On a grey morning in Tehran’s District 12, inside Shush Park, visitors begin to trickle into Hamiyan Andisheh Reshad Connex, a small harm-reduction centre. It is modest, warm, and, most importantly, a welcoming space. The centre, procured and furnished through the Global Fund grant implemented by UNDP in partnership with key national counterparts, including the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the Welfare Organization, is one of several essential facilities supporting Iran’s HIV response.

Behind a simple desk sits Nasrollah, a man whose calm presence fills the room. For more than a year, he has been providing services here, offering rapid HIV testing, counselling, condoms, sterile syringes, and, most importantly, compassion.

When asked why he chose this work, his answer is both raw and deeply human. "Most of my life, I was a drug user myself. I have been clean for ten years now. What keeps me clean is helping those who are going through what I lived through. I lost so many beautiful things: love, hope, happiness. Drugs took all of that from me. But I came back. I became closer to my family. I want people to know it’s never too late.”

For the 150 active clients who regularly visit the centre, people like Nasrollah are not just service providers, they are proof that recovery is possible.

A few minutes later, Mohammadreza walks in, soft-spoken yet grounded. He has been visiting the centre regularly. “I found out about my HIV status because of this place,” he says. “They encouraged me to get tested. And Nasrollah understands us in a way others cannot, because he once lived what we are living now.”

Visitors continue arriving throughout the day, some for a test, some for supplies, and many for a safe space. In a city of millions, places like this offer dignity to people who seek support and services.

Iran has made significant progress in reducing HIV incidence and AIDS-related mortality over the past decade. National efforts, supported by partners, have led to notable declines in prevalence among groups most at risk, especially people who inject drugs and people in prisons.

Through its USD 11.3 million HIV grant (2024–2027), the Global Fund, implemented by UNDP, supports Iran to scale up differentiated testing, prevention, treatment, and care services.

With national partners, since April 2023, the Global Fund and UNDP have:

•    Reach over 800,000 people from key populations with HIV services
•    Test more than 650,000 individuals
•    Deliver 2.16 million rapid HIV test kits
•    Deliver 52,500 monitoring kits
•    Procure approximately USD 320,000 worth of antiretroviral medications

These investments are part of a broader effort to support Iran move closer to the 95-95-95 global targets, ensuring more people know their HIV status, access treatment, and achieve viral suppression.

Iran’s national harm-reduction model, including needle-syringe programmes, opioid substitution therapy, and community-based services, has been recognised globally. Between 2010 and today, HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs dropped from 15 percent to around 1.2 percent, and among people in prisons from 2.1 percent to approximately 0.8 percent, an extraordinary national achievement supported by sustained partnerships.

The centre in District 12 is only one example among many across the country. Its story reflects the essence of what the Global Fund, UNDP, and national partners aim to achieve:

•    ensuring accessible HIV testing,
•    reducing stigma,
•    offering safe spaces for harm-reduction services, and
•    empowering people to rebuild their lives.

In the words of Nasrollah: “Here, we do not just give tests and syringes. We give people a place to breathe. We listen. And sometimes, that is what saves them.”

On World AIDS Day, we honour the strength of people like Nasrollah and Mohammadreza. Their stories remind us that behind every statistic is a life changed, and behind every life changed is a partnership that made it possible.

The progress Iran has achieved is the result of national leadership, community resilience, and the continued collaboration of the Global Fund, UNDP, and frontline organizations working together toward a future where no one is left behind.