The Partnership to Inspire, Transform and Connect the HIV Response (PITCH) has published its annual report 2018 this week. It shows that through increasingly effective evidence collection, movement building and influencing, in 2018 PITCH became a force to be reckoned with in the drive to end the HIV epidemic.

The third year of PITCH has resulted in some significant achievements. National laws and policies have been changed, upheld or blocked, providing better protection for the rights of the people supported by PITCH. International commitments have been made that support PITCH’s advocacy goals at country-level. More key populations, adolescent girls and young women have access to friendly health services, and PITCH partners representing these groups have successfully claimed a seat at the table in important national decision-making spaces.

Throughout the programme, PITCH partners and advocates have embraced every opportunity to influence key decision-makers in their respective contexts. Thanks to the flexibility of the programme, it has been possible to respond to emerging needs and opportunities along the way.

In addition, AIDS2018 opened many doors for country partners to connect with global- and country-level policy makers. The conference also provided opportunities to develop a range of strategic partnerships, and for closer collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and between country- and global-level partners.

In 2018, several key pieces of research, including the research on universal health coverage (UHC) and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) were developed by PITCH. In October 2018, International Drug Policy Consortium released its flagship publication: Taking Stock: A Decade of Drug Policy – A Civil Society Shadow Report. The shadow report, to which PITCH contributed, demonstrates that the targets of the 2009 Political Declaration on Drugs have been spectacularly missed.

The development of the annual report has been an inclusive process. Different colleagues in the nine PITCH countries have reflected, analysed, and learned from their achievements as part of the programme in 2018. The annual report highlights how challenges that characterised 2018, including the criminalisation of key populations, conservative politics and increasing pressure on available budgets, are likely to persist in 2019. However, the programme is achieving impressive results. We look forward to building on these achievements in 2019 and beyond. Click here to read the PITCH annual report 2018.