz Parczewski

EACS President