The Riposte 2 project aims to place communities at the core of HIV/AIDS response strategies, ensuring that affected individuals can access decision-making bodies, policies, and programs.
Context
Riposte 2 builds on the momentum generated by the Riposte 1 project (2019–2022). It contributes to the fight against HIV in French-speaking Africa, focusing on the most vulnerable populations: adolescents and youth, men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, sex workers, and people who use drugs. These groups, marginalized and exposed to structural violence, face significantly higher HIV prevalence rates in the three project countries–Burkina Faso, Burundi, and Mauritius–than the general population. The goal is to amplify the voices of these communities and strengthen the advocacy efforts of key population representatives and community leaders within three national Global Fund coordination bodies in French-speaking Africa.
Description
With Riposte 2, the goal is to continue supporting the community-structuring efforts initiated under Riposte 1 to remove barriers to HIV service access. This second phase is called “The voice and empowerment of those concerned” because it advances the inclusion of key populations in strategic decision-making processes, as well as in decision-making and planning bodies, ensuring their real needs are reflected in health policies. The results from the first phase underscore the importance of this inclusion in achieving UNAIDS’ 95-95-95 targets.
By adopting a rights-based approach, Riposte 2 emphasizes placing communities at the heart of health strategies, translating their expertise into concrete actions and reinforcing the role of their representatives in decision-making bodies to optimize community programs. Advocacy efforts focus on improving funding and community programs by more effectively addressing on-the-ground realities and the specific needs of key populations.
Impact
With Riposte 2, policies will be aligned with the needs of those affected. Community contributions to decision-making bodies will be structured, and the advocacy capacities of these populations will be strengthened. All these efforts seek to enhance community engagement in achieving the global goal of eradicating HIV/AIDS.
