A new analysis warns that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains one of the only regions globally where HIV incidence continues to rise, with experts calling for urgent action to address stigma, discrimination, and barriers to care for LGBTQIA+ communities.
HIV Incidence Continues to Climb
The report found that HIV incidence across the region increased by 116% between 2010 and 2023, reaching approximately 23,000 new infections annually. Although overall prevalence remains comparatively low, epidemics are increasingly concentrated among key populations, particularly men who have sex with men.
Researchers argue that the region is now at a critical prevention window, where stronger access to confidential testing, prevention, and treatment services could still prevent a more deeply entrenched epidemic.
Stigma and Criminalisation Remain Major Barriers
The analysis highlights how legal restrictions, discrimination, and fear of exposure continue to deter many people from seeking HIV care. In several countries, laws criminalising same-sex relationships, gender expression, or online activity linked to LGBTQIA+ identities create additional barriers to healthcare access.
The authors note that stigma extends beyond legislation, affecting experiences within healthcare systems, families, and wider communities. Fear of arrest, discrimination, or social exclusion can prevent individuals from accessing testing, disclosing risk factors, or remaining in care.
Conflict Further Disrupts HIV Care
Ongoing conflicts across countries including Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon, and فلسطين/Israel have compounded the crisis by damaging healthcare infrastructure and disrupting treatment continuity. Displacement, poverty, and legal instability have also increased vulnerability among LGBTQIA+ individuals and people living with HIV.
The report stresses that humanitarian responses must include confidential HIV services and safe referral pathways for vulnerable populations.
Signs of Progress Emerging
Despite these challenges, the authors highlight encouraging developments across the region. Countries including Morocco and Lebanon have expanded HIV prevention programmes, while PrEP implementation has begun in several nations including Morocco, Kuwait, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.
Community-led organisations are also playing an increasingly important role in providing confidential testing, counselling, and outreach services tailored to LGBTQIA+ communities.
Building a Safer HIV Response
The report concludes that ending HIV transmission in the MENA region will require more than biomedical interventions alone. Expanding access to prevention tools, strengthening community-led networks, addressing stigma, and supporting trauma-informed care are all viewed as essential components of an effective long-term response.
