Democratic Republic of Congo

Key Results

Developed a new National Strategic Plan for 2023-2027.
The country joined the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children, and the Joint Team supported development of a national acceleration plan for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission and acceleration of paediatric HIV response (2023-2027).
Scaled up services for people living with HIV, key populations and people in humanitarian settings, including HIV and gender-based violence services and nutritional support.
Accelerated initiatives to prevent and address stigma and discrimination, including with the development of a five-year plan to remove human-rights barriers to HIV services.
Strategic HIV data and information generated and disseminated for improved decision-making.

Joint Programme Results

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Joint Team supported the Government’s efforts to expand HIV services and protection for people living with HIV, vulnerable and key populations despite the humanitarian situation in several regions. The country developed a new National HIV Strategy, joined the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children and finalized a national acceleration plan for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (2023-2027) to fulfil this commitment (UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). During the Third National HIV Conference, political leaders and development partners held discussions on current research, progress, gaps and strategic opportunities in the HIV response, and the Joint Team supported negotiation of the Kolwezi Declaration on Paediatric HIV and EMTCT in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to accelerate decentralization of the Global Paediatric HIV Alliance goals.

The All In and adolescent HIV prevention programmes were implemented in 14 provinces in partnership with youth networks and civil society and 4941 adolescents in Central Kasai and Maniema improved their knowledge of HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services (UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS Secretariat). More than 211 746 people, including internally displaced persons, refugees and people from host communities improved their knowledge of HIV prevention, testing, treatment and sexual and reproductive health services via community sensitization sessions (UNHCR) and received nutritional support to ensure their overall wellbeing and health outcomes (WFP).

The national sexually transmitted infections (STIs) treatment guidelines were revised to ensure equitable and human-centred service provision (WHO). In Kalemie and Kinshasa, 368 female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender people accessed STI treatment services in three client-friendly health centres. In Bukavu, Kalemie, Kikwit and Kinshasa, 19 000 people from key populations, including female sex workers and fishermen were tested for HIV (UNDP).

Under the Global Fund Breaking Down Barriers initiative, the Democratic Republic of the Congo adopted a five-year plan to implement and scale up programmes that remove human rights-related barriers to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria services (UNAIDS Secretariat). A total of 1320 community and political leaders and legal experts improved their knowledge of stigma, discrimination and human right violations against people living with HIV and key populations through the Education Saves Lives campaign. In addition, a girls’ education programme was launched in Kasai province and 120 teachers were trained on integrating HIV, sexual and reproductive health, disability, gender and human rights aspects into the curriculum (UNESCO).

Source: Global AIDS Monitoring

AIDS mortality

Source: Global AIDS Monitoring

Progress towards 95-95-95 targets

Source: Global AIDS Monitoring

The Alliance Nationale des Organisations de la société civile engagées dans la Riposte au Sida (ANORS), a national coordination and partnership platform for civil society was established with support from the Joint Team, PEPFAR and the Global Fund to improve joint planning, community-led monitoring and evaluation of programme support, resource mobilization and accountability, partnership, advocacy and reporting by civil society across the country.

In Kasai Central and Tanganyika, 194 people living with or affected by HIV and people who experienced stigma due to their sexual orientation received training and financial support to establish income generating activities, such as soap factory and corn mill. Additionally, 837 people living with HIV and who experienced stigma, discrimination, and sexual violence accessed psychological and legal support from eight legal clinics supported by the Joint Team (UNDP).

HIV services in humanitarian settings improved thanks to a rapid HIV assessment among internally displaced people, implementation of community HIV prevention, testing, follow-up and referral services as well as training of representatives of United Nations agencies and development partners on integration of HIV in humanitarian response (UNHCR, UNAIDS Secretariat, UNOCHA). A total of 2538 survivors of sexual violence received 508 tons of food items (WFP) and 7572 people in humanitarian zones benefited from the Minimum Emergency Package comprising HIV and gender-based violence services (UNFPA). Six thousand malnourished people living with HIV from 25 health facilities in Kananga and Mbujimayi received nutritional support; and medical equipment, including anthropometric kits and electronic scales were donated to the health facilities improving the overall health outcomes of people living with HIV in humanitarian settings (WFP).