Changes in society
Since the birth of the Alliance, the wider social, political and economic context has changed dramatically – particularly over the past few years.
On the negative side, the growing income gap between rich and poor (both within individual countries, and between one country and the next) has increased migration and mobility. Meanwhile, an increase in fundamentalism in many religions and the ‘war against terror’ has impacted negatively on health, human rights and development issues. On the positive side, some aspects of globalisation have created enormous opportunities for global networking and activism.
Gender inequalities, and stigma and discrimination based on sexual orientation or expression, continue to have a significant influence on the course and impact of the epidemic. One of the clear lessons that we are learning from the global HIV response to date is that human rights, public health and development frameworks are critical – both in understanding the key problems that impact on the epidemic and in building the alliances that are needed to address them.
