Putting People First 

The United Nations says the world could end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, but what does that mean? And with less than six years to go, how attainable is this target? In this episode, host Henry Bonsu is joined by Anwar Ogrm, a grassroots trans activist who is the movement-building program lead at Global Action for Trans Equality, and Nneka Nwokolo, the global head of patient engagement at ViiV Healthcare and an honorary consultant physician in HIV and sexual health at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. They discuss how people and communities must be at the heart of public health responses to end infectious disease. Unfortunately, all too often voices go unheard, efforts are inadequately resourced, and there is an imbalance of power fueled by inadequate access to financial and other important resources as well as access to spaces where life-changing decisions are made, including public policy and laws that directly impact people’s lives. But, as this conversation proves, tapping into the knowledge within and between communities is essential for the programs they develop, their advocacy, and the ways they organize, mobilize, and campaign to ensure people and communities are not left behind. Glossary of terms used this season: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/can-we-end-epidemics/