GIPA/MEPA stands for Greater Involvement of People Living with AIDS and Meaningful Engagement of People Living with AIDS. These concepts have evolved over decades of the HIV response, starting in June 1983 at the 5th Annual National Lesbian and Gay Health Conference. While what we now know as HIV had been impacting communities for decades globally, 1983 marked the beginning of HIV-specific organizing in the United States and Canada.
During this conference, a group of men with AIDS created The Denver Principles, focusing on rights and responsibilities of both people with AIDS and care providers. These principles focus on countering HIV stigma, being involved in the response, and having the expertise of living with HIV recognized alongside other forms of knowledge.
The Denver Principles formed the basis of what we now know as GIPA/MEPA, which was formalized in 1994 during the Paris AIDS Summit. At the time, 42 countries committed to involving people living with HIV/AIDS in the response.
Learn more
