Statement from Dr. Chelsea Gabel and Dr. Charu Kaushic on World AIDS Day and Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week

December 1 is World AIDS Day^{Footnote 1}, and December 1 to 7 marks Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week^{Footnote 2}. At CIHR, this is a time to reflect on the ongoing impacts of HIV/AIDS in Canada and globally, and to recognize the leadership of the communities driving the response.

This year’s World AIDS Day theme, “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” highlights the resilience of communities advancing HIV efforts. In alignment with Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week, we recognize the important initiatives underway to address HIV/AIDS in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across the country, as Indigenous Peoples continue to face disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS due to the lasting impacts of colonization and systemic inequities.

Through the HIV/AIDS and STBBI Research Initiative^{Footnote 3}, CIHR invests $21 million annually to fund research on topics ranging from HIV prevention and testing to treatment and ongoing care. Community-based research is a priority. We remain committed to supporting research that responds to Indigenous-determined priorities and is meaningful to the communities most affected. Such approaches draw on traditional knowledge, community engagement, and holistic models of care to reduce stigma, provide support, and strengthen prevention.

This funding led to the development of Indigenous-led research centres working to improve sexual health and well-being by using Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous community-based approaches to address HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, such as the Waniska Indigenous Centre^{Footnote 4} at the University of Saskatchewan and the Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research^{Footnote 5} at McMaster University. Funding has also led to the CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research^{Footnote 6}, a network that prioritizes community-centred approaches when undertaking clinical trials to find new ways of preventing, treating and managing HIV and STBBIs. These examples highlight just a portion of the projects and initiatives CIHR has invested in to tackle HIV/AIDS.

As we mark World AIDS Day and Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week 2025, we reaffirm our commitment to research that aligns with Indigenous priorities and honour the leadership, knowledge, and resilience of the communities advancing this work.

In unity,

Dr. Chelsea Gabel,
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH)

Dr. Charu Kaushic,
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III)

Date modified:

2025-11-28