AIDS 2026 in Rio was not just a conference about new scientific data. It was a conference about a new reality. The global HIV response is experiencing two opposite processes at the same time. On the one hand, science is moving very fast: long-acting prevention, new treatment regimens, digital tools, vaccine research and pathways towards remission. On the other hand, sharp cuts in international funding are already having real consequences for people: closed services, lost staff, declining prevention coverage, and growing risks for key populations.

For us, the main conclusion is very clear: resilience does not emerge during a crisis. It is built before a crisis.

At AIDS 2026, we shared Ukraine’s experience — how communities, civil society organizations, medical services, digital solutions and partnerships helped preserve access to treatment during the war. But we also listened, learned and explored new opportunities to bring these lessons home.

Among the key trends that should be discussed further:

▪️ The HIV response can no longer depend on a single donor. New models of partnership, public financing and shared responsibility are needed.

▪️ Innovations only make sense when they are accessible to people. Long-acting prevention, new medicines and digital solutions must reach those who need them most.

▪️ Integrated services work better than isolated programmes. HIV services must be connected with primary healthcare, TB, hepatitis, mental health, reproductive health and social support.

▪️ Communities are not an add-on to the system. They are its critical part: monitoring quality, reducing stigma, supporting people in treatment, protecting rights and helping systems survive during shocks.

▪️ War, migration, poverty, stigma, criminalization and lack of funding affect the HIV response just as strongly as medical factors.

Today, Ukraine’s experience resonates in the global context not as an exceptional story, but as a practical lesson: local, decentralized, community-led models can hold the system together when everything else is falling apart.

This is exactly what our case collection  From Experience to Action  is about — how Ukraine’s experience can become a practical tool for other countries.

From experience to action. From survival to systemic solutions. From Ukraine to the world.

For reference:  AIDS 2026 brought together  more than 150 sessions, 2,400 posters and 220 Global Village activities; among the key topics, IAS highlights funding cuts, new partnerships, long-acting prevention, digital tools, integrated care, the role of communities and resilience in conflict settings.