CNS: 2026

From the brink of defeat how frontline workers supported children to beat TB

Read the latest HPPI publication here

It is deeply disturbing that the world largely forgot children when confronting tuberculosis (TB) - the deadliest infectious disease. Stronger data collection on childhood TB began only about a decade and a half ago, and the first child-friendly formulation was introduced just ten years ago, in Kenya in 2016. At world's largest AIDS conference, the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a special publication was launched by Humana People to People India showcasing four success stories of children (from socially and economically marginalised communities) tiding to cure and health.

African rights groups urge pause to flawed convention on violence against women and girls

Rising attacks against health and gender rights are threatening the global AIDS response. No wonder, a special session on this issue hosted at the world's largest AIDS conference - the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) - was full to capacity. This session put the spotlight on a recent #PauseForPurpose protest organised by a group of African feminists, survivors, women’s rights organisations and legal advocates around the Pan-African Parliament meet on 25th July 2026. This meet was for the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AU CEVAWG). They were not there to reject continental action against violence against women and girls. They were there to demand better.

[video] Rising Anti-Rights and Anti-Gender Backlash: Threats to the Global AIDS Response

[video] Pause for Purpose: Analyse if Convention to End Violence Against Women and Girls is fit for purpose?

Join us at 26th International AIDS Conference | AIDS 2026

CNS at AIDS 2026

Cuts to prevention and community-led services could spark HIV resurgence in Asia Pacific

Latest report of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) show that one-in-four people living with HIV worldwide who are not receiving the lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, are in Asia Pacific region. This report "United to end AIDS" was released on 27th July 2026 at the world's largest AIDS conference, the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

World Hepatitis Day 2026: Political will, not just tools, will decide if we end viral hepatitis, TB and AIDS by 2030

As World Hepatitis Day falls on 28 July, the global health community confronts a stark reality: the science to eliminate viral hepatitis, HIV and related epidemics already exists. What remains missing is the political courage, sustained funding and integrated delivery systems to put those tools into the hands of the people who need them most.

54 months to end AIDS and TB: Communities say "Trust us to lead or miss the target"

From India to Eswatini, Kenya to Georgia, Nepal to South Africa, people living with HIV and TB survivors warn that slogans and declarations alone will not deliver the 2030 goals. Only real people-power, funding and partnership will.

SHE & Rights at AIDS 2026: Rising anti-rights and anti-gender backlash: Threats to the global AIDS response

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At 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, join us in hybrid SHE & Rights session on the theme: "Rising anti-rights and anti-gender backlash: Threats to the global AIDS response."

Science soars as politics retreats: Leaders demand reset ahead of AIDS 2026

The global HIV response has reached its most consequential crossroads in 45 years. HIV (and TB) science has never been stronger, but the political will has rarely been weaker, said Mitchell Warren. The arrival of powerful new prevention tools has collided with the most difficult political and economic environment the field has ever faced, creating both unprecedented opportunity and existential risk, he said.

Thailand's community-led HIV revolution is powered by #PutPeopleFirst

Community-led health services for HIV key populations: Thailand’s model offers a roadmap to equity and ending AIDS by 2030

As the world grapples with the final stretch toward the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat, Thailand’s Key Population-Led Health Services (KPLHS) delivery model stands out as a beacon of innovation, equity, and proven impact.

Communities must be financed, not just celebrated, says UNAIDS' Eamonn Murphy ahead of AIDS 2026

As the global HIV response faces shrinking funding, increasing pressure on civil society, and growing attacks on human rights and gender equality, UNAIDS' Eamonn Murphy has called for communities to remain at the centre of the fight against HIV - not only in principle but also in policy, financing and governance.

Shobha Shukla to be at UN Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons for drafting of legally binding UN treaty

Hold the line: Fulfil the 2027 #EndTB commitments without shifting goalposts

Can we ever end tuberculosis (TB) - the deadliest infectious disease on Earth - without ensuring that every single person who takes an initial TB test receives a truly effective one? A test that accurately and rapidly detects active TB disease. A test that misses no one. Because finding TB early and accurately is not optional - it is the indispensable lynchpin, the non-negotiable gateway to the entire treatment and care pathway.

Rising above HIV diagnosis and turning pain into purpose

To this day 23 years-old Sneha (name changed to respect confidentiality) does not know with certainty how she got infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). No one else in her family carries the virus. The only plausible explanation she offers is that she got it through an infected injection needle in some healthcare setting.

Shobha Shukla to be at UN Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons for drafting of legally binding UN treaty

GAP, CNS and SHE & Rights Live thematic sessions from AIDS 2026

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[video] #AIDS2026: #RethinkRebuildRise: #PutPeopleFirst to deliver on #endAIDS and #endTB targets by 2030

[video] Lakshadweep Islands become tuberculosis free: preventing, finding and treating ALL TB made it #endTB

Why are we still not on track to end TB despite decades of scaling up TB services?

by Dr Tara Singh Bam

Over the past several decades, TB control programmes have made significant progress in expanding diagnosis and treatment services. Success has traditionally been measured by programme indicators, such as detecting 70% of estimated TB cases and successfully treating 85% of those diagnosed. Achieving these targets has rightly saved millions of lives.

~50 speakers from ~25 countries worldwide: Mostly from Global South, and women and gender diverse communities

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[video] When people experience TB and HIV together, why are services not integrated? #RethinkRebuildRise

[video] Science allows us to #DoBetter to #PutPeopleFirst, central to HIV & TB responses #RethinkRebuildRise

Rising patriarchal resistance in Africa against gender equality and health rights

Only 54 months are left to deliver on the promise of gender equality (SDG-5), and health and wellbeing (SDG-3) by 2030. But the sense of urgency and purpose is acutely missing and instead of going forward, in many instances we are slipping backwards. Growing anti-rights and anti-gender pushbacks are trying to reverse whatever progress has been made on gender and health rights, especially for girls and women and gender diverse communities.

#RethinkRebuildRise ★ #PutPeopleFirst to deliver on #endAIDS and #endTB targets in next 54 months

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Be welcome to join us in an AIDS 2026 Affiliated Independent Event on the theme: #RethinkRebuildRise: #PutPeopleFirst to deliver on #endAIDS and #endTB targets in next 54 months.

[video] Community-led health services: Learnings from Thailand

[video] African governments must disengage with regressive 'draft Charter', says UN Special Rapporteur on Right To Health

[video] Protect Maputo Protocol to resist anti-rights pushbacks and advance gender equality and right to health

4th Edition of SHE & Rights Media Awards 2026-2027

Click here to apply!

After the largest convening on gender equality in 2026 (Women Deliver Conference 2026) and ahead of 79th World Health Assembly and International Day of Action for Women's Health and Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Geneva-based Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI) and CNS proudly announce the 4th Edition of SHE & Rights Media Awards 2026-2027.

India's highest court finally realises the monetary worth of a homemaker's unpaid care work

[हिंदी] It all started with a road accident in Indian state of Punjab on 25th November 2001 which killed home maker Reshma - a mother of three children. Incidentally, 25th November is also observed globally as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

[video] Nine times increase in finding TB in hotspots of eastern Uganda: Joep Lange Awardee 2026 Joshua Clark speaks

End TB Dialogues | Joep Lange Awardee 2026 Joshua Brianwong Clark

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Protecting Maputo Protocol is critical to resist anti-rights pushbacks and advance gender equality and right to health

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We invite you to another important SHE & Rights session on the regressive draft ‘African Charter on family, sovereignty and values,’ which threatens to undermine progress made on gender equality and right to health in the African continent.

Will governments make tobacco industry pay for all the harms it causes?

[watch the launch of Global Week of Action to Make Big Tobacco Pay] "How can we allow the tobacco industry to fill its coffers while we the people have to empty our pockets to fend for and suffer all the harms tobacco industry has caused? It is high time to shift the financial burden from people and communities to the tobacco industry for ALL the harms caused by its businesses," said Shobha Shukla while opening the launch of the historic Global Week of Action to Make Big Tobacco Pay.

Dignified menstruation is the cornerstone of gender equality and rights

This year's Menstrual Hygiene Day as well International Day of Action for Women’s Health is a grim reminder that women's health is far from being a fundamental human right in reality. The writing on the wall is clear: if we are to deliver on the goal of gender equality for all by 2030, we must dismantle deep rooted stigma, secure bodily autonomy and eliminate period poverty.

[video] Launch: #MakeBigTobaccoPay Global Week of Action + Media Briefing

[video] Navigating the bleeding edge: Period poverty and reproductive health in the poly-crisis

Launch: #MakeBigTobaccoPay Global Week of Action + Media briefing

[Register now] Join us on 1st June 2026, Monday, in Launch of MAKE BIG TOBACCO PAY Global Week of Action as well as media briefing.

SHE & Rights | Navigating the Bleeding Edge: Period Poverty and Reproductive Health in the Poly-crisis

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Welcome to special SHE & Rights session to mark 28th May - Menstrual Hygiene Day as well as the International Day of Action for Women's Health.

Declaration calls on Indonesia to ratify global treaty and hold nicotine and tobacco industry liable

An important Declaration endorsed by over 1500 experts has called upon Indonesia to ratify the lifesaving global tobacco treaty and hold tobacco and nicotine industries liable. The declaration also calls for implementing several other proven measures to protect its children and people from deadly tobacco and nicotine products.

The invisible must get served first by legally binding treaty for older persons

We are living in an age of ageing with a fast-growing number of older people. Life expectancy has increased significantly over the past years. Japan has nearly 100,000 people aged 100 or older - the highest in the world, with women comprising roughly 88% of this population. By 2050 the population of persons above 60 years of age is projected to grow to 2.1 billion (nearly one fifth of the total global population).

Good girls first take care of themselves before they may choose to be carers for others

The common phrase 'good girls take care of family' reflects a deeply ingrained social expectation, often referred to as 'Good Girl Syndrome,' where girls and women are expected to be nurturers, compliant, and prioritise others' needs over their own. This often translates to handling household burdens, emotional labour, and caregiving to ensure family stability.

Can next month's global AMR ministerial meet in Nigeria turn the tide?

In the lead-up to one of the most significant global health gatherings of 2026, the Global Media Briefing on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) offered a sobering and urgent reminder: the world is not just facing a future threat - it is already living through a largely invisible crisis that continues to claim millions of lives.

Reclaiming the narrative: Media, sexual health and bodily autonomy, and feminist storytelling

In Women Deliver Conference 2026 (WD2026) - largest gathering on gender equality this year, before the first plenary had even begun, a quieter but deeply urgent conversation unfolded in the Media Lounge - one that set the tone for everything that followed. Framed as a fireside chat, “Reclaiming the Narrative: Media, SRHR and Feminist Storytelling” brought together advocates, communicators, and frontline health workers to confront a pressing question: who gets to tell stories about bodies, rights, and health - and what happens when those stories are taken out of the hands of those who live them?

Transgender rights in anti-rights era

In Women Deliver Conference 2026 - largest gathering on gender equality this year - a panel of transgender rights leaders and advocates from across Asia and the Pacific came together to speak about a reality that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: the intensifying global backlash against transgender rights, and the deeply personal toll it is taking on communities already pushed to the margins. What emerged from the discussion was not just a policy conversation, but a powerful reminder that behind every law, every statistic, and every debate are people whose lives cannot - and should not - be reduced to categories, labels, or data points.

Abortion rights are human rights

In Women Deliver Conference 2026 - largest gathering on gender equality this year - a conversation unfolded that was as urgent as it was deeply contested: abortion rights are human rights. Framed within the broader agenda of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), this SHE & Rights session brought together activists, media voices, and advocates who are working across vastly different political and cultural landscapes. Yet despite these differences, what united them was a shared insistence that abortion is not merely a policy issue or a moral debate—it is fundamentally about dignity, autonomy, and the right to decide over one’s own body.

56 months left to end female genital mutilation/ cutting: Are we on track?

In Women Deliver Conference 2026, a session unfolded with a title that felt less like a discussion and more like a deadline: "56 months left to end female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C): Are we on track?" The urgency was unmistakable. Female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C), a practice internationally recognised as a violation of human rights, remains deeply embedded in social, cultural, and structural systems across parts of the world. Yet what this session made clear is that the question is not only whether the world is on track to end it - but whether the world is truly listening to those most affected, and whether the strategies in place are grounded in their lived realities.

Is progressive and feminist trade unionism largely missing from Women Deliver 2026?

The 2026 Women Deliver Conference brought together more than 6,500 advocates, researchers, policy makers and donors all committed to advancing women’s human rights. But what if there was a key strategy that has been instrumental in advancing women’s human rights but largely missing from the conference?

Turning development justice analysis into collective actions

Despite growing backlash against women’s rights and feminist movements globally, it gives hope to see that the world’s largest gathering on gender equality this year – Women Deliver Conference 2026 - was attended by around 6000 people from 189 countries globally. The city that hosted this meet - Narrm or Melbourne in Australia - has an inspiring history of resistance which runs through its lands and waters, carried by generations of First Nations (indigenous) leaders, feminists, and activists who have fought for justice, self-determination, and collective care.

SHE & Rights Media Awards Ceremony 2026 - Women Deliver Conference 2026 #WD2026

[video] Equitable access for youth to sexual, reproductive and mental health: Rethinking funding, integration

[video] Reclaiming the Narrative: Media, SHR and Feminist Storytelling | Fireside chat at Women Deliver Conference 2026

[video] Reflections from Women Deliver Conference 2026 and way forward to deliver on SDG-5 and SDG-3 by 2030

[video] Transgender rights in anti-rights era

[video] Ending AIDS in anti-rights and anti-gender era

[video] 56 months left to end FGM/C: Are we on track?

[video] Centring breast and cervical cancer prevention and care in gender justice, rights and evidence

[video] Gender sensitive local actions are critical for reducing NCDs and ending TB, tobacco use

[video] Abortion rights are human rights

[video] Legally binding treaty for development justice for older persons

[video] Drug resistance or Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) under gender lens | Women Deliver Conference 2026

[video] Know more about 9th RHNK Pan African Adolescents and Youth SRHR Conference 2026 and SVRI Forum 2026

[video] Cook Islands in the Pacific: Sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice

[video] Are gender equality and right to health taking primacy in development?

SHE & Rights LIVE #WD2026: Session 15: Equitable access for youth to sexual, reproductive and mental health: Rethinking funding towards integrated models

SHE & Rights LIVE at the Women Deliver Conference 2026 - sessions are being hosted at D03 Exhibition Space in Narrm (Melbourne), Australia. All sessions are hybrid, live-streamed and host online and onsite speakers and participants including media.