UNAIDS – on our way to the World Health Summit!

UNAIDS is heading to Berlin for the World Health Summit (WHS) which is taking place from 12-14 October under the theme “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World.”  

UNAIDS’ participation in WHS 2025 is both timely and essential. The HIV response stands at a critical juncture as progress is being threatened by shrinking resources, widening inequalities and increasing criminalization and stigmatization of key populations.  

At the same time, scientific breakthroughs and community leadership offer unprecedented opportunities to end AIDS, but only if political will and sustainable investment are maintained.  

UNAIDS has three main objectives at the #WHS2025:

1. Use UNAIDS voice to secure commitment to sustainable investment in the HIV response and stress the urgency and importance of predictable and resilient HIV financing to save lives. 

2. Use UNAIDS’ position as a bridge between innovation and the communities most affected to call for equitable access to breakthrough prevention and treatment tools. 

3. Use UNAIDS’ advocacy and convening power to elevate the role of communities and human rights as central to global health. Championing the principle that health responses succeed only when rights are respected and communities lead. 

KEY EVENTS:

Thursday 9 October | 09:00 - 11:30 CEST 

Centre for European Policy Studies Advisory Forum on the EU’s Role in Global Health 

This initiative is a platform for exchange of ideas, which will serve to provide policy recommendations on how the EU can become a more forward-thinking and constructive player in global health.   

The Forum will address: 

• The consequences of cuts in health funding 

• Reforming global health architecture and financing 

• Implementing the EU Global Health Strategy and current initiatives 

• Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Christine Stegling will participate in the group dialogue. 

Invitation only.

Friday 10 October | 11:00 - 12:30 CEST 

Virchow Prize Lecture 2025 

The Virchow Foundation and the Berlin European School of Management and Technology will host the distinguished Virchow Prize Lectures in honour of 2025 Laureates Quarraisha Abdool Karim, UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV, and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Professor and Founding Director, Institute for Global Health & Development Aga Khan University. Read more. 

This year’s Laureates are recognized “for their pioneering, lifelong leadership in advancing maternal, newborn, and child health equity through community-centred, evidence-based research.” 

This event will take place in person register here and online.  

Saturday 11 October | 18:30 CEST 

The Virchow Prize Ceremony 2025 

The Virchow Prize, awarded by the non-profit Virchow Foundation, is a major international award which recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievements towards “health for all” that are closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.  

The Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima will give a laudatory speech for 2025 Laureate Quarraisha Abdool Karim. 

For more information see here  

Sunday 12 October | 08:30 - 10:00 CEST 

Strengthening political leadership to end AIDS: A high-level parliamentary breakfast  

Parliamentary breakfast in the German Bundestag on the occasion of the World Health Summit in Berlin co-hosted by Global Parliamentary Platform on HIV and AIDS, UNAIDS, UNITE, STOP AIDS and the Global Equality Caucus. 

Sunday 12 October | 14:00 - 15:30 CEST 

WHS keynote session: Transforming the global health architecture - Rethinking governance and financing models 

The Executive Director of UNAIDS will give a keynote address at this session on the opening day of the World Health Summit.  

See more information here  

Monday 13 October | 17:00 - 19:00 CEST 

WHS side event: Supporting healthy aging to unlock the longevity economy in Germany and beyond 

Event hosted by the British Embassy and the International Longevity Centre UK. 

Invitation only
 

Tuesday 14 October | 11:00 - 12:30 CEST 

WHS workshop: Shaping the future of UNAIDS in the context of UN80 

As the global health financing environment becomes increasingly constrained, UNAIDS has undertaken a strategic realignment to better support countries in delivering sustainable, multisectoral HIV responses.  

UNAIDS convened a High-Level Panel Process between November 2024 and April 2025 to envisage a resilient and fit-for-purpose operational model for the Joint Programme.  

This session will explore how the outcomes of the recent High-Level Panel process are being operationalized to strengthen UNAIDS’ country-level impact, with a focus on governance, financing, and integration within the broader UN system. It will also examine what the implications for the global AIDS response may be. 

More information here