Project Summary

According to UNAIDS Fact Sheet 2024, an estimated 350,000 people are living with HIV in Pakistan. Despite the availability of free treatment provided by the Government of Pakistan, only 51,821 patients were receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) as of December 2024. Key opulations, including people who inject drugs, sex workers, sexual minorities, and transgender individuals face heightened stigma and discrimination, severely limiting their access to HIV prevention and treatment services.

In response, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan is implementing prevention programmes for relevant communities in alignment with the Pakistan AIDS Strategy IV (PAS-IV). The approach integrates community-based prevention, care, and support mechanisms while strengthening health systems and improving legal and social support.

Strategic interventions include outreach to key populations, introducing community-led monitoring, and building the capacity of stakeholders through targeted trainings. Crucially, UNDP manages the procurement of all life-saving Antiretrovirals (ARVs), diagnostic products, and related medicines for the National HIV Response, including Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment (OAMT) drugs.

Objectives

• Align all programme activities with the Pakistan AIDS Strategy IV (PAS-IV), ensuring a comprehensive, rights-based approach.
• Provide HIV prevention services to a defined percentage of the relevant key populations, as per the 2023 Population Size Estimate, by the year 2026.
• Strengthen health systems, legal frameworks, and social support to reduce stigma and improve access to care for Key Populations.
• Procure and supply all life-saving ARVs, diagnostic products, and related health products for the National HIV Response.

Outcomes

• Over 1.6 million beneficiaries from Key Populations will be reached with HIV prevention services during the ongoing Grant Cycle (GC-7, 2025-2026).
• approximately 1.3 million beneficiaries from key populations accessed HIV prevention services during the previous Grant Cycle (GC-6, Jul 2021–Dec 2024), with around 465,000 individuals tested for HIV.
• The 6th round of Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance successfully commissioned through the Health Services Academy to inform evidence-based policymaking. Two Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment (OAMT) sites renovated and prepared for operation in Lahore and Karachi during the GC-6 period.  
• Over 500 Community-Based Organization (CBO) staff will be trained on HIV prevention under GC-7 to ensure effective, community-led service delivery.