Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on HIV, Hepatitis and STIs

Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections

The WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (STAG-HHS) previously known as Technical Advisory Committee (STAC-HHS), comprises expert individuals from all WHO regions and key stakeholder groups, as appointed by the WHO Director-General.

Mission

The mission of the STAG-HHS is to contribute to the global response towards elimination of HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs as public health threats, by providing state-of-the art scientific, strategic and technical advice to WHO.

Goal

The goal of the STAG-HHS is to provide the WHO Director-General with independent strategic and technical advice on WHO’s programme of work to scale up and maximize the impact of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for HIV, viral hepatitis and other STIs.

The STAG-HHS is convened annually to help WHO effectively guide the global response towards ending AIDS and the epidemics of viral hepatitis and STIs by 2030 in line with the global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs (GHSS) for the period 2022-2030. The STAG-HHS will act as an advisory body to WHO in this field.

The current STAG-HHS has met predominantly to advise WHO on the implementation of the GHSS 2022–2030, noted with appreciation by the Seventy-Fifth World Health Assembly in May 2022 (resolution WHA75.20)

The STAG-HHS will meet from 20–22 November 2024 virtually, to reflect on challenges and threats in the global responses to HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections. It is expected that the STAG-HHS will provide advice on how to address WHO’s work through common approaches and in line with WHO’s new priorities under the 14th General Programme of Work.

Terms of reference (pdf, 125 KB)

More details of the recommendations and outcomes of the discussions during the meetings can be accessed below under the section "Meeting documents".

Background

Prior to the 2016–2021 strategies, WHO convened separate STACs for HIV and viral hepatitis.

In October 2020 STAC-HHS, with the support of STI experts, made the following general comments and recommendations to respond to the major challenges and unfinished business in the 3 responses, and for a renewed focus on prevention, especially primary prevention. More details of the meeting and complete group of recommendations can be accessed below under the section "Meeting documents".

In September 2021, the STAC-HHS, made several cross-cutting recommendations regarding the draft global health sector strategies for 2022–2030. Furthermore, the STAC-HHS also made a series of more specific observations and recommendations that apply across the three epidemics. These recommendations are grouped thematically in the following areas:

Integration, synergy and disease-specific actions
Responding to COVID-19, funding and political contexts
Accountability, monitoring and indicators
Community involvement and people-centred approaches
Proposed additions, changes and stronger emphasis

In November 2023, the STAG-HHS, previously known as STAC-HHS provided inputs into the first formal review of the implementation of the Global Health Sector Strategies for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for 2022-2030 (GHSS), ahead of the World Health Assembly in 2024.

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