Social Justice as Public Health
A conversation with UNAID Executive Director Winnie ByanyimaThe global fight against HIV/AIDS changed the world, not just by saving lives, but by advancing human rights. It taught us that we can’t meet public health goals without protecting marginalized and vulnerable people. In the case of HIV/AIDS, this meant reaching LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, and those least able to access treatment and therapeutics.The results were historic and arguably one of the greatest public health achievements in modern history. Hard-won gains built out a human rights infrastructure that served well into the future. It has not only guided many rights-based sexual and