Experiences of HIV among global Indigenous populations through the lens of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Elsevier, The Lancet HIV, 2023, ISSN 2352-3018, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(23)00106-6.
Authors: 
Eryn Braley, Jorden Hendry, McKenzie Braley, Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews, Shannon Waters, Wenecwtsin Christian, Patricia Spittal, Lou Demerais, Sherri Pooyak, Danièle Behn Smith, Kate Jongbloed

Since its introduction in 2007, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has been adopted by 144 countries worldwide. In a ten-point statement released in 2017, Indigenous leaders in the HIV and AIDS community established a list of truths and actions to be used for advocacy to end AIDS among Indigenous Peoples through self-determination, justice, and human rights. 15 years after the UNDRIP and 5 years after the 10-point statement, this Review asks where we are in terms of upholding the UNDRIP and the International Indigenous HIV and AIDS Community statement in relation to HIV and AIDS, and what is needed to better uphold and respond to these directives. HIV in Indigenous populations continues to intersect with multiple forms of oppression, racism, and discrimination, which are yet to be eliminated from laws, policies, and practices. Eradicating white supremacy and Indigenous-specific racism across all health systems is a bare minimum requirement to uphold Indigenous rights within health care, and must be accompanied by support for Indigenous, self-determined, culturally tailored, and community-specific health and wellness services.