The International AIDS Society (IAS), amfAR and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation have announced that the Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award will be presented to a Kenyan lawyer, Allan Achesa Maleche, for his role in advancing human rights in the field of HIV and AIDS.
Maleche will receive the award at the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
He becomes the third winner of the award, which was launched in 2012.
The first winners of the award were Iranian physicians Arash and Kamiar Alaei in 2012, then Ugandan Physician and gay rights activist Paul Semugoma in 2014.
Ahead of the award ceremony, IAS has hailed Maleche for his role in protecting the human rights of those affected by HIV and TB.
“As a tireless crusader for the rights of people living with and affected by HIV and TB, Allan has achieved legal victories that have not only protected individuals. They have also led to smarter, more effective policies that reject stigma and discrimination and advance more humane and effective approaches to ending the twin epidemics of HIV and TB.”
Maleche said the award will inspire him to continue fighting for the rights of those affected by HIV and TB.
“This award recognizes how critical rights-based approaches are to the HIV and TB responses. It is a wonderful honour that will inspire me and my colleagues in our continued work to protect the human rights of everyone affected by these epidemics,” he said
