Supreme governing body of the World Health Organization, the World Health Assembly, durig its summit in 1995, declared its support for the statement adopted during the 1994 Paris AIDS summit.

The Declaration of Commitment that came out of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) in June 2001, set timelines for States to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including establishing laws and regulations to end HIV/AIDS-related discrimination, establishing and strengthening mechanisms that involve people living with HIV/AIDS in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and progressing in implementing comprehensive care strategies to provide and monitor treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS.

In 1983, at a health conference in Denver, Colorado, United States, a group of HIV/AIDS activists publicly articulated for the first time the needs and values of people living with HIV/AIDS. What is now referred to as The Denver Principles called for an end to discrimination against and for respect of the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. This Conference is often considered to mark the beginning of the PLWHA movement.