Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts in jurisdictions that criminalise people who live with HIV to encourage reform of relevant legislation.

The UK Government recognises that we are not going to achieve an AIDS-free generation and ensure 'no-one is left behind' unless we tackle the wider issues such as criminalisation, stigma, violence against women and girls, and harmful gender norms that drive infection, particularly among adolescents, women and girls and inadequately served groups such as men who have sex with men, transgender, injecting drug users, sex workers and prisoners. That is why the UK was proud to play a strong role with our international partners in shaping both the progressive new Global AIDS Strategy "Ending Inequalities" 2021-26 and ambitious UN Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS in June, to help encourage reform of relevant legislation that criminalise people living with and affected by HIV so the world has the best chance of meeting the 2030 goal to end AIDS.

The UK continues to support the global AIDS response with major investments which are saving lives around the world, such as to the WHO and the Global Fund. We are also supporting civil society through the Robert Carr Fund which helps marginalised groups to build strong networks that amplify people's voices, helping them to address harmful policies, challenge human rights abuses, shape HIV services and advocate for their rights.