Frontline AIDS urges urgent action to protect HIV services in Lebanon

Frontline AIDS stands in heartfelt solidarity with our dedicated staff and valued partners in Lebanon, and with the people and communities they work with. We are committed to ensuring they are safe and supported during these dangerous times. We strongly condemn the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah, which poses grave and unjustifiable risks to civilians.

We urgently call on the UN Joint Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), the international donor community, governments and humanitarian actors to collectively step forward. They must help us safeguard HIV services, health and well-being for marginalised and vulnerable populations in Lebanon and across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, ensuring that no one is left behind.

The ongoing violence threatens essential HIV services in Lebanon and across the Middle East in a context already heavily impacted by multiple overlapping crises and a lack of political or financial leadership on AIDS.  HIV incidence is rapidly growing in the region, with only half of people living with HIV able to access treatment.  Recent shortages of antiretrovirals, particularly in Lebanon, are causing additional alarm.

From Beirut, Frontline AIDS and its partners lead ‘Nadoum: Together for change – Sustaining services in MENA’, a regional programme supported by the Global Fund to sustain and improve HIV services for marginalised communities in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.  We are continually inspired by the resilience of our community and civil society partners, who continue to maintain HIV and health services under the most difficult circumstances. The leadership of these communities is essential for safeguarding the health and human rights of marginalised populations in the MENA region and must be central to any future humanitarian response.

During this period of heightened vulnerability, we urge steadfast leadership from UNAIDS to safeguard the already fragile HIV response in Lebanon and across the region. Coordinated efforts between UNAIDS, the Global Fund, and other international partners are critical to ensure a sustained supply of HIV treatment and other key commodities.

We encourage international donors, including the Global Fund, to prioritise flexibility in this fast-evolving situation, sustaining HIV service delivery and addressing immediate community needs. Governments, multilateral organisations and humanitarian actors must take decisive action in supporting HIV and health services in Lebanon and the wider region, recognising the interdependence of health, peace, and human dignity.

Above all, we urgently call for an immediate and total end to all attacks on civilians in Lebanon and across the Middle East.

While Frontline AIDS does not operate directly in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories, we are deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the conflict there, which is never acceptable.  As a global organisation focused on ending AIDS and advocating for human rights, we stand against all forms of injustice and apartheid. The protection of civilians must remain paramount, guided by international human rights standards and humanitarian law.

Today, our hearts are with our colleagues and partners, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. We remain steadfast in our support to them and unwavering in our commitment to peace, human rights, and a world where all people can live healthy lives, free from fear and violence.

Statement endorsed by the following organisations: Frontline AIDS’ Lebanese partners in the implementation of the ‘Nadoum: Together for change – Sustaining services in MENA’ programme in the MENA Region:

• Dar Al Amal Association
• MENAHRA – MENA Harm Reduction Association
• MENANPUD – MENA Network of People Who Use Drugs
• SIDC – Society for Inclusion and Development in Communities and Care for All
• Vivre Positif
• Skoun, Lebanese Addictions Centre
• AJEM – the Association of Justice and Mercy
• MENA Rosa