One of the main lessons learned from the HIV response is that human rights-based approaches and community empowerment must be at the centre of any pandemic response. Discrimination, overreliance on criminal law, curtailing civil society operating space, and failing to take proactive measures to respect, protect and fulfil human rights can hamper mobilization of communities to respond to health issues—a necessary ingredient for an effective response. Overly restrictive responses—especially those that do not take the lived realities of communities into account—and violent and coercive enforcement can undermine trust rather than support compliance. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the gravest threats facing society today. Within a short period of time, it has reached every corner of the globe and it has touched every aspect of our lives. The socioeconomic impacts of this pandemic will be deep and long-lasting, and swift and coordinated action is needed to reduce transmission and protect against the broader impacts of the virus.
At the same time, the HIV pandemic is not over. With 1.7 million new infections in 2019 and 38 million people living with HIV worldwide, we are living in a time of two parallel pandemics. Not only should the lessons from one pandemic inform the other, but the responses must mutually support each other, taking care not to harm the progress that has been made thus far.