Peru

Key Results in 2024

Intensified implementation of the national HIV Prevention Roadmap.
National ministries committed to expand comprehensive sexuality education and adolescent sexual and reproductive health services.
Resources were mobilized for HIV and gender-based violence in the Amazon region.
35 community-based organizations gained stronger fundraising capacities
The Andean Plan 2030 on stigma and discrimination was finalized to address HIV-related stigma in health systems.

Joint Programme Results

After sustained advocacy by UN agencies, civil society and academic partners, Peru’s Congress approved legislation extending temporary health insurance coverage to non-resident foreigners living with HIV or tuberculosis. Support is now being provided to operationalize these new provisions (UNHCR, UNAIDS Secretariat, IOM).

Updated national HIV estimates revealing a significant increase in new infections prompted accelerated implementation of the HIV prevention roadmap. Resources are being mobilized to expand access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), improve advanced HIV care and eliminate vertical HIV transmission (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat).

A cost-efficiency study was launched to evaluate Lenacapavir as a long-acting PrEP solution. Using the GOALS model, the study assesses how different pricing and coverage scenarios impact HIV incidence and mortality rates, with findings intended to inform regional advocacy for the drug's timely and affordable introduction. and accessible (UNAIDS Secretariat).

There has been stronger indigenous leadership in HIV prevention thanks to a formal agreement between UNICEF and the umbrella organization representing Ucayali’s communities. An intercultural methodology for advocacy is ready for roll-out in 2025 to increase investment in Amazonian HIV responses (UNICEF).

Peru also updated its technical regulations on HIV surveillance among key populations and on the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis and Human T-lymphotropic virus (WHO).

The Stigma Index 2.0 study revealed that at least 50% of people living with HIV experienced some form of stigma and discrimination, affecting their emotions and decisions. The study also showered that this delayed or limited their search for medical care and caused social isolation and negative impacts on their physical and emotional health, due to the violation of their rights. These results will be used to further address stigma and discrimination in healthcare and justice systems and communities (UNAIDS Secretariat). In addition, in support of the Aurora programme, Peru’s national programme for the prevention and eradication of violence against women, 141 sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service providers improved their capacity to address gender-based violence and promote positive masculinity. Mobile units provided more than 500 adolescents and women from the Awajun community with life-saving gender-based violence services in Condorcanqui province. As part of the Saving Lives project, 506 adolescents and women, including survivors of violence also accessed HIV and other healthcare services, legal assistance and psychosocial support in Lambayeque, Piura and Tumbes cities affected by floods (UNFPA).

Following advocacy and technical support from the Joint Programme, the Congress is ready to approve into law a bill which will allow 8500 migrants and refugees living with HIV and tuberculosis to access health services through the national health insurance system (UNHCR, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat, IOM). In addition, 17 community-based organizations of people living with HIV and key populations, including migrants are now legally registered in Peru, thanks to advice from legal experts and technical support from the Joint Programme (UNAIDS Secretariat, IOM).

As part of the Nutritional and Food Assistance in Emergency Settings Project led by the Joint Programme in collaboration with community-based and civil society organizations, 88 sex workers and their family members in Lima and Callao cities received close to US$20 000 worth of cash transfers to cover food expenses and other basic needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Lima and Callao, 454 migrants and host families living with or affected by HIV also received cash transfers improving their food security (WFP, UNAIDS Secretariat). In 2023, over 200 people living with HIV received financial assistance to access treatment services in partnership with the Red Cross and PROSA, while 100 women and people from the LGBTQI+ communities living with HIV were empowered through legal and entrepreneurship training led in collaboration with the community-based organization Mujeres Positivas (UNHCR).

As part of the Soy Clave project, the Joint Programme supported an assessment of the national HIV response and community-led services, which was followed by a dialogue that brought together more than 30 community leaders to discuss the scale-up and sustainability of the national HIV response (WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). An advocacy plan for social contracting was also developed to strengthen sustainability of community-led HIV responses through technical assistance from the Joint Programme and collaboration with community-based organizations (UNAIDS Secretariat). In addition, the Ministry of Health developed contingency plans to address declining government budget for HIV, particularly HIV prevention programmes for key populations following intensive advocacy by civil society organizations led by GIVAR—the antiretroviral medicines supply surveillance group in Peru (UNAIDS Secretariat).