This can and must be the year that we get on track to end new HIV cases by 2030. When the UK Government set that target in 2019, there was over a decade to make it a reality. Now, we are just five years away and time is running out to meet our goal. We need your help to make it happen.

So far, the numbers are moving in the wrong direction. Latest government data tells us that since 2019, there hasn’t been a decline in the new HIV transmissions in England, and that last year, there might have been a rise outside of London. The inequalities that run deep through the epidemic are only becoming starker, particularly by race and gender. As a result, for the first time, the UK Health Security Agency are now predicting that we are likely to miss the target of an 80% decline in new HIV transmissions by 2025. This might sound disheartening, but this type of frank assessment from the government is new. It is, therefore, refreshing and welcome.

By acknowledging where we are, we can take the action needed – and it’s now clearer than ever that it can’t be business as usual.

It’s up to us to make sure we turn this around. Last year, we successfully campaigned to ensure that HIV was on the agenda at the general election and then secured a commitment from the new UK Government to publish a new HIV Action Plan for England by summer this year. On World AIDS Day, our pressure ensured that funding for opt-out HIV testing in emergency departments was extended beyond a cliff edge of March this year. This highly successful programme will also expand to 90 A&Es, a great step forward.

Now, we only have a few months to campaign for a new HIV Action Plan for England that drives the gear-shift needed to get to our goal. Luckily, we know what works. With our friends at National AIDS Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, we have published: Getting on track: Becoming the first country to end new HIV cases by 2030. It identifies six key goals and six corresponding recommendations for what’s needed from the new HIV Action Plan for England to reach our goal. With leadership, ambition and investment, the goal remains realistic.

In Scotland and Wales, this year we risk falling even further off track. Both nation’s HIV Action Plans run until just 2026, with key commitments yet to be delivered. In Scotland, opt-out HIV testing pilots in A&Es must now lead to a long-term investment, crucially in Glasgow where HIV prevalence is highest. We know this works, and it will be vital. In Wales, the government must build on the success of the year-round HIV and STI testing service, including delivering the improved data collection system and the peer support promised. Without that, we can’t end new HIV cases. 

So where do you, our supporters come in? You are the difference between ending new cases being realistic and being realised.

Our services deliver HIV testing, tackle stigma and provide support for people living with HIV across the UK – a vital part of prevention efforts across the country. If people living with HIV take their medication, not only will they lead long and health lives, they can’t pass it on.

Our campaigns move the dial on action from governments across the UK, our advocacy over the next year will be crucial. With you behind us it will be even more powerful.

It’s your donations, your fundraising, your marathon running that makes that possible. So if you can, please help us to make 2025 the year we get on track by donating to support our vital work today.