A pioneering voice in national and international activism, Jorge Beloqui has always been dedicated his life to the continuous defense of the rights of people living with HIV and to the combat against stigma and discrimination in Brazil.   He advocated for unrestricted access to scientific advances in prevention and treatment. His generosity in sharing scientific knowledge and access to new scientific findings in a sensitive way to the community will  always be remembered. He was one of the most important activist/leadership in maintaining the Brazilian response to HIV/AIDS.

Beloqui, who was born in Argentina, was a Senior Professor at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of São Paulo (IME/USP) and he was a researcher at Nepaids (Núcleo de Estudos para a Prevenção da Aids). He was one of the founders of the NGO Pela Vidda and the Movimento Paulistano de Luta Contra Aids (Mopaids), in São Paulo. He was also a member of the Board of Curators of the Associação Brasileira Interdisciplinar de Aids (ABIA) and director of the Grupo Incentivo a vida (GIV). He served on several committees and working groups nationally and internationally. His many contributions include the advocacy for the HIV vaccine and participation in the Working Group of Intellectual Property (GTPI), which he has been involved since its foundation in 2003. Beloqui was part of the editorial board of the  Anti HIV Vaccine Bulletin. He was a member of the National Research Ethics Committee (CONEP, acronym in Portuguese), as well as of the intersectoral committees on Pharmaceutical Assistance (CICTAF, acronym in Portuguese) and on Health Care for People with Pathologies (CIASPP, acronym in portuguese). Undoubtedly, he was an important leadership and founder of community activism in the fight against AIDS. He was a community voice of constant commitment to ensure equity of access and overcoming inequities. Recently, he served by the NIH-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) Panel of Latin America Scientific Experts to help the Network prepare to initiate an experimental COVID-19 vaccine in the Latin America region. His legacy will always be evoked. 

*Luciana Kamel is a Community Engagement Project Manager with the HVTN.