What We Learned: Our Attendance at AIDS2024

AIDS2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, took place in Munich, Germany, July 22-26. Nearly 15,000 people gathered in person and online to put people first in HIV prevention, care, and treatment. The vital role of mental health in HIV prevention, care, and treatment emerged as an important theme in this year’s conference. 

StrongMinds, which has treated over 28,000 people at risk of or living with HIV for depression through our partnerships with organizations implementing HIV prevention, treatment, and care, was at the conference to highlight the role our effective, community-based, and culturally adaptable depression treatment model can play in integrating mental health into HIV programs. StrongMinds’ Advocacy Director, Liz Bayer, shared StrongMinds’ model and lessons learned from treating over 662,000 people in Africa for depression, as a panelist in the donor roundtable session, “Investing in minds transforms lives: A call for increased donor investment in mental health for HIV and TB” with 170 people in attendance. 

Our friends at United for Global Mental Health hosted a Mental Health Networking Zone at the AIDS2024 Global Village, giving StrongMinds a chance to connect with other individuals and organizations committed to integrating mental health in HIV programming. We heard over and over again that mental health plays a vital role in preventing new HIV infections and improving adherence to HIV treatment. People living with HIV or at risk of new HIV infection have a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. Over the course of the week, the message from researchers, advocates, and implementers around the world was clear: no health without mental health!