Issue VI IN THIS ISSUE From the Executive
CONTACT US Executive Office MSMGF Administrative Office MSMGF To contact the Secretariat, you may send an email directly to
GLOBAL FORUM on MSM & HIV |
Saturday’s gathering happened at an especially important moment in our work. Men who have sex with men and transgender people continue to shoulder a disproportionate disease burden when it comes to the HIV epidemic in all regions of the world. Prevalence among MSM is higher than that of the general population in nearly every country that reliably collects and truthfully reports HIV and AIDS surveillance data. This is a trend that is true in Thailand, India, Peru, Columbia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Ukraine to name just a few countries. On average, MSM are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population in low- and middle-income countries. And in resource rich countries, MSM are up to 40 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, as is the case in the United States. The Be Heard MSM pre-conference had an opening session in the morning and closing plenary in the afternoon that included an impressive line-up of speakers that encouraged participants to continue advocating and working on behalf of MSM around the world. The speakers addressed many issues salient to MSM, HIV and human rights, from research focused on MSM to repealing sodomy laws that impede HIV work with MSM. Amongst the plenary speakers, the audience heard from Michel D. Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Manuela Monteiro, Executive Director of Hivos, the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation; Chris Beyrer, Professor and Director, Johns Hopkins Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Program; Joel Gustave Nana, the Executive Director of the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR), an African coalition of LGBT/MSM; Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Christoforos Mallouris, Director of Programs at the Global Network for People Living with HIV (GNP+); Stephen Lewis, Co-Director of AIDS-Free World and Professor in Global Health at McMaster University; Pablo Britez, Executive Director at Sociedad de Integración Gay Lésbica Argentina (SIGLA), an organization fighting against the AIDS epidemic since 1992; and Dr. Robert Carr, the co-founder of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition and Policy and Advocacy Director at the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO). During his speech, UNAIDS Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidibé said: “The human rights of men who have sex with men and other sexual minorities must be fully protected and respected if universal access to HIV services is to be achieved. All people should have equal access HIV prevention, treatment and care services in their countries regardless of sexual orientation.”
Dr. Carr gave a stirring talk that pressed upon advocates, in no uncertain terms to no longer put up with political wavering and inaction on the part of global institutions in response to HIV and human rights among MSM and transgender people. He laid out four points during the closing plenary, which focused on activism and strategies moving forward: 1) HIV programs for MSM must target social inclusion and focus on key institutions like the media, policy and justice officials; 2) Activist must address harmful church and nation discourse that purports homosexuality to be a western intervention, equates religious purity with national purity, and conflates homophobia with nation building; 3) Civil society needs to be independently funded to carry forward HIV and human rights-related work; and 4) The United Nations has an obligation to support democratic processes, dialogue, broker accountability, and good governance.
There were a total of 26 breakouts session where panelists and participants shared their experiences and knowledge. These sessions covered a wide range of topics salient to MSM, including sessions focused on young MSM and their role in the fight against HIV; fund raising strategies for CBOs; LBGT rights; and MSM participating in research. Also included this year was a session focused on transgender issues led by JoAnne G. Keatley, Director, Center of Excellence for Transgender HIV Prevention, University of California San Francisco, USA. The panel titled HIV and AIDS among Transgender Populations: Global Challenges and Strategies for Effective Intervention Development, provided an international, multidimensional review of HIV risk and social and cultural issues among transgender people. Jim Pickett led the panel Condoms Aren’t Enough! Will Pills and Lubes Define the Future Of Sex? An Overview of New HIV Prevention Tools in Development, which focused on ARV-based strategies and their impact of the future of HIV prevention. Among the panelist for this session were, Dr. Jorge Saavedra, Patrick Wilson, Ian McGowan, Roger Tatoud, Jorge Sánchez and Gaudensia Mutua. A full-day long session pilot tested MSMGF's new advocacy tool kit, led by MSMGF Policy Associate Krista Lauer and Consultant Jonathan Ripley. The session titled Advocacy for MSM and HIV Activists: Skills-building Training of Trainers was designed to guide participants through the use of a newly MSMGF-developed Advocacy Toolkit specifically designed to focus on MSM and HIV issues. Key areas addressed include: identifying local priority advocacy issues; introduction to international human rights instruments; designing an advocacy campaign; self-care for working in hostile contexts; and skills building on addressing specific issue areas including investment, research, HIV services, stigma and discrimination, civil society and networks. Nearly 500 individuals from over 90 countries registered to attend this year’s MSM Pre-Conference. An extensive scholarship program enabled a large number of participants to attend from low- and middle-income countries. Nearly half of those attending the pre-conference came from the global south. The MSMGF organized the MSM Networking Zone in the Global Village at the 2010 IAC in Vienna. Entitled, Be Heard! A Space for MSM to Network and Connect, the space was opened on the afternoon of Sunday, July 18th, and showcased a range of MSM-related activities through Thursday, 22 July. The MSM Networking Zone offered presentations, art exhibits, workshops, innovative HIV prevention materials and opportunities to meet other MSM and advocates from around the world. Each day the networking zone featured one morning session and two afternoon sessions. On Tuesday, July 20th transgender leaders from around the world had a morning session to strategize for the inclusion of transgender people in future IAC. The networking zone was also utilized by young MSM to strategize and network; by the Desmond Tutu Foundation of South Africa to present their work and other activists and MSM used the space to meet, network and share their experiences.
Read some of the press coverage the Be Heard MSM pre-conference received during the week: Global Health Leaders Speak Out on the Interconnected Crises of HIV and Discrimination Among Gay Men at AIDS 2010 Be Heard! Gay Men and Other MSM in the HIV Pandemic Global leaders call for end to homophobia and human rights abuses
|
The Global Forum on MSM and HIV held its fourth consecutive Pre-Conference event focused on MSM and HIV, on Saturday, July 17th at the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. Entitled, Be Heard, the event drew 500 advocates, researchers, donors, government officials, and providers from more than 90 countries. Over 100 of the world’s leading experts on the health and human rights of MSM and transgender people served as presenters and conveners. The MSM pre-conference was followed by an evening networking reception hosted by the Office of the Mayor of Vienna.
MSMGF Co-Chairs Othman Mellouk and Robert Carr (Photo: Joshua Nantais)
Session at the MSM Networking zone (Photo: Omar Baños)