People First Charter

People First CharterPeople First CharterPeople First Charter

People First Charter

People First CharterPeople First CharterPeople First Charter
  • Home
  • Recommended terminology

People First Charter

People First Charter People First Charter People First Charter

People First Charter

People First Charter People First Charter People First Charter

Our Mission

Why?

What will we do?

What will we do?

The People First Charter was launched on 20th July 2021, during the Berlin IAS Conference, to promote person first language in the field of HIV. 


Language matters. People living with HIV experience stigma & discrimination. The wrong language perpetuates stigma & marginalises people.


As the World Health Organisation states:

 "Positive, inclusive language creates new opportunities for advancement and collaboration, instead of exclusively focusing on ending existing problems".


Let's ensure our language matches our goals: to ensure all people living with HIV are supported to enjoy the highest attainable standards of health, as is their fundamental human right.  



Learn more

What will we do?

What will we do?

What will we do?

 We aim to ensure all policy makers, researchers, conferences, journals, clinicians & allied care providers follow our clear  terminology guidelines & other examples of best practice through:
 

  1. Continuously updating our terminology guidance 
  2. Calling for all materials related to HIV to use people first terminology 
  3. Asking reviewers of scientific abstracts & papers to ensure appropriate terminology is used 
  4. Seeking Charter endorsement from individuals & organisations involved in HIV research & care 


 Further ahead we hope to collaborate other organisations outside the HIV field  to promote People First language throughout health care, science, & beyond! 

Learn more

What can you do?

What will we do?

What can you do?

 Ultimately we hope all communities will use person first language, but first we must embed consistent use of appropriate terminology within our own sector. First our own field...then the world! 


Sign up to learn more about how to commit to the People First Charter when it launches & help us ensure promote the use of the right words in the right way.


If you hear or see language that is not people first, please encourage the use of People First terminology. Please correct people kindly & gently. We ALL get it wrong sometimes and it takes TIME to embed change.

Learn more

What is people first language?

People are people, not conditions. We should avoid terms like 'HIV-infected' and use 'people living with HIV', use 'person with diabetes, not 'a diabetic'.


The field of HIV is also rife with terms associated with stigma & blame: 'patients failing treatment', 'became infected' and 'serodiscordant' are examples.

Find out more

Endorsing organisations

HIV Medicine

International Journal of STD & AIDS

British HIV Association

Journal of the British HIV Association & European AIDS Clinical Society 

British HIV Association

International Journal of STD & AIDS

British HIV Association

Leading UK association representing HIV care professionals www.bhiva.org

International Journal of STD & AIDS

International Journal of STD & AIDS

International Journal of STD & AIDS

Journal of the British Association of Sexual Health & HIV https://journals.sagepub.com/home/std 

European AIDS Clinical Society

International Journal of STD & AIDS

International Journal of STD & AIDS

Pan-European specialist organisation with the aim of reducing HIV disease burden across Europe

Terminology guidance in English

Download PDF

Terminology guidance translated

ARABIC People First Charter 19042022 (pdf)Download

Contact Us

Drop us a line!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

info@peoplefirstcharter.org

Copyright © 2022 People First Charter - All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy

Powered by GoDaddy

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

DeclineAccept