Australian Federation of Aids Organistation

Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO): Leading the community response to HIV
AFAO is the national federation for the HIV community response. We provide leadership, coordination and support to Australia’s policy and advocacy response to HIV.

As the peak national organisation for Australia’s community HIV response, AFAO (the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations) is recognised both globally and nationally for the leadership, policy expertise, coordination and support we provide.

Through advocacy, policy and health promotion, we champion awareness, understanding and proactivity around HIV prevention, education, support and research. AFAO provides a voice for communities affected by HIV and leads the national conversation on HIV.

In Australia, communities affected by HIV include gay and bisexual men, transgender people, sex workers, people who use drugs, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people who are living with HIV.

We advocate for a strong and bold vision to prevent HIV and its impacts, and work with governments, clinicians, researchers and community to achieve that vision.

We contribute internationally to the development of effective policy and program responses to HIV/AIDS at a global level, particularly in Asia and the Pacific.

For more than two decades, the AFAO International Program has implemented initiatives to strengthen civil society responses to HIV in Asia and the Pacific, with Australian Government support. From 2017, AFAO will
lead a two-year regional program focusing on sustainability, transition and financing for the HIV response. The SHIFT program is funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

VISION AND VALUES

AFAO’s vision is ‘Working together to end HIV transmission and reduce its impacts on communities in Australia, Asia and the Pacific.’.

Our values are:

• respecting the dignity of all people
• respecting and valuing diversity, and promoting the human rights and equality of all people
• acknowledging the special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first Australians and respecting their communities’ traditions, views and ways of life
• empowerment of HIV-positive people and affected communities and supporting their ownership and self-determined control of the response to HIV/AIDS
• protecting and promoting the human rights of all communities and populations affected by HIV
• promoting and supporting harm reduction principles and the Ottawa Charter
• recognising the social determinants of health
• building and facilitating evidence-informed approaches to policy development, advocacy and health promotion
• being accountable to the communities we are part of – which we work with, represent and serve.