By Julia Frömer, Positive Life Advisory Board

The first day in particular has stayed with me. When I arrived at the conference venue, I saw people from all over the world. Different languages, backgrounds and experiences – and yet everyone was there for a similar reason: they were engaged with HIV and with the question of how we can end the global HIV epidemic.

Everywhere, there were stands run by organisations and community projects, conversations, presentations and sessions. I met new people, made contacts, had many conversations and attended a variety of sessions. What impressed me most was how diverse and committed community work is around the world.

Because for me, HIV is not just a medical issue.

Of course, today there are medicines and treatment options that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. With effective treatment, people living with HIV can live long and healthy lives. In prevention too, PrEP and other methods offer highly effective options.

But as I walked through the conference in Rio, I was once again reminded that this progress has not yet reached everyone.

What is the value of the best treatment if a person cannot access it?

In many parts of the world, people still lack access to HIV medicines and medical care. Even where treatment is available, high costs, weak health systems or other structural barriers can make it inaccessible.

And sometimes, it is not only a question of availability.

Sometimes, it is fear.

The fear that someone might find out that you have HIV. The fear of rejection, exclusion, or of an HIV diagnosis changing your life.

For some people, there is an additional factor: their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In countries where lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans people still face discrimination or even persecution, the fear of being outed can be very real. An HIV diagnosis can create an additional fear that one’s sexuality might be disclosed against one’s will.

“What happens if someone finds out?”

Such fear can lead people to avoid HIV testing, stay away from prevention services or not seek the medical care they need.

This made me reflect deeply. Because medical progress alone is not enough.

We can develop medicines and create ever better opportunities for prevention and treatment. But these opportunities also need to reach people – regardless of where they live, how much money they have or whom they love.

That is exactly why I found the community work at the conference so impressive. I met people who are not only working on HIV as an issue, but who are actively fighting to ensure that others have access to treatment and prevention, can feel safe and are able to exercise their rights.

Beyond the sessions, it was above all the personal encounters that will stay with me.

I met people from different countries, spoke with them and heard many different perspectives. Some conversations were brief, while others stayed with me for much longer. It was precisely this personal exchange that showed me how different the reality of living with HIV can be around the world.

For me, it feels self-evident that HIV can be treated and that medical care is available. But for many others, that is far from self-evident.

That is one of the most important insights I am taking home from Rio.

The International AIDS Conference showed me how closely science, medicine, politics and community are connected. Progress does not only happen in laboratories. It also happens wherever people organise, share their experiences and fight for their rights.

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to have this experience. For all the conversations, the new contacts, the different perspectives and all the impressions I am taking home from Rio.

Rio showed me how much is already being achieved around the world.

And at the same time, how much still lies ahead.

Because no one should be excluded from the possibility of living a healthy life simply because they were born in another country, have fewer resources, live with HIV or love the person they love.