Looking back on our participation in the AFRAVIH 2024 Conference
From April 16 to 19, 2024, Yaoundé, Cameroon, hosted the AFRAVIH International Conference — a landmark event for the French-speaking world’s response to HIV, viral hepatitis, sexual health, and emerging viruses. The Initiative played an active role, organizing a symposium, two roundtables, and an “Équipe France” booth.
An “Équipe France” booth — a hub for networking and knowledge-sharing
In collaboration with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Agence Française de Développement, Expertise France, and ANRS MIE, L’Initiative helped run an “Équipe France” booth. The booth brought together a range of French actors committed to the fight against HIV, creating a space for open dialogue and exchange. It also served as the venue for several events, including two roundtables we organized, which drew large audiences and provided a platform for sharing innovative ideas and experiences.
A symposium on HIV and comorbidities to kick off our participation
L’Initiative’s symposium, titled “HIV and Comorbidities: Toward Multi-Entry Health Services,” generated considerable interest — drawing a full house and leaving attendees standing along the walls.
The audience heard presentations and discussions from panelists representing the Global Fund, Benin’s PNLS, the University of Lomé, Santé Diabète, the Cameroonian association against violence toward women (ALVF), the C3UC3 project, and the Institut Bouisson Bertrand.
The symposium addressed the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and the importance of integrated approaches to HIV prevention and care alongside comorbidities. Speakers highlighted successful real-world examples, including the Santé Diabète initiative and the C3UC3 project we support, underscoring the need to move beyond siloed, vertical approaches and strengthen health systems for lasting impact.
A first roundtable on advanced HIV to address the challenges and tools for patient care
L’Initiative’s first roundtable focused on advanced HIV, bringing together experts from the WHO, ANRS, the Global Fund, Cameroon’s CNLS, and other specialists to discuss the challenges of advanced HIV and the tools needed to improve patient care. The session highlighted the importance of maintaining CD4 testing and the need for a dedicated toolkit for experts working on advanced HIV — a resource currently being developed with L’Initiative’s support.
A second roundtable on community-based testing, drawing on our cross-cutting evaluation
L’Initiative’s second roundtable showcased the findings of its cross-cutting evaluation on community-based testing. Speakers shared their experiences and best practices, covering topics such as integrating community actors into the public health system, data management, and laboratory strengthening. Representatives from ALCS Morocco, Coalition Plus, SOS Pairs Éducateurs, MotoAction, and Solthis outlined their respective approaches, demonstrating the value of an inclusive model for HIV testing.
Finally, UNAIDS closed the session by outlining the key opportunities ahead for community-based testing.
A symposium led by the SUCCESS project to promote an integrated approach to secondary cervical cancer prevention
The SUCCESS project symposium, titled “An Integrated Approach to Secondary Cervical Cancer Prevention: A Path Toward Elimination,” gave Dr. Lisa Huang, the program’s Director, the opportunity to publicly announce the launch of SUCCESS Phase II.
This innovative project, co-funded by Unitaid and Expertise France through L’Initiative, takes an integrated approach by deploying high-performance screening and treatment tools, embedding these services within existing care systems, and strengthening awareness and community engagement to drive demand for secondary cervical cancer prevention. The symposium shed light on the project’s vision and strategy for eliminating cervical cancer.
Building on a successful first phase that screened over 182,000 women — 8.2% of whom were living with HIV — across Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guatemala, and the Philippines, SUCCESS 2 is now scaling up and will run through April 2026, expanding into six new countries: Guinea, Benin, Burundi, Togo, Cameroon, and Ghana.
With total funding exceeding $35 million, the contributions of Unitaid and Expertise France reflect the importance of international collaboration in developing a replicable model for secondary cervical cancer prevention.
AFRAVIH 2024 was a unique opportunity for L’Initiative to strengthen partnerships, share experiences, and shine a spotlight on the fight against HIV and comorbidities.
The symposiums, roundtables, and exchanges at the “Équipe France” booth brought innovative solutions to the fore and reaffirmed our commitment to a more equitable global health landscape. The highlights of this conference will continue to inspire our future efforts toward the elimination of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
