Editorial: The political economy of HIV

Given all the positivity and self-congratulation over HIV in the international policy world, it might be hard to remember how many lives have been destroyed and continue to be devastated by this illness. Looking to UNAIDS headlines, we hear of plans for an ‘AIDS-free generation in Africa’, ‘ending the epidemic by 2030’ and ‘eliminating stigma and discrimination’. In this case, the boldness of the goals is partly driven by what Michel Sidibe´, Executive Director of UNAIDS, called ‘game-changers’ in his World AIDS Day message in 2011. Biomedical revolutions seem to have radically altered the environment for HIV transmission: antiretrovirals (ARVs) and drugs to reduce mother-to-child trans- mission promise to cut HIV transmission rates, as does male medical circumcision.