25 February 2022 – Vienna and Geneva – the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ms. Ghada Waly and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund), Mr. Peter Sands signed the first ever Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the Global Fund Strategy, the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 and the UNODC Strategy 2021-2025 addressing HIV among people who use drugs and people in prison.
Too often, people most affected by HIV, such as people who inject drugs or people living in prisons, are excluded from health services because of stigma, discrimination, and criminalization,” says Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Engaging with key partners like UNODC and, through them, with the justice sector, prison authorities and law enforcement agencies is crucial to ensure that no one is left behind.”