Policy Priorities

amfAR tracks budgetary decision-making in the U.S., advocates for domestic, bilateral, and multilateral funding for HIV, and performs research on programmatic targets and progress reporting to ensure programs are reaching all populations in need. (See the PEPFAR MER and COP Databases.)

amfAR is committed to reducing the risk of acquiring HIV and hepatitis C through the sharing of contaminated needles/syringes and advocating for harm reduction policies to improve outcomes for people who inject drugs. (See Opioid Database.)

amfAR is a supporter of the U.S. Federal Ending the HIV Epidemic efforts, and advocates for resources and programming to meet the needs of communities most impacted by HIV in the U.S., including for historically underserved groups. (See EHE Database.)

amfAR advocates for expanded access to HIV prevention and treatment services for gay men, other men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, sex workers, and people who inject drugs, and fights the stigma and discrimination that make these populations more vulnerable to HIV infection and inhibit equal access to care.

amfAR is a leading advocate for continued robust U.S. support for the global HIV response through critical programs such as PEPFAR—the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief—and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. amfAR also supports the development of community-led monitoring (CLM) programs globally. (See PEPFAR Database.)

amfAR advocates for a strong commitment to HIV research and for funding for the National Institutes of Health. In addition, the policy office advocates for access to affordable medicines for both HIV and hepatitis C (see below).

In many countries, women and girls bear the highest burden of HIV. amfAR advocates for increased access to HIV services for women and girls and reducing the socioeconomic and cultural factors that make women and girls vulnerable to acquiring HIV.

Driven by rising rates of injection drug use, the incidence of hepatitis C (HCV) in the U.S. has tripled in the last five years. amfAR advocates for increased access to prevention and treatment services for people living with, or at risk for, HCV.

amfAR studies the disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color, and has noted the similar structural factors that drive both the COVID-19 and HIV epidemics in the U.S.