Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) joined regional partners in a high-level webinar recently, on expanding access to HIV testing across Latin America and the Caribbean, underscoring that accelerating diagnosis is critical to ending the epidemic by 2030. The event, convened by PAHO, El Grupo de Cooperación Técnica Horizontal (GCTH) and UNAIDS as part of the Alliance for the Elimination of HIV in the Americas focused on practical strategies to move beyond current bottlenecks in testing access.
The webinar, held on May 15, 2026, highlighted that despite advances in treatment and prevention, late HIV diagnosis remains a major challenge, limiting health outcomes and sustaining transmission. Participants emphasized the need to transition from passive, facility-based testing models to proactive, decentralized, and people-centered approaches, including self-testing and integration with broader health services
Delivering CVC’s intervention, Executive Director Ivan Cruickshank stressed that the region’s challenge is not a lack of tests, but the failure to reach those most in need. He identified stigma and discrimination as the most significant barriers, compounded by punitive laws, age-of-consent restrictions, and policy gaps that continue to suppress demand for testing.
Cruickshank also pointed to systemic issues, including limited scale-up of HIV self-testing, absence of standardized opt-out testing policies, and under-resourced, centralized health systems that prioritize provider convenience over client access.
Highlighting solutions, he called for urgent reforms to enable community-led testing, expand self-testing, and integrate HIV services across primary healthcare, sexual and reproductive health, and other sectors. He further emphasized the importance of flexible, client-centered approaches to pre-test counselling to reduce barriers and improve uptake.
“Expanding HIV testing is not just a technical issue—it is a question of equity, access, and rights,” Cruickshank noted, urging governments and partners to remove policy barriers, invest in community systems, and adopt people-centered models that can reach those most affected.
The webinar reinforced that the region already has the evidence and tools needed—what remains is decisive action to scale them equitably and sustainably.
