Today, 1st December, is World AIDS Day. Senior Liberal Democrats have been marking the occasion.

The party itself posted on social media:

Today we remember those who’ve lost their lives, and commit to ending deaths by AIDS.

We must:
☑️ Ensure everyone has access to HIV prevention and treatment.
☑️:End stigma and discrimination around HIV.
☑️:Make testing the norm.

Today we remember those who've lost their lives, and commit to ending deaths by AIDS.

We must:
☑️ Ensure everyone has access to HIV prevention and treatment.
☑️:End stigma and discrimination around HIV.
☑️:Make testing the norm.#WorldAIDSDay pic.twitter.com/tAy6p6mxKL

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) December 1, 2024

Christine Jardine MP, our Women and Equalities Spokesperson said:

Today we remember everyone we have tragically lost to AIDS. For the UK to reach zero new HIV diagnoses by 2030, it is vital that we expand testing, provide compassionate support to those living with HIV/AIDS, and end the stigma surrounding the disease.

LGBT+ Lib Dems said:

World AIDS Day is a moment to remember those we’ve lost, stand in solidarity with everyone affected by HIV, and renew our commitment to ending AIDS-related deaths and eliminating HIV transmission by 2030.

The Lib Dems have consistently championed evidence-based solutions to tackle HIV, AIDS, and improve access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). We continue to push for increased funding, free access to PrEP, and wider HIV testing, including opt-out testing in A&E settings.

We held the Conservative govt accountable for its failures in HIV policy, pushed for better investment in sexual health, and noted rising diagnoses among young people. We will continue to demand action and hold the new govt to account and work together to meet our shared goal.

We thank our vocal campaigners and champions like Baroness Liz Barker who plays a proactive role on the All Party Parliamentary Group for HIV and AIDS
and has long advocated and pushed for opt-out HIV testing in A&E settings, helping thousands know their status and receive advice and support.

On Wednesday last week, Helen Morgan represented the party in the House of Commons debate for World AIDS Day:

It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Sir Mark, and indeed to represent the Liberal Democrats for World AIDS Day. I thank the hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales) for his excellent introduction to this topic and for securing the debate. There have been so many brilliant contributions. I want to leave plenty of time for the other Front Benchers to speak, so I will not go through them all, but I am very impressed that in such a short time we have covered so much ground, and so eloquently. I particularly want to pick up on the speech by the hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes), who powerfully told us the story of John Eaddie, and thank him for that contribution.

AIDS is one of the globe’s biggest killers, as we all know, despite being entirely preventable and treatable. In 2023, nearly 40 million people across the globe were living with HIV, 1.3 million of whom became newly infected within that year. Given that it is entirely preventable and treatable, we can aspire to bring that number right down to zero.

In the United Kingdom the fight has been serious and ongoing since the 1980s, and yet since 2021 the numbers diagnosed have been increasing, while the numbers tested have been decreasing. We absolutely have to ensure that that is turned around rapidly. Testing is still 4% lower than pre-covid levels, and that has been driven by a drop among heterosexual men, where the testing rates are 22% lower than pre-covid. The most recent UK-wide estimates have about 5,000 people as undiagnosed and not aware that they are living with HIV. Again, that shows that the importance of testing—I entirely support the call for opt-out testing—is paramount to bring such people into the healthcare that they need and deserve, and to prevent the disease spreading.

Internationally, good progress has been made, but the picture is still extremely concerning. I want to pick up on the inequality in that picture. Every week, globally, 4,000 adolescent girls—young women aged between 15 and 24 years—become infected with HIV; in 2023, 3,100 of those infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty and displacement drive those higher rates of infection, and there is a worrying link between conflict, sexual violence and HIV. That is something we need to address.

I want to be brief, so to summarise the policy ask, the Liberal Democrats are keen to ensure universal access to HIV prevention, such as PrEP, and treatment. I have mentioned the importance of opt-out testing. We still need to work to eliminate the stigma and the discrimination linked to HIV, especially the racist element highlighted so carefully earlier. We press on the Government the importance of restoring the public health grant, which the Conservatives have cut by a fifth since 2015, to deliver better access to sexual health services. On helping globally, it is important that we restore, or at least set out the path to restoring, the 0.7% of gross domestic product for international aid, to enable issues such as AIDS to be prioritised in accordance with our requirements. With that, I will leave time for the other Front Benchers.

Adrian Hyyryylainen-Trett was our first openly HIV positive parliamentary candidate in 2015. We covered their interview with Buzzfeed back then.

They said today:

Today on #WorldAIDSDay – I’m delighted to be celebrating my 21st one! Living and thriving and healthy thanks to @56deanstreet, @LGBTLD, @LibDems, @liberalinternat, @SalBrinton, @LizBarkerLords #nostigma #BeYourself