HIV prevention works best when communities are active partners, not passive recipients. Across the globe, programmes that engage, empower, and listen to communities see better reach, higher uptake of services, and more meaningful impact.

But how can communities be supported to take a leadership role? How can demand for prevention services like HIV testing, pre-exposure prevention, or condoms be generated effectively? How can policies and funding decisions be influenced, and accountability strengthened?

This is the focus of the Community, Advocacy, and Communications stream. It’s about co-design, co-delivery, and institutionalising community voice so that HIV prevention is equitable, rights-based, and truly effective. Communities don’t just participate — they drive change, from shaping interventions to holding systems accountable.

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Turning Community Power into Action

Countries are finding practical ways to put community leadership at the center of HIV prevention. For example, peer networks have co-created outreach that increase uptake among young people and key populations. Community-led advocacy campaigns have influenced local policies and funding decisions, ensuring that programmes are responsive to real needs.

Demand generation is another area where community expertise matters. Programmes that involve community leaders in designing communication strategies see higher engagement and better adherence to prevention methods. One country shared how community-led monitoring helped identify gaps in service delivery and adapt interventions in real time, demonstrating that empowered communities can make HIV programmes more responsive and accountable.

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Tools and Resources for Community Leadership

The South to South HIV Prevention Learning Network supports countries to translate community power into measurable outcomes. Through peer exchanges and country workshops, teams share lessons and explore new approaches. i2i (the evidence to action arm of the SSLN) has also developed practical, user-friendly tools to support countries to engage communities more meaningfully, strengthen advocacy efforts, and create an enabling environment for equitable and effective HIV prevention, including:   

• For reducing stigma experienced by men who have sex with men we have three related resources, including an interactive digital tool, a short video and a comic strip.
• Summary brief and learning video on interventions to engage men and boys as clients, partners and agents for change to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• Evidence review to understand the role of stigma in PrEP uptake and continuation among adolescent girls and young women. This will help you identify and design strategies that address stigma-related barriers, particularly as some countries start to roll-out PrEP products.
• Evidence summary on reaching and providing HIV prevention programming for young women who sell sex (YWSS) outlines strategies to identify, reach, and retain YWSS in HIV prevention services.
• Webinar and presentation showcasing best practices for preventing and responding to sexual violence. 

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Why Community Leadership Matters

Strong community engagement strengthens all parts of the HIV prevention framework. It ensures that interventions are inclusive, responsive, and rights-based. Communities help prioritise services, guide delivery approaches, influence policy, and monitor outcomes — creating a feedback loop that improves effectiveness and equity.

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Actionable Steps for Country Teams

• Involve communities as co-leaders in programme planning and design.
• Co-create communication strategies to generate demand for HIV prevention services.
• Support community-led advocacy to influence policies, funding, and legal environments.
• Institutionalise community-powered monitoring and learning to adapt programs quickly.
• Leverage guidance documents, workshops, and digital tools to strengthen engagement.
• Complete the relevant tab of the Pan-PSAT to identify prevention strengths and gaps in community, advocacy, and communications. 

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Takeaway: When communities lead, HIV prevention programmes become more effective, equitable, and sustainable. Putting people at the center — listening, empowering, and acting with them — ensures that no one is left behind.

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