Fast-Track Cities is a global movement to end HIV by 2030.
London is already leading the way in diagnosis and treatment but is now aiming to be the first city in the world to end new HIV infections, preventable deaths and stigma by 2030, making sure everyone with HIV is living well.
Tackling HIV stigma is central to achieving London’s goals of zero new HIV transmissions, zero preventable deaths and 100 percent of people living well with HIV by 2030. To tackle HIV stigma at the societal level, we are working in partnership with the Terrence Higgins Trust, providing £235k funding from 2023-26 to deliver the HIV Ambassadors programme. This programme is:
- Recruiting and training people living with HIV to act as ambassadors, sharing their personal experience to help highlight and eliminate HIV stigma.
- Educating different parts of the health and social care sector and other organisations about HIV, including nursing homes, NHS trusts, other frontline services and non-statutory organisations.
- Seeking and promoting opportunities for community ambassadors to work within and outside of the HIV sector.
- Tackling internalised stigma for people living with HIV and societal stigma and discrimination with proven methods that increase awareness, educate the public and challenge societal norms.
Strong partnership working with the National AIDS Trust and Positively UK complements and informs the work of the HIV Confident charter mark, bringing the voices and lived experiences of people living with HIV to the programme.
There are currently 18 fully trained and active Ambassadors in the programme, with plans to have 24 active speakers by April 2025. They have delivered over 60 talks across a range of organisations.
Find out more about our work to tackle stigma in London here.