About the Journal
UNAIDS Today — Bridging Evidence, Policy and Community Action to Accelerate the Global HIV Response
is an international, open-access journal dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge, amplifying community voices, and strengthening evidence-informed policymaking within the global HIV response. Designed as a platform where data, rights-based frameworks, and real-world experience converge, UNAIDS Today provides researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community advocates with the high-quality information needed to accelerate progress toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.
The journal recognizes that HIV is more than a biomedical issue—its trajectory is shaped by structural, social, political, and economic conditions. For this reason, UNAIDS Today publishes research and commentary that explore not only epidemiological trends and biomedical strategies, but also human rights conditions, gender inequalities, social determinants of health, community-led interventions, and legislative environments that shape vulnerability and access to care. This integrated approach ensures that evidence is contextualized, solutions are scalable, and recommendations are grounded in the realities of those most affected by HIV.
A Global Platform for Evidence and Accountability
UNAIDS Today responds to the urgent need for reliable, timely, and actionable information within the international HIV landscape. Despite remarkable scientific progress—such as the expansion of antiretroviral therapy, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), self-testing innovations, and digital health solutions—gaps remain in treatment coverage, prevention access, and social protection. These gaps are often rooted in stigma, criminalization, underfunded health systems, and limited community engagement. Through rigorous peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, case studies, and implementation reports, the journal provides the evidence needed to identify gaps, improve accountability, and inform policy decisions.
The journal’s scope includes quantitative and qualitative research, program evaluations, systematic reviews, and mixed-methods studies. UNAIDS Today encourages submissions that address trends in incidence, prevalence, viral suppression, and key population data, especially where disaggregation by gender, age, geography, or risk group reveals inequities. The journal also prioritizes research on emerging issues including HIV and mental health, climate change impacts on health services, digital inequalities, and the integration of HIV services with sexual and reproductive health, TB, and other public health priorities.
Elevating Community Leadership and Lived Experience
A fundamental principle of UNAIDS Today is the recognition that communities are not only beneficiaries of HIV programs but critical leaders in the HIV response. Community-led monitoring, service delivery, advocacy, and accountability structures have consistently demonstrated their effectiveness in improving outcomes and protecting human rights. For this reason, the journal actively welcomes submissions from community organizations, frontline workers, and civil society representatives.
These contributions allow UNAIDS Today to highlight innovations that emerge directly from lived experiences, such as peer-led prevention initiatives, negotiations for improved policy environments, strategies to reduce stigma, and creative outreach methods to reach marginalized populations. By publishing community-authored content alongside academic research, the journal bridges gaps between theory and practice, ensuring the global HIV response remains grounded in reality.
Strengthening Evidence-Informed Policy and Legal Reform
Policy environments significantly influence the success or failure of HIV programs. Laws that criminalize HIV non-disclosure, same-sex relationships, drug use, sex work, or gender identity continue to obstruct access to services, discourage testing, and increase vulnerability. UNAIDS Today prioritizes research and analyses that examine the impact of criminalization, discriminatory legislation, and restrictive health policies on health outcomes.
The journal’s policy section provides practical, evidence-based guidance for lawmakers, donors, and national HIV program leaders. Submissions in this area often explore legislative reform, financing strategies, the role of political will, social protection systems, and models for multisectoral collaboration. By translating complex research into decision-ready language, UNAIDS Today ensures that policy solutions are clear, actionable, and suitable for diverse country contexts.
Promoting Gender Equality and Human Rights
Gender inequality remains a major driver of HIV vulnerability, particularly among adolescent girls and young women. UNAIDS Today emphasizes research that examines gender-based violence, unequal access to education or health services, harmful social norms, and economic dependence—factors that increase risk and limit access to prevention and treatment. Articles in this domain often highlight community-led interventions, gender-transformative programs, and approaches that integrate HIV services with reproductive health, mental health, and social support.
Additionally, the journal supports research on human rights-based approaches, including legal literacy programs, anti-stigma interventions, rights-affirming clinical protocols, and advocacy campaigns. These studies demonstrate how respect for human rights not only protects dignity but also improves treatment adherence, viral suppression, and overall public health outcomes.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Global Knowledge Sharing
UNAIDS Today embraces interdisciplinary research that spans public health, social science, law, economics, gender studies, human rights, and technology. This approach enables readers to explore HIV from multiple perspectives and promotes solutions that go beyond the health sector alone.
The journal collaborates with global institutions, civil society networks, technical partners, and community organizations to ensure broad knowledge exchange. Special thematic issues, virtual symposia, and regional focus editions allow deeper exploration of pressing topics. These collaborative initiatives strengthen the journal’s role as a global knowledge hub and help accelerate the translation of research into impact.
Peer Review, Ethics, and Open Access
UNAIDS Today maintains a rigorous double-blind peer-review process to ensure academic credibility and fairness. Ethical protection of research participants, transparent reporting standards, and responsible data use are mandatory for all submissions. As a fully open-access journal, UNAIDS Today publishes articles under Creative Commons licensing, ensuring widespread accessibility and enabling the reuse of knowledge for teaching, advocacy, and health programming.
Open access ensures that essential information reaches policymakers, practitioners, and frontline workers—especially in low-resource settings where access to academic journals may be limited.
Commitment to Ending AIDS as a Public Health Threat
Ultimately, UNAIDS Today is more than a journal—it is an instrument for global collaboration, accountability, and action. By amplifying evidence, promoting community leadership, and informing policies, the journal contributes to the global movement toward ending AIDS by 2030. Researchers, advocates, clinicians, community leaders, and policymakers are invited to share knowledge, challenge inequities, and contribute to a future where all people can live with dignity, health, and human rights.
