People on the move face barriers to achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Well over a quarter of a billion people are on the move worldwide annually, not including the 900 million people who travel each year (World Trade Organization (WTO) estimate). The commitment to universal access made by governments and civil society in 2001 and reaffirmed in 2006 requires that these barriers be recognized and overcome.
In the midst of the current financial and economic crisis there are many uncertainties regarding the direct and indirect consequences of migrant labour supply and demand worldwide. As the crisis unfolds, a two-way increase is expected in the movement of people: overseas migrants returning home after losing their jobs, or those recently laid off at home moving overseas in search of work. As some countries may take increasingly protectionist stances, the options for formal migration will narrow rapidly. Migrants abroad may face increasingly difficult conditions, with fewer employment opportunities, and may encounter greater discrimination and stigmatization. This will lead to more undocumented migrants, unsafe migration and an increased possibility that migrants would find themselves in situations that either put them at risk or make them more vulnerable to HIV infection.