COMPASS 1.0 was established at a time when significant investments were being made in the HIV response across Eastern and Southern Africa, yet many of the communities most affected by HIV remained largely excluded from shaping the policies, programs, and resource allocation decisions that affected their lives. While governments and development partners continued to expand HIV services, gaps persisted in service delivery, accountability, access to prevention and treatment, and the integration of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Civil society organizations played an important advocacy role, but their efforts were often fragmented and lacked the coordinated platforms, evidence, and influence needed to effectively drive systemic change.

Against this backdrop, COMPASS 1.0 brought together community advocates, civil society organizations, and global partners to strengthen evidence-based advocacy and amplify community voices in decision-making processes. The initiative was designed to ensure that HIV responses were informed by the needs and experiences of people living with HIV, adolescent girls and young women, key populations, and other underserved groups. Implemented during a period of evolving HIV priorities and later challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, COMPASS provided a platform for communities to hold governments and donors accountable, promote people-centred health services, and ensure that the needs of vulnerable populations were reflected in national and global HIV responses. Through coalition building, strategic advocacy, data-driven engagement, and accountability mechanisms, COMPASS supported efforts to influence national policies, improve service delivery, strengthen health systems, and increase community participation in HIV-related planning and investment processes. In doing so, it helped create a stronger, more coordinated civil society movement capable of advancing a more inclusive and effective HIV response.