United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (Belarus)

In 2016, Belarus was validated by the World Health Organization as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The country implements a full range of policies and programmes with government support and funding, and is a key advocate for harm reduction and opioid substitution therapy in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The guiding principles of the national response to the HIV epidemic are given in the country’s HIV prevention programme, which reaffirms Belarus’ commitment to the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS. Belarus introduced HIV self-testing and started selling HIV tests through pharmacies in 2017. Antiretroviral therapy coverage funded by the government will be increased from 8600 people in 2016 to 22 000 people in 2018 by reducing the prices of antiretroviral therapy. Belarus is committed to scaling up and ensuring the sustainability of harm reduction programmes