Key considerations include:

• Ensuring consent. Consent is giving verbal permission or agreement to test for HIV. Mandatory or coercive testing is never warranted. All individuals should have an opportunity to refuse testing, and policies should protect those who opt out of testing. Testing should not be a condition for obtaining other benefits and refusing testing should not be a reason for withholding other benefits (5, 9, 13).
• Protecting confidentiality. Lack of confidentiality discourages people from testing for HIV (5). Programmes and facilities where HTS are delivered need site-level policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that protect clients’ privacy and confidentiality. Safety and security policies are also required where HTS services are offered and delivered virtually, using digital technology, phone devices, telehealth and other virtual interventions. Within a facility, all staff members have a role in providing a safe, friendly and welcoming environment. Provider training to reduce stigma and discrimination at service delivery can be helpful. To prevent violence, training and educating law enforcement agents can also be effective (7, 14). Additional provider training on identifying intimate partner violence or abuse, as well as and how to provide effective referrals for available services, should also be considered (7).
• Empowering communities. Empowerment is a critical enabler for improving access to HTS among vulnerable communities, including key populations. Many different actions can support community empowerment, such as meaningful participation of people from key populations in designing and delivering services, peer education activities, legal literacy and services programmes and fostering key population-led groups, programmes and service delivery