From stigma to solutions: Youth and communities driving the HIV response

“It is a virus, but it does not define who a person is or what they can achieve. Treat people with kindness and love – this is the freest and most powerful thing we can offer.” – Anonymous, PWH (person with HIV)

HIV remains a crisis too often whispered about but rarely confronted. This silence has a cost: in the Philippines, new HIV infections have increased by 550 percent from 2010 to 2024, the steepest rise in Southeast Asia. Silence perpetuates stigma and keeps young people from seeking information, screening and treatment. This crisis requires an urgent and collective response.

I learned that the public discussion in the country leans towards moral judgment rather than science and health. Young people grow up without reproductive health education. Adults hesitate to buy or use condoms and people with HIV are judged rather than supported and given access to care. This results in a prevention gap where infection rates move faster than catch-up treatment programs. Treatment is more costly than prevention measures that should be universally learned.

I have traveled across this dynamic country and met with community-led organizations, young advocates and local governments that pioneer and innovate HIV programs. In Palawan, I have seen solutions firsthand through the Roots of Health (Ugat ng Kalusugan).

Since 2018, Norway has partnered with this movement which provides free, non-judgmental reproductive health services in clinics, communities and schools.

Ugat ng Kalusugan conducted more than 5,000 health screenings and trained health workers and students in stigma and harm reduction. There is a big shift with this compassionate and health-based approach: one respectful health worker determines whether a young person feels safe enough for early testing and prevention. Working with and through persons with HIV is also important. They are advocates who have courageously chosen visibility over silence. Many were first linked to care through the organization and now help others navigate treatments.

Through Norway’s grant, more than 1,300 youth volunteers have been trained in reproductive health advocacy, 600 of whom are Youth Council leaders. Young people help normalize conversations that older generations struggle to discuss. In Palawan, over 150,000 free condoms have been distributed through this youth network.

These efforts reflect values that Norway places at the heart of its foreign and development policy: a commitment to human rights, gender equality and equitable access to health. Norway believes that every individual, regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation, has the right to accurate information, compassionate care and the freedom to make decisions about their own body.

The Norwegian government champions sexual and reproductive health and rights globally and remains committed to working with partners across sectors – government agencies, civil society organizations, health care workers and communities themselves – to ensure that prevention is strengthened and innovations are scaled.

As the world marked World AIDS Day 2025 last Monday, the Philippines stands at a crossroads.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-acting medicines like Lenacapavir offer powerful tools to prevent HIV. But tools only work when people feel safe – reducing stigma is central to defeating this epidemic.

The Philippines’ HIV epidemic is serious, but the future is not predetermined. Our urgent and collective work towards a healthier future continues.

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Christian Halaas Lyster is the Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines.