The Global Forum on MSM & HIV: Working worldwide
against HIV for the health and human rights
of men who have sex with men.

Gay and bisexual men have a higher prevalence of childhood sexual abuse than non-gay men. Prior research has shown that childhood sexual abuse is linked to HIV risk among gay men. Notably, gay men with childhood sexual abuse histories derive less benefit from HIV prevention programs. Among gay men, Latino gay men have the highest prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and second highest prevalence of HIV.  In order to create effective HIV prevention programs for Latino gay men with childhood sexual abuse histories, it is essential to better understand how and why CSA and HIV risk are so strongly associated. This talk will present a preliminary population-specific theoretical model of sexual health that begins to uncover how CSA and other individual, sociocultural and environmental factors contribute to sexual health of Latino gay men.

Sonya Arreola, PhD, MPH is a senior research scientist at RTI with 15 years experience in community-based sexual health research. She is currently a co-investigator on an NIAAA funded project that examines the individual, environmental and social determinants of alcohol abuse and sexual health among Latino migrant day laborers. As a clinical psychologist and epidemiologist, Dr. Arreola has a deep appreciation of the interrelationships among the many negative and positive sexual health outcomes as well as the complex determinants of these outcomes, including individual, sociocultural, and environmental factors.
 

A research overview and a personal account from an African MSM
Guest speakers:
*
Dr Stefan Baral, is the leading expert on MSM health and human rights in Africa, Associate Director for the Center for Public Health and Human Rights and a faculty member at JHSPH Department of Epidemiology. Dr. Baral will be giving a research overview of what has happening on the African continent with regards to MSM research.

*Dr. Cheikh Traore, is a Senior Advisor of Sexual Diversity at the United Nations Development Programme. Dr. Traore will speak on both his experience in working with MSM in the African context as well as his own personal experience as a gay man from Senegal.

Lunch will be provided. Co-sponsored by African Public Health Network (APHN), JB Grant Global Health Society, The Health and Human Rights Student Group, and JHSPH Student Assembly
 

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project
 
APPLICATION FORM
 
1. What is your name and city/country of residence?
 
2. What is your organisational affiliation(s)?
 
3. What is the primary focus of your or your organisation's work (e.g. human rights, women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, lgbt, faith-based, labour, youth, etc.)?
 
4. We are seeking funding to enable the Dialogue to take place, as much as possible, in English, French and Spanish. Please indicate whether you will be able to participate in any of these languages. If so, which do you prefer? If not, what other language(s) can you communicate in?
 
5. Why do you wish to participate? What do you feel you would bring to the Dialogue? What do you feel you would get out of it?
 
6. Please briefly indicate your relevant experience in each of the following areas:
 
(a) human rights monitoring, documenting and training;
 
(b) development and implementation of decriminalisation strategies and initiatives;
 
(c) engagement with regional human rights mechanisms.
 
(d) other relevant experience.
 
7. Please describe the ways in which your participation will help ensure a diverse and representative consultation (e.g. are you a member of a racialised/indigenous group, person with a disability, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex person, person living with HIV/AIDS, etc)?
 
8. There will be a registration fee of US$250/€180 to help cover the costs of the Dialogue. Do you require funding assistance to attend? If so, please indicate whether you need support in paying for airfare, accommodation, a registration fee reduction or waiver and/or per diem meal allowance, and briefly explain why you or your organisation need financial support to attend.
 
9. Do you have any special or accessibility needs (e.g. dietary restrictions, wheelchair access, assistance with childcare etc) that you would like us to consider when planning this conference?
 
10. Is there any other information you would like to include?
 
Please apply by November 5 to applications2012@arc-international.net
Partners
 
ARC International
 
Since 2003, ARC International has been advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights at the international level. ARC plays a unique role in facilitating strategic planning around LGBT issues internationally, strengthening global networks, and enhancing access to UN mechanisms. It is the only organization with a full-time presence in Geneva committed to advancing LGBT issues within the UN human rights system, and it has played a key role in the development of the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. ARC has been successful in engaging the support of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ensuring that the records of all UN States on LGBT issues are subjected to international scrutiny, and bringing international support to the work of NGOs in countries around the world. ARC's International Dialogues have brought together activists from around the world to share information, strategies and best practices. These strategic opportunities have been successfully hosted in Brazil, Geneva, South Korea, South Africa and Argentina.
 
United and Strong, Inc.
 
United and Strong Inc. is a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in St. Lucia. Since 2005, United and Strong Inc. has been a member organization of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership - a network of groups focused on LGBT and other marginalized communities in the OECS islands - with the vision of equality and human rights for all, and working to eliminate stigmas and discrimination, reduce inequality, and protect human rights and lives. United and Strong has been involved with a number of outreach and sensitizing programs in Saint Lucia and across the region. In July 2011, United and Strong hosted the first-ever security training for sexuality, human rights and LGBT front-line defenders.
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights is an international research and documentary film project housed at York University (Canada) with 33 community-based and academic partners based in Canada, India, East Africa, Southern Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as international partners who work to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights. Envisioning will research and document laws that criminalize sexual orientation and gender identity, resistance to criminalization, and the implications for human rights policy formation, social services, and immigration and refugee policies. This international, interdisciplinary project incorporates participatory video to capture and contribute to history-in-the-making of distinct but linked struggles at key moments of national and global change. Envisioning is funded by a Community University Research Alliance Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for 2011-2016, and in-kind contributions from partners.

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project
 
APPLICATION FORM
 
1. What is your name and city/country of residence?
 
2. What is your organisational affiliation(s)?
 
3. What is the primary focus of your or your organisation's work (e.g. human rights, women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, lgbt, faith-based, labour, youth, etc.)?
 
4. We are seeking funding to enable the Dialogue to take place, as much as possible, in English, French and Spanish. Please indicate whether you will be able to participate in any of these languages. If so, which do you prefer? If not, what other language(s) can you communicate in?
 
5. Why do you wish to participate? What do you feel you would bring to the Dialogue? What do you feel you would get out of it?
 
6. Please briefly indicate your relevant experience in each of the following areas:
 
(a) human rights monitoring, documenting and training;
 
(b) development and implementation of decriminalisation strategies and initiatives;
 
(c) engagement with regional human rights mechanisms.
 
(d) other relevant experience.
 
7. Please describe the ways in which your participation will help ensure a diverse and representative consultation (e.g. are you a member of a racialised/indigenous group, person with a disability, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex person, person living with HIV/AIDS, etc)?
 
8. There will be a registration fee of US$250/€180 to help cover the costs of the Dialogue. Do you require funding assistance to attend? If so, please indicate whether you need support in paying for airfare, accommodation, a registration fee reduction or waiver and/or per diem meal allowance, and briefly explain why you or your organisation need financial support to attend.
 
9. Do you have any special or accessibility needs (e.g. dietary restrictions, wheelchair access, assistance with childcare etc) that you would like us to consider when planning this conference?
 
10. Is there any other information you would like to include?
 
Please apply by November 5 to applications2012@arc-international.net
Partners
 
ARC International
 
Since 2003, ARC International has been advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights at the international level. ARC plays a unique role in facilitating strategic planning around LGBT issues internationally, strengthening global networks, and enhancing access to UN mechanisms. It is the only organization with a full-time presence in Geneva committed to advancing LGBT issues within the UN human rights system, and it has played a key role in the development of the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. ARC has been successful in engaging the support of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ensuring that the records of all UN States on LGBT issues are subjected to international scrutiny, and bringing international support to the work of NGOs in countries around the world. ARC's International Dialogues have brought together activists from around the world to share information, strategies and best practices. These strategic opportunities have been successfully hosted in Brazil, Geneva, South Korea, South Africa and Argentina.
 
United and Strong, Inc.
 
United and Strong Inc. is a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in St. Lucia. Since 2005, United and Strong Inc. has been a member organization of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership - a network of groups focused on LGBT and other marginalized communities in the OECS islands - with the vision of equality and human rights for all, and working to eliminate stigmas and discrimination, reduce inequality, and protect human rights and lives. United and Strong has been involved with a number of outreach and sensitizing programs in Saint Lucia and across the region. In July 2011, United and Strong hosted the first-ever security training for sexuality, human rights and LGBT front-line defenders.
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights is an international research and documentary film project housed at York University (Canada) with 33 community-based and academic partners based in Canada, India, East Africa, Southern Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as international partners who work to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights. Envisioning will research and document laws that criminalize sexual orientation and gender identity, resistance to criminalization, and the implications for human rights policy formation, social services, and immigration and refugee policies. This international, interdisciplinary project incorporates participatory video to capture and contribute to history-in-the-making of distinct but linked struggles at key moments of national and global change. Envisioning is funded by a Community University Research Alliance Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for 2011-2016, and in-kind contributions from partners.

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project
 
APPLICATION FORM
 
1. What is your name and city/country of residence?
 
2. What is your organisational affiliation(s)?
 
3. What is the primary focus of your or your organisation's work (e.g. human rights, women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, lgbt, faith-based, labour, youth, etc.)?
 
4. We are seeking funding to enable the Dialogue to take place, as much as possible, in English, French and Spanish. Please indicate whether you will be able to participate in any of these languages. If so, which do you prefer? If not, what other language(s) can you communicate in?
 
5. Why do you wish to participate? What do you feel you would bring to the Dialogue? What do you feel you would get out of it?
 
6. Please briefly indicate your relevant experience in each of the following areas:
 
(a) human rights monitoring, documenting and training;
 
(b) development and implementation of decriminalisation strategies and initiatives;
 
(c) engagement with regional human rights mechanisms.
 
(d) other relevant experience.
 
7. Please describe the ways in which your participation will help ensure a diverse and representative consultation (e.g. are you a member of a racialised/indigenous group, person with a disability, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex person, person living with HIV/AIDS, etc)?
 
8. There will be a registration fee of US$250/€180 to help cover the costs of the Dialogue. Do you require funding assistance to attend? If so, please indicate whether you need support in paying for airfare, accommodation, a registration fee reduction or waiver and/or per diem meal allowance, and briefly explain why you or your organisation need financial support to attend.
 
9. Do you have any special or accessibility needs (e.g. dietary restrictions, wheelchair access, assistance with childcare etc) that you would like us to consider when planning this conference?
 
10. Is there any other information you would like to include?
 
Please apply by November 5 to applications2012@arc-international.net
Partners
 
ARC International
 
Since 2003, ARC International has been advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights at the international level. ARC plays a unique role in facilitating strategic planning around LGBT issues internationally, strengthening global networks, and enhancing access to UN mechanisms. It is the only organization with a full-time presence in Geneva committed to advancing LGBT issues within the UN human rights system, and it has played a key role in the development of the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. ARC has been successful in engaging the support of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ensuring that the records of all UN States on LGBT issues are subjected to international scrutiny, and bringing international support to the work of NGOs in countries around the world. ARC's International Dialogues have brought together activists from around the world to share information, strategies and best practices. These strategic opportunities have been successfully hosted in Brazil, Geneva, South Korea, South Africa and Argentina.
 
United and Strong, Inc.
 
United and Strong Inc. is a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in St. Lucia. Since 2005, United and Strong Inc. has been a member organization of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership - a network of groups focused on LGBT and other marginalized communities in the OECS islands - with the vision of equality and human rights for all, and working to eliminate stigmas and discrimination, reduce inequality, and protect human rights and lives. United and Strong has been involved with a number of outreach and sensitizing programs in Saint Lucia and across the region. In July 2011, United and Strong hosted the first-ever security training for sexuality, human rights and LGBT front-line defenders.
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights is an international research and documentary film project housed at York University (Canada) with 33 community-based and academic partners based in Canada, India, East Africa, Southern Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as international partners who work to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights. Envisioning will research and document laws that criminalize sexual orientation and gender identity, resistance to criminalization, and the implications for human rights policy formation, social services, and immigration and refugee policies. This international, interdisciplinary project incorporates participatory video to capture and contribute to history-in-the-making of distinct but linked struggles at key moments of national and global change. Envisioning is funded by a Community University Research Alliance Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for 2011-2016, and in-kind contributions from partners.

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project
 
APPLICATION FORM
 
1. What is your name and city/country of residence?
 
2. What is your organisational affiliation(s)?
 
3. What is the primary focus of your or your organisation's work (e.g. human rights, women's rights, sexual and reproductive rights, lgbt, faith-based, labour, youth, etc.)?
 
4. We are seeking funding to enable the Dialogue to take place, as much as possible, in English, French and Spanish. Please indicate whether you will be able to participate in any of these languages. If so, which do you prefer? If not, what other language(s) can you communicate in?
 
5. Why do you wish to participate? What do you feel you would bring to the Dialogue? What do you feel you would get out of it?
 
6. Please briefly indicate your relevant experience in each of the following areas:
 
(a) human rights monitoring, documenting and training;
 
(b) development and implementation of decriminalisation strategies and initiatives;
 
(c) engagement with regional human rights mechanisms.
 
(d) other relevant experience.
 
7. Please describe the ways in which your participation will help ensure a diverse and representative consultation (e.g. are you a member of a racialised/indigenous group, person with a disability, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex person, person living with HIV/AIDS, etc)?
 
8. There will be a registration fee of US$250/€180 to help cover the costs of the Dialogue. Do you require funding assistance to attend? If so, please indicate whether you need support in paying for airfare, accommodation, a registration fee reduction or waiver and/or per diem meal allowance, and briefly explain why you or your organisation need financial support to attend.
 
9. Do you have any special or accessibility needs (e.g. dietary restrictions, wheelchair access, assistance with childcare etc) that you would like us to consider when planning this conference?
 
10. Is there any other information you would like to include?
 
Please apply by November 5 to applications2012@arc-international.net
Partners
 
ARC International
 
Since 2003, ARC International has been advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights at the international level. ARC plays a unique role in facilitating strategic planning around LGBT issues internationally, strengthening global networks, and enhancing access to UN mechanisms. It is the only organization with a full-time presence in Geneva committed to advancing LGBT issues within the UN human rights system, and it has played a key role in the development of the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. ARC has been successful in engaging the support of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ensuring that the records of all UN States on LGBT issues are subjected to international scrutiny, and bringing international support to the work of NGOs in countries around the world. ARC's International Dialogues have brought together activists from around the world to share information, strategies and best practices. These strategic opportunities have been successfully hosted in Brazil, Geneva, South Korea, South Africa and Argentina.
 
United and Strong, Inc.
 
United and Strong Inc. is a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in St. Lucia. Since 2005, United and Strong Inc. has been a member organization of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Partnership - a network of groups focused on LGBT and other marginalized communities in the OECS islands - with the vision of equality and human rights for all, and working to eliminate stigmas and discrimination, reduce inequality, and protect human rights and lives. United and Strong has been involved with a number of outreach and sensitizing programs in Saint Lucia and across the region. In July 2011, United and Strong hosted the first-ever security training for sexuality, human rights and LGBT front-line defenders.
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights
 
Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights is an international research and documentary film project housed at York University (Canada) with 33 community-based and academic partners based in Canada, India, East Africa, Southern Africa, and the Caribbean, as well as international partners who work to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights. Envisioning will research and document laws that criminalize sexual orientation and gender identity, resistance to criminalization, and the implications for human rights policy formation, social services, and immigration and refugee policies. This international, interdisciplinary project incorporates participatory video to capture and contribute to history-in-the-making of distinct but linked struggles at key moments of national and global change. Envisioning is funded by a Community University Research Alliance Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for 2011-2016, and in-kind contributions from partners.

The Dialogue will take place from February 3rd to 6th 2012 in St. Lucia, and will focus on:
 
1. Enhancing the capacity of groups in the Caribbean to document, report and advocate for LGBT human rights;
2. Sharing and developing strategies about decriminalization globally;
3. Developing strong and mutually-reinforcing linkages between national, regional and international advocacy;
4. Providing an opportunity to enhance the Envisioning project through collaboration with Caribbean partners.
 
Strategic discussions will involve facilitated plenary sessions and small group/caucus sessions, with report-back and feedback opportunities. There will also be opportunities to share best practices and analyse cross-regional applications/limitations.
 
We are very excited about this opportunity to bring together participants from across the Caribbean, and globally, to support and advance LGBT human rights, to strengthen the regional and global movements, and to enhance tools and strategies to combat human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
This year’s Dialogue has a specific focus, and is tailored to the particular strategic needs of certain groups, such as those working on LGBT rights in the Caribbean. Participation will be based on a hybrid of invitation and self-nomination. Whilst we will be welcoming a large proportion of representatives from the Caribbean, a very limited number of places will also be made available for participants from other regions with specific experience in regional human rights mechanisms, decriminalisation initiatives and/or human rights documentation and training. The total number of participants is only 65, with over half being invited from the Caribbean region. Because limited space is available, and there is a need to balance region, gender, experience and other considerations, we expect that it will unfortunately not be possible to accommodate all those wishing to attend.
 
Some funding assistance will be available to support the participation of selected applicants who would otherwise be unable to attend. We are still awaiting a response on some funding applications, and will provide additional details as soon as these are available.
 
Those interested in participating are requested to submit an application (using the form below), no later than November 5th, 2011 to: applications2012@arc-international.net
A selection committee will review all applications received by that date. Please feel free to forward this notice to others who may be interested.
 
Best wishes, and we look forward to hearing from you,
 
Kim Vance & John Fisher, ARC International
Kenita Placide, United and Strong, Inc.
Nancy Nicol, Envisioning Project

Maan AIDS Foundation founded in 2005, is a national non-governmental technical support agency that exists to improve the sexual health, welfare and human rights for males who have sex with males (MSM) and their partners. It works in India to ensure that issues of male sexualities and sexual practices, and the health, welfare and human rights issues that arise from these are appropriately and adequately addressed in the provision of HIV/AIDS and sexual health services.
 
MAAN Technical Assistance Programme provides a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the response to MSM, HIV and sexual health needs through increasing the capacity of MSM community based organisations providing prevention, treatment, care and support services for their peers. As a part of this MAAN provides trainings to various civil society organisations working on MSM & TG population, staff and relevant stakeholders to build their capacity, for which we are looking for consultants who would take up the assignments to strengthen the organisations in India.
 
The objective of the consultancy is to facilitate trainings on various topics identified for the civil society organisations working on MSM & TG communities through equipping them with necessary knowledge  using  participatory methodology, in a  community friendly way. The knowledge on the concepts, issues and methodologies, understanding of MSM & TG communities are basic requirements.
 
The participants for the trainings would be staff, management team, representatives from communities, service providers and other relevant stake holders from organisations/agencies engaged in delivering MSM & TG related prevention, treatment, care and support programmes in India.
 
 The scope of work:
 
• To conduct trainings on tailor-made existing curriculums
• To draft an effective curriculum based on the needs arising from the trainings conducted
• Prepare and submit the relevant training related documentations by following the M& E and finance formats circulated.
 
Qualifications/experience required
 
1.       Extended knowledge and experience of working with MSM & TG communities
2.       Extended experience in carrying out training at least 2- 3 years
3.       Knowledge of the issues pertaining to MSM & TG
4.       Knowledge of the regional and country context of MSM & TG issues  will be an asset
 
The interested applicants with substantial experience in the sphere are requested to send their application to Maan AIDS Foundation. The application should include the following:
• Cover letter and photograph:
• The updated CV;
• Statement of last two consultancy payment received  preferably related to trainings
• The suggested consultancy fees per day (Maan will cover the accommodation and travel expenses of the consultant as per MAAN Institutional manual regulations)
 
The applications can be mailed to applications@maanfoundation.org and ishrat@maanfoundation.org, address to Mr. Ahmadullah Ishrat Lari – Admin Officer
 
Postal address
MAAN AIDS Foundation
 39/2 KHA, 21-B Clyde Road, Lucknow 226001, Uttar Pradesh, India,
TEL: +91 522 2204 369/2205 269.
 
The applications will close on 6th February 2012.The consultancies are purely temporary and on availability basis. Short listed consultants will be contacted for further process.

In September 2010, OHCHR appointed a Senior Adviser on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Human Rights. The appointment is intended to enhance the capacity of the Office to draw attention to human rights violations linked to victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity and advocate for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality and for other measures to counter discrimination directed at LGBT individuals.

Due to current resource limitations, the above assignment is part-time only (having been combined with other management functions within OHCHR-New York). In order to strengthen institutional capacity, it is therefore proposed to establish a Junior Professional Officer (JPO) post dedicated to supporting the work of the Adviser and other senior OHCHR officials in relation to human rights and sexual orientation and gender identity. It is anticipated that the appointment of the proposed JPO will significantly strengthen OHCHR capacity to move forward with implementation of a range of activities designed to promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.

The Human Rights Expert would provide wide-ranging support to research and advocacy activities relating to the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, including in the context of efforts to secure worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality and counter homophobia. All tasks will be carried out under the direct supervision of OHCHR’s Senior Adviser on LGBT Human Rights, with a secondary report to the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. Regular meetings will provide opportunities to discuss tasking and review performance.

Duration of assignment: One year (with possible extension for another 2-3 years)

IMPORTANT: APPLICATION AND CV SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN ENGLISH

Background:

What is HIV surveillance?  How is this data collected and used?  How is it changing?

A recent CDC report estimated that about half of all people with HIV are receiving medical care.  In the era of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and an expanded focus on treatment for prevention, some public health jurisdictions have begun expanding their use of HIV surveillance data to link out-of-care individuals with services and more efficiently target scare resources.  As this new role takes hold, we seek to help HIV prevention justice activists understand the basic elements of HIV surveillance, how it can (or can’t) be used to link people to care, and what important questions we should be asking.

Our panel of experts will share experiences from communities on the front lines of implementing these important systemic changes.
 

Over 150 people working and volunteering in gay men’s health and HIV prevention in British Columbia and Canada met in Vancouver, BC over two days to discuss the latest research and programming in their field.

Riyas Fadel (Project Coordinator, COCQ-SIDA) and Gaston Cotnoir (Healthy Sexuality and Gay Men’s Sexual Health Coordinator, Réseau Access Network) will present the key themes and ideas that emerged from the summit during this webinar.

The XIX International AIDS Conference welcomes the submission of abstracts for original contribution to the field in the following scientific tracks:

Track A:
Basic Science

Track B:
Clinical Science

Track C:
Epidemiology and Prevention Science

Track D:
Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science

Track E:
Implementation Science, Health Systems and Economics

For detailed descriptions of each scientific track, please visit the track scope and objectives page.

Abstract submission is now open. The submission deadline is 15 February 2012.

People living with HIV set the agenda:
Submit a workshop for AIDS 2012

Do you want the world to know what you are doing in your community, organization, country on HIV? Come and present your experiences at AIDS 2012, the 19th International AIDS Conference, to be held in Washington DC, U.S. on 22-27 July!

Are you a person living with HIV working on programmes focused on leadership and accountability or involving and empowering communities? Are you ready to share your best practices or can you help people with professional and scientific development? Are you providing treatment, care or counseling for other people living with HIV? Do you work in prevention, help with testing, defend human rights, or in any other way to help improve the quality of life of people living with HIV? Apply for a workshop and share your experiences!

The AIDS 2012 conference theme is Turning the Tide Together which emphasizes that the HIV epidemic has reached a defining moment and that by acting decisively and collectively, we now have the potential to end the HIV epidemic.

The Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+) calls on people living with HIV to share their knowledge and experience and submit workshops to be presented at AIDS 2012.
Note: you will need to submit your workshop before 15 February 2012.

If you submit a workshop and also need a scholarship, you will need to apply for a scholarship through the normal scholarship application procedure. In the scholarship application procedure you will be asked to link your workshop and your scholarship application by including your workshop submission number.
This brief will take you through the process of submitting a workshop in 3 simple steps.

Step 1: Prepare yourself well
Whether you have or have not submitted a workshop before, good preparation is essential. There is no mentoring programme for workshop writing. Instead we recommend carefully studying the AIDS 2012 Guide to Submitting a Good Workshop Proposal: http://www.aids2012.org/WebContent/File/AIDS2012_Guide_to_Submitting_a_Good_Workshop.pdf
Note there are only 40 spaces for workshops available. Workshop proposals will be selected based on a combination of criteria, including objectives that are achievable, expertise of the facilitator, a learner-centered methodology, relevance, and whether what has been learned will contribute to a better HIV response.

Specific attention will be given to whether the workshop is aligned with and contributes to the conference vision and objectives. Selection of workshops will also aim to equitably represent key populations as well as geographic regions. To read more about workshop selection, focus areas and experience level, consult the workshop webpage at: http://www.aids2012.org/Default.aspx?pageId=479

There are different systems for submitting an abstract and submitting a workshop. Pointers on how to submit an abstract, please visit GNP+ website at www.gnpplus.net or consult the Guide to Community involvement in AIDS 2012 at www.aids2012community.org

Step 2: Create a profile:
To submit a workshop you will need to create your own profile at the AIDS 2012 website. Profiles
from former conferences are still active. To create a profile you need an email address. You can
create your profile here: http://profile.aids2012.org/. After you log in, choose the tab Workshops.
Step 3: Write your workshop proposal
When writing your workshop proposal you will be asked to describe the following topics:

Focus areas: You can submit workshops in the following areas: Scientific Development; Leadership &
Accountability Development; and Community Skills Development. Key to your proposal should be
what people will learn and how useful it will be for them in their daily practice. It is recommended to
carefully study the description and objectives of the different focus areas to strengthen your
workshop proposal.

Workshop level: When submitting your workshop you will be asked to grade your workshop as
Foundation (Basic), Intermediate or Advanced level.
Workshop Proposal: Your workshop proposal cannot be more as 300 words and must be in English.
Within these 300 words you will need to present:
 Learning objectives: what will participants be doing during the workshops; what will they
learn?
 Format: How will the workshops be conducted? For example, will it be discussion, small
group work, case-study or problem-based learning. It is recommended to conduct action
planning with participants to ensure delegates can follow-up with you after the conference
as they implement what they have learned.
 Materials: what resources will be used and distributed during the workshop?
Target audience, language and number of participants: When submitting your workshop you will be
asked what the target audience will be, the expected number of participants, and the language the
workshop will be in. While your proposal must be in English, the workshop itself can be in other
languages. Your target audience can be selected from a predefined set of audiences.
Key affected populations and regional focus: Equitable representation of key populations and regional focus are key selection criteria for the workshops. The more workshops there are about one
key population, the less chance you will have for your proposal about that same population to be
accepted.

Facilitator: In addition you will be asked to name and describe your facilitator. This is important as the
expertise of the facilitator is one of the factors the proposal is rated upon. It is good to think about
these issues prior to preparing your proposal.

Note: you can save and exit your workshop submission at any time. You can also correct and edit your
workshop proposal after you have already submitted. After the deadline of 15 February 2012, no
more corrections will be possible.

Do not forget to submit your workshop proposal before 15 February 2012.
We are looking forward to seeing you at AIDS201

Under the auspices of the International AIDS Society, an
international working group of researchers is developing a Global
Scientific Strategy Towards an HIV Cure. The strategy aims at
building a global consensus defining scientific priorities for HIV
cure research.

The scientific strategy will be released at a 2-day symposium with
up to 250 leaders from academia, industry, government and
community-based groups, which will be held in Washington, D.C.
on July 20 and 21, immediately preceding the XIX International
AIDS Conference. The symposium will be co-chaired by Françoise
Barré-Sinoussi, 2008 Nobel Laureate for Medicine and IAS President-elect and Steven Deeks,
Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). This symposium will
be closely linked to the AIDS 2012 conference programme.

Track A and B (basic and clinical sciences) abstracts submitted to the International AIDS
Conference and related to the topic of HIV cure can be considered for the symposium (oral
presentations and posters), while a summary of the results from the symposium will be shared
with the expected 25 to 30 thousand participants attending AIDS 2012. We encourage abstracts
to be submitted in the track categories outlined below, from the basic science section:

• A27: Viral Mechanisms of Persistence and Latency
• A28: Mechanisms of Eradication
• A29: Tissue Reservoirs
• A30: Host Cellular Factors and Latency

Abstract submission opens on 1 December 2011 and will close at midnight CET on 15
February 2012. Please submit abstracts online at: http://www.aids2012.org/. Late breakers
will also be considered (submission between 19 April and 22 May on www.aids2012.org).
Selected abstract presenters will be awarded scholarships for both the workshop and AIDS
2012. Applications for these awards can be made online at http://www.aids2012.org/ from 8
December 2011 through 15 February 2012. The best abstract presented by a young investigator
will receive the IAS-ANRS Prize on HIV Cure, to be awarded at the symposium.
There will be seven sessions held at the symposium; the preliminary titles for each session are
as follows:

• Cellular and viral mechanisms that maintain HIV persistence.
• Tissue and cellular sources of persistent HIV in long-term ART-treated individuals.
• Origins of immune activation and inflammation in the presence of ART and their
consequences for HIV persistence.
• Host and immune mechanisms that control infection but allow viral persistence.
• Assays to measure persistent infection: Comparison and validation.
• Therapeutic agents or immunological strategies to safely eliminate latent infection in
individuals on ART.
• Strategies to enhance the capacity of the host response to control active viral replication.
Please click here for more detailed information on the background and objectives of this
initiative and for any additional information please contact reservoirs@iasociety.org.
We would welcome that you circulate this message as widely as possible in your networks.

The Symposium Programme Committee:
Alain Lafeuillade,
France
Alan Landay, USA Ann Woolfrey, USA Carine van Lint,
Belgium
David Margolis, USA Françoise Barré-Sinoussi,
France
Jim Mullins, USA Mark Harrington,
USA
Melissa Churchill,
Australia
Paula Munderi, Uganda Rowena Johnston,
USA
Sarah Palmer,
Sweden
Sharon Lewin, Australia Steven Deeks, USA

The aim of the Youth Programme is to work to strengthen the participation of young people and the profile of youth issues at AIDS 2012.

Why do we want young people at AIDS 2012?

Because young people are greatly affected by HIV and AIDS.
Almost half of all new HIV infections in the world are among people under 25. Estimates show that more than 7,400 people become infected with HIV daily, 3,300 of whom are young people. Globally, 5.4 million young people are living with HIV. Young women under age 25 are at an even greater risk for HIV infection and comprise 57.4% of infected youth. Young people remain the most vulnerable group to HIV infection due to many factors, including lack of information, education, societal influences, and inability to access healthcare services.

For more information about youth and HIV please see: www.unaids.org/learnmore/en/index.html and www.youthaidscoalition.org/
page/ypdata.

Because we want to mobilize networks of young people worldwide.
AIDS 2012 organizers want young people to be a visible presence at the conference, not only as delegates, but also as organizers, speakers, leaders and peers. Young people will have their own areas at the conference, but will also be encouraged to take part in the larger discussions.

Because we want to empower young people.
Our aim is to advocate for current and critical issues affecting young people worldwide, and further pinpoint current strategies for effective change. Building youth leadership is crucial to an effective AIDS response among young people and by young people, especially for key affected populations. This includes, but is not limited to, young people living with HIV, young people who use drugs, young sex workers, young men who have sex with men, young women, young migrants, and youth in prisons. We are excited to reach out to young people throughout the world, and to focus specifically on issues in Austria and in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

Youth Programme Objectives

    Visibility: Strengthen the meaningful participation of young people throughout every aspect of the conference.
    
    Mainstreaming: Engage young people as key stakeholders within the HIV response.
    
    Support: Promote the work current youth leaders are doing to show that young people are driving the response in the epidemic and create outlets to recruit new youth leaders.
    
    Funding: Provide outlets for youth to address and/or advocate for increased funding to be allocated to youth led programs, projects and core-funding for youth organizations.
    
    Create safe forums for youth to:
        Challenge the status quo
        Speak out about issues that effect young people
        Redefine participation within the response to the epidemic
        Address the direction of the movement
        Share best practices with the greater community

Youth Programme Activities

The Youth Pavilion in the Global Village is the main networking space for young people at AIDS 2012. The pavilion will host a diverse programme of sessions, workshops, performances and exhibitions.

Other Youth Programme activities include symposia and a leadership development workshop for delegates, a youth pre-conference, a youth reception, and an advocacy campaign that will include the mobilization of young people for the rally around the conference march (more details about this event will be posted on the conference website in the coming months). A pocket guide will be provided to young delegates to highlight all youth related sessions at AIDS 2012 and make participation easier.

Get Involved!

    Get the latest Youth AIDS 2012 updates through our social media sites. Twitter: @youthaids2012 and remember to tweet using #youthaids2012 and #wyv!
    
    Also submit, interact, learn and share the new Youth AIDS 2012 blog at www.YouthAIDS2012.tumblr.com
    
    Sign up for the AIDS 2012 monthly eUpdate.
    
    Propose your own activity for the Youth Programme: The call for programme activities is open from 1 December 2011 to 15 February 2012. Submissions must be made through your conference profile. Please read the submission guidelines carefully before submitting your proposal.

New Canada-Specific Webinar Series: HIV Testing: Different Regions, Different Strategies

English Only: Friday, February 17th, 2012, 2-3:30pm ESTResearch has shown that as many as 20-30% of HIV-positive MSM in Canada are not aware of their status. Across the country, different strategies to support gay/bi/MSM men in getting tested for HIV and other STIs are underway.

Join us for an informative webinar that presents the newest HIV technologies in use throughout the country, and how organizations in different regions are working to educate gay/bi/MSM men about HIV testing and encourage them to get tested.

Presenters:

•Ken English (AIDS Bureau, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care)
•Wayne Robert (Health Initiative for Men, Vancouver, B.C.)
•Thomas Haig (SPOT Clinic, Montréal, Québec)

English Only: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012, 2-3:30pm EST

Syphilis rates have continued to rise among gay/bi/MSM men across Canada, prompting a need for increased awareness of syphilis testing, treatment and epidemiology.

Join Marc-André LeBlanc and Paul MacPherson as they review the most current syphilis epidemiology in some of Canada’s major urban centres and provide important clinical tips & information for service providers and outreach workers.

Paul MacPherson is an Associate Professor of Medicine, a specialist in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus, and a Staff Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Marc-André LeBlanc has worked in the community-based HIV/AIDS movement for 19 years at the local, national and international levels. He is a co-founder of International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA), serves as secretary on their steering committee, has authored two reports on the global state of rectal microbicide efforts, and leads IRMA's global efforts to ensure the safety of sexual lubricants.

CVC/COIN Community Grants for MSM/LGBT, Sex Worker and Marginalized Youth Projects: Phase I Round

Available Funding
CVC/COIN, The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition and El Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral, is pleased to announce funding for innovative projects that address HIV and AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people, sex workers (SW), and Marginalized Youth (MY) in the Caribbean.  Grassroots organizations led by or working with MSM/LGBT, SW or MY communities in Trinidad, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are encouraged to submit proposals.  Funds for these mini-grants are made available under The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Round 9 Caribbean Regional Project.

Approximately $160,000USD is available for this round of mini-grants in Phase I of this project, which initially focuses on only the three aforementioned countries.  CVC/COIN anticipates funding between two to three projects in each of the countries for organizations programming with Sex Workers, a further two to three projects in each of the countries for organizations programming with MSM/LGBT, and a final one to two projects in each of the countries for organizations programming with Marginalized Youth.  Organizations that submit strong proposals will receive technical support and mentoring from CVC/COIN and can expect to receive funds to begin implementing in March 2012.
Each organization may apply for an award of up to $20,000USD to support project-related costs for up to 9 months, between March 2012 and December 2012.  Applications for supporting general administrative and operational costs cannot be considered.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?
•         Community-based organizations located in Jamaica, Trinidad, and the Dominican Republic.
•         Non-profit organizations (e.g., NGOs, CBOs, and other charitable organizations).
•         Organizations led by and working alongside MSM/LGBT, Sex Workers and MY.
•         Organizations with solid organizational structures and that take clear steps to ensure meaningful and active engagement and participation of MSM/LGBT, SW or MY in their structure.
•         Organizations which seek to launch, expand or replicate an innovative program with a track-record of successful program or service implementation that make measurable impacts on the marginalized populations served.
•         Newer organizations that present a revolutionary approach to solving community issues will be considered.
•         Organizations with capacity to carry out the proposed activities and effectively manage award funds.
 
Who Is Not Eligible and SHOULD NOT APPLY?
•         Individuals
•         Government organizations
•         For-profit organizations
•         Organizations based in the wider Caribbean region (outside of Jamaica, Trinidad and the Dominican Republic) will have an opportunity to apply for grants in Phase II, but should not apply during this round.
•         Organizations with annual operating budgets of more than $1 million USD.
•         Organizations that do not meaningfully involve MSM/LGBT, Sex Worker or MY community members in the development and implementation of programs.
Background

The CVC/COIN Vulnerabilized Groups Project is the only project funded in the Caribbean by The Global Fund which focuses on working with socially marginalized and highly stigmatized and discrimination populations who bear the burden of HIV and AIDS.[1]  CVC/COIN works in partnership with civil society to challenge structural drivers of the epidemic such as gender-inequality, homophobia, transphobia, and whorephobia and to claim rights.  The Vulnerabilized Groups Project recognizes that Caribbean National AIDS Programs lack the ‘know how’, and often willingness, to work with MSM/LGBT, Sex Worker and MY populations.  Meanwhile, over the past two decades, Caribbean civil society, CBO’s and NGOs have developed innovative and avant-garde programming and interventions with these populations. 

Through the Community Grant Awards, CVC/COIN will provide technical support to community partners to develop model programming.  This is an opportunity for community partners to showcase and expand their successful programs and/or to develop innovative models which can be scaled-up in partnership with National AIDS Programs.
Funding Priorities and Areas of Interest
1.     Community Grants for MSM
In August 2011 CVC/COIN held a regional consultation with partners in Jamaica to identify core elements of provision of services for MSM and to consider current, potential and unmet needs for MSM programming in the region.  Through this consultation, community partners assisted CVC/COIN to identify a framework for action for programming with MSM.  CVC/COIN will prioritize grant applications which fall under the following to general areas:
•         Community Capacity Building and
•         Campaigns to promote health and human rights. 
 
Interventions that include outreach, psycho-social support, social marketing and other innovative strategies around:
 
• Rights-based policy, advocacy, and projects
• Community-led research; and/or
• A combination of prevention, advocacy, and/or research.
Community capacity building interventions may include
•         Provision of community space (including social media and networks and existing safe spaces, such house parties, cafes, clubs, or health services within LGBT-friendly centers as venues for health information and health services)
•         Structured mentorship programs to identify and build capacity to increase access to health and other personal development opportunities for MSM
•         Interventions which seek to build the community’s informed participation in development of health and rights-based policies and partnerships with policymakers
•         Community training in the areas of human rights, security and rapid response mechanisms
•         Training of networks of LGBT-friendly healthcare providers to sensitize others in the health sector including support to LGBT-friendly peer educators and professionals in health care settings to help people navigate appropriate health services and care 
•         Initiatives to support strengthening of national networks of MSM and transgender people, and programs working with MSM and transgender people, to share capacities and information, including about HIV treatment care, and prevention 
•         Pilot community research, community-based needs assessments
Campaigns to promote health and human rights may include 
• Development and implementation of communications strategy, including regular updates (via Facebook or other secure media) about national litigation and constitutional change work 
• Interventions which support greater involvement of communities of MSM and transgender people in any process of impact litigation or national human rights reporting on their behalf
•         Community-led reviews of laws and human rights environments, including research to document how existing legal and human rights frameworks impede access to HIV interventions and how adoption of model laws, judicial practice, and law enforcement might improve this access
•         Rights literacy campaigns, including audiovisual, written and verbal communications
•         Mechanisms to collect/report/document, and respond to rights violations, including partnerships between MSM/trans organizations and national human rights institutions such as legal aid clinics and networks, hotlines, and human rights networks
•         Educational campaigns focusing on any of the following alone or in combination - men’s health and transgender health that challenges stereotypes, transactional sex and mental health 
 
CVC/COIN is happy to accept feedback on this call and these priority areas defined.
 
2.  Community Grants for Sex Workers
 CVC/COIN is committed to supporting projects that promote the health and rights of the diverse communities of sex workers across the Caribbean.
We encourage organizations led by, or working with, the following populations to apply:
• Female sex workers
• MSM sex workers
• Transgender sex workers
• Migrant sex workers
• Trafficked sex workers
• Imprisoned or formerly incarcerated sex workers
• Sex workers who use drugs
• HIV positive sex workers
• Young men and women engaged in transactional sex
Further, we encourage proposals from groups that are reaching sex workers in all of the settings where they work including (but not limited to): brothels, massage parlors, the street, clubs, rural areas, escort services, the tourism industry, and prison.  
 
Examples of sex worker interventions that CVC/COIN will consider for support:
a. Prevention: Community-based, peer-led prevention programs including distribution of and education about: male and female condoms, lubricant, contraceptives, and harm reduction for drug-users. These programs should be relevant to the specific needs of the populations listed above and preferably reach sex workers at their places of work or in safe community spaces (see below).
 
b. Health education: Community-based health education programs that address the multitude of health issues facing sex workers. These could include programs on HIV prevention, ARV treatment literacy, sexual health (including anal sex), reproductive health, and new prevention technologies such as treatment as prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (prEP), microbicides and vaccines. CVC/COIN will prioritize health education programs that utilize the expertise of both sex workers and resource people from national AIDS programs and public clinics (doctors, nurses, etc.), creating forums for sensitization and learning.
 
c. Access to care: Efforts to strengthen relationships between sex worker communities and public and private health systems to improve access to HIV testing and treatment and STI screening and treatment.  These programs could include training healthcare workers about sex workers’ health needs, developing and strengthening referral, tracking and follow-up systems between sex worker organizations and clinics, Spanish language services for migrant sex workers, and mobile clinics.  CVC/COIN will prioritize access to care programs that build the capacity of public health services to provide appropriate, non-stigmatizing services to sex workers as well as efforts to provide sustained care for mobile sex workers who move across the region.
 
d. Safe community spaces: Safe spaces that are welcoming and safe for sex workers and can be used for support group meetings (focusing on such issues as self-esteem building, psycho-social care, building community solidarity, etc.), one-on-one counseling, and dissemination of health and rights information. CVC/COIN is not able to support general administrative costs, including office rent. If the proposed safe space is within an office, applicants must clearly delineate the costs of community spaces and describe the programs they will house.
 
e. Structured mentorships: Peer-led mentorship programs in which sex workers learn from one another about effective HIV prevention, care, and treatment interventions, self-esteem building, self-organizing, monitoring and evaluation, and organizational capacity building. CVC/COIN will prioritize funding for long-term structured mentorship programs rather than one-time trainings.
 
f. Social and economic support:   Strategies to link sex workers to the social and economic support they require such as substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation for the formerly incarcerated,  school fees for sex worker’s children, and access to alternative employment for those who wish to transition out of sex work. CVC will not support sex worker-led organizations to run social support programs themselves, but rather to develop referral programs and/or collaborative relationships with appropriate social service and economic development organizations.
 
g. Advocacy to improve health services for sex workers: Monitoring and addressing discrimination and quality of care issues for sex workers in public and private health facilities and advocacy efforts to urge national AIDS programs and research institutions to build the body evidence about epidemiological trends among sex workers in order to improve and inform targeted evidence-based interventions. CVC/COIN encourages peer-learning among sex workers to build capacity to engage in policy and advocacy strategy development.
 
h. Human rights education: Basic human rights education on local, regional, and international human rights instruments, conventions and declarations that can be deployed to protect and promote the rights of sex workers and training on how to effectively use them in organizing and activism. CVC/COIN will prioritize human rights education and training programs run by sex workers and geared toward realizing the right to health.
 
i. Enabling environment: Legal and advocacy efforts to challenge national laws and policies that criminalize sex work, increase sex workers’ vulnerability to HIV (such as forced or coercive testing policies or immigration policies that exclude sex workers from services), and violate their rights. This could also include efforts to address violence against sex workers (including rape) through training police and security forces, coordinating reports of violence from individuals and organizations, and self-defense and empowerment programs in which sex workers learn to protect themselves. CVC/COIN will prioritize legal and advocacy activities that further PANCAP’s Regional Policy on HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination.
http://pancap.org/docs/Final%20Policy%20on%20Stigma%20and%20Discrimination.pdf 
 
j. Communication campaigns: Marches and rallies, radio, television, print-media campaigns, and press conferences designed to bring sex worker health and rights issues into the public sphere, challenge stereotypes, and build tolerance. CVC/COIN will prioritize proposals for communication campaigns that build in security precautions and psychosocial support for sex workers who choose to be the public face of organizations and movements.
 
k. Emergency response: The development of rapid response mechanisms that provide emergency support, and in some cases, technical assistance, to respond to police crack downs, raid and rescue operations, anti-human rights legislation, and flare ups of violence. CVC/COIN encourages sex worker organizations in-country and across the region to collaborate on the development of emergency response planning in order to strengthen the regional response to human rights violations against sex workers.
CVC/COIN is happy to accept feedback on this call and these priority areas defined.
 
3.  Community Grants for Marginalized Youth
Traditionally socially excluded, hard to reach, youth have not been targets of National AIDS Programs in the Caribbean region, despite the fact that young people account for the highest number of new HIV infections.  Challenges common to marginalized youth across the region include stigma and discrimination, homelessness, family rejection, lack of or insufficient or sporadic income, high school drop-out rate, unemployment, food insecurity, lack of physical safety, poor or limited access to youth-friendly, confidential and comprehensive healthcare, and limited ability to negotiate condom use.
Projects submitted to CVC/COIN should be rights-based with a focus on promoting positive attitudes towards sexual reproductive health of young people, and should encourage youth-led responses and leadership in the response to HIV and AIDS.  All project proposals should include HIV prevention as a core element of programming but as the needs of youth are multi-layered, proposals should respond to a combination of the below needs to create innovative programs for reducing HIV among socially excluded youth.
 
1.     HIV prevention
  Education
  Testing
  Condom services
  Treatment as prevention
 
2.     Care, treatment and support
•         Treatment literacy
•         Case management
•         Facilitated referral
•         Adherence
 
3.     Empowerment, self-awareness and personal development
  Literacy
  Self-esteem development
  Personal hygiene
  Communication
  Survival skills (how to complete a job application, how to apply for a passport, how to apply for a driver’s license)
  Entrepreneurial skills/ income-generation skills (cooperatives)
  Money management
  Healthy Eating
 
4.     Psycho-social support
•         Counseling
•         Family consuelan
•         Stress management
•         Stigma, self stigma
•         Housing
•         Conflict management
 
5.     Safe Spaces
•         Spaces that are non-discriminatory and non-judgmental for service delivery - clinical, education and for social interaction
 
6.     Advocacy, Networking and Participation
•         Inter-personal communication
•         Networking
•         Social media
•         Advocacy campaigns
•         Initiatives to enhance participation in decision-taking processes
 
CVC/COIN is happy to accept feedback on this call and these priority areas defined.
 
Sponsor Organizations

Grassroots groups that are not yet formally registered may consider partnering with a “sponsor” organization that is eligible to receive funding. The sponsor organization would receive and manage funds, provide general oversight for execution of the funded project, and potentially provide technical support to the applicant.  In such cases, the non-registered organization should apply directly. However, the application should clearly identify the sponsor organization, describe in detail all technical support that the sponsor will provide (including monitoring and oversight of expenditures), and include a letter of agreement from the sponsor.

Review Process
All mini-grant proposals will be considered and reviewed by a Steering Committee of peer and community experts in the region, who have expertise working with and designing programming for MSM/LGBT, Sex Worker, and MY populations, including technical staff of the CVC/COIN project.
Following this review, successful community partners will be invited to trainings to refine and further elaborate their proposals, and particularly to detail the workplan, monitoring and evaluation plan, and budget.  

Project proposals will be reviewed and scored against the Application Form and Budget Proposal and the following criteria:
•         Impact: How effective is the project likely to be in improving conditions for the target group?
•         Strength of plan and measurable outcomes: Does the proposal have a clearly defined plan of action with measurable outcomes for success?
•         Leverage: Will this grant result in outside donations or government buy-in?
•         Documentation: Does this proposal include a reasonable plan for communicating the project's successes and the lessons learned?
•         Breadth of Community Involvement: Does the project involve the target group fully in all aspects of the project?
•         Budget: Does the project use resources creatively and get the biggest “bang for the buck?” Does the budget presented seem to be an accurate projection of costs?
•         Capacity Building: Will the project result in increased organizational and individual leadership skills and improved relationships?
•         Partnerships/Collaborations: Does the project involve collaboration between multiple groups, especially those with different levels of capacity?
•         Maintenance & Sustainability: Does the proposal identify how the project’s outcomes will be sustained in the future beyond the GF support?

Forms and Instructions
Copies of the Application Form and Budget Form are attached and may be submitted in either English or Spanish.  Please read all of the Instructions carefully as they contain the information necessary for the proper preparation and submission of a successful proposal.
Applicants must also provide the names and contact information of at least two external references who are familiar with the organization and its work but who are not affiliated with the organization or the project for which funding is requested. Please do not include letters of support or other documents from your references. References may or may not be contacted as part of the proposal review.

Submission of Applications
Please submit all applications to coin.cvc.human.resources@gmail.com
All applications must be received no later than:
22nd February 2012, 5pm (Dominican Republic time)
Confidentiality and Communications
Throughout the review and award process, CVC/COIN respects the privacy of the applicant and is committed to protecting from disclosure any confidential or proprietary information contained in a submitted proposal.

While we will make every effort to ensure confidentiality in these situations, CVC/COIN, cannot guarantee complete confidentiality and/or be held liable for the disclosure of information that causes harm to individuals or groups associated with funded projects. Groups should be aware that any information provided carries the risk of being shared publicly through open dialogue about funding priorities, peer review processes, and communications about the project, decisions, and reported outcomes. Submission of a funding application is deemed to indicate the applicant’s understanding and acceptance of these risks.
Requirements and Restrictions

CVC/COIN seeks to support quality and accountable programs. Therefore, all organizations funded through this grant-process will be required to provide monthly, mid-term and final reports, and will be required to utilize the community web-based M&E platform and database designed by CVC/COIN specifically for its partners.

Organizations should be able and ready to document appropriate financial and accounting controls, including measures to prevent duplicated use or misappropriation of funds. Any renewal of funding will be contingent upon careful adherence to these reporting requirements. 
CVC/COIN will provide close technical support and financial oversight of all mini-grants awarded.

Regional CRP members play a unique role within HIV Young Leaders Fund. CRP members review grant applications and recommend proposals for funding. The CRP process gives young people invested in HIV issues the opportunity to make funding decisions for their peers. The 2012 EECA CRP will review proposals aimed at meeting the needs and addressing the rights of young women affected by HIV and drug use.

Applicants should be young people between 15 and 30 years of age with experience working with and for young people most affected by and living with HIV. Applicants must also work in the EECA region; experience working on HIV policy and/or programs in Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine especially needed. Applicants with experience working on issues faced by young women affected by HIV and drug use will be prioritized.

Attached is the Call for Applications, with information about the position and how to apply, and the Member Application Form and Conflict of Interest Form. The deadline to apply is February 22, 2012.

For more information about HYLF, please visit our website or watch this short video. Please send any questions about the CRP application process to: CRP@hivyoungleadersfund.org.

ÚNETE A LA FAMILIA IDLO

IDLO cuenta actualmente con asociaciones de antiguos alumnos en 47 países. Al final del curso, todoslos participantes pueden unirse a la Red mundial de intercambio en línea de IDLO, y a la asociación de antiguos alumnos en sus países. Estas plataformas y redes de contactos permiten a los miembros encontrar respuestas, descubrir oportunidades, e intercambiar experiencias y buenas prácticas en diversas áreas legales e institucionales.

VALOR DE LA INSCRIPCIÓN DEL CURSO
El costo total del curso es de 350 Euros. Las inscripciones deben
realizarse en línea en la dirección www.idlo.int/elearning. El
pago de la inscripción debe ser depositados en la cuenta bancaria
de IDLO a más tardar el 27 FEBRERO de 2012.

CUENTA BANCARIA de IDLO para las transferencias en Euros
Banco: Banca Popolare di Sondrio
Dirección: Piazza Garibaldi, 16
23100 SONDRIO, Italia
Número de cuenta: 550420
Nombre de cuenta: IDLO – REGULAR EUR
IBAN: IT44I0569611000EDCEU0550420
SWIFT / BIC: POSOIT22

Por favor, indique en la transferencia bancaria su nombre y los
detalles de referencia del curso: EL20-12-S Usando el
derecho y las políticas legislativas para una respuesta
eficaz al VIH/sida.
 

The Health Policy Action Fund (HPAF) invites Civil Society Organisations from 30 IHP+ countries to
submit proposals for funding of health policy work at national level. The grants will fund work over
an 18-month period starting in April 2012, and have a maximum of US$ 30,000 per grantee.
Interested applicants are requested to visit the HPAF website at www.healthpolicyactionfund.org
for the detailed Criteria for Selection and the proposal application forms.

The call for proposals opens 25 January 2012. The closing date for receiving applications is 17h00
(Pretoria Time) on 28 February 2012. Forms can be downloaded from the HPAF website. Proposals
can be sent to cjacob@oxfam.org.uk.
We strongly encourage CSO Health Coalitions and Networks working on a broad range of health
policy issues at national level to apply. The HPAF does not fund implementation of health
interventions.

Background: IHP+ and Civil Society Engagement in Health Policy
IHP+ is currently comprised of 55 partners, of which 30 are developing countries, who have
committed themselves to accelerate better health results in low and middle income countries by
putting the Paris principles on aid effectiveness into practice in health. Partner signatories to the
Global Compact committed to achieve this through supporting strong and comprehensive country
and government-led national health plans in a well-coordinated way. Civil society plays an important
role in the IHP+ and in the new Phase III workplan 2012-13.

IHP+ has funded a small grants scheme since in 2010, which has been managed by Oxfam under the
name Health Policy Action Fund (HPAF). The HPAF aims to support southern civil society
organizations, networks and coalitions to become more effectively engaged in national health policy
processes. Supported by the grants, recipients engage in health policy and implementation
monitoring and analysis, policy dialogue with key national health stakeholders, and hold
governments and aid donors accountable to work towards achieving universal and equitable access
to health care and the health-related Millennium Development Goals.
This fund is now open to support health organisations, networks and coalitions for health policy work
in 30 IHP+ countries, in 2012-13. The IHP+ countries are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia,
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, DRC, Djibouti, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya,
Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia.

The Health Policy Action Fund (HPAF) will ensure a confidential, fair and equitable assessment of all
proposals. The assessment will be supported by a Project Technical Committee including health
policy experts from inside and outside of Oxfam.

Full text of article available at link below -

1 December 2011–– On this year’s World AIDS Day, UN and civil society partners jointly announce a global call for nominations for the 2012 Red Ribbon Award. The award, which will be presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington DC in July 2012, will be given to ten organizations that have shown outstanding community leadership and action on AIDS.

 The five award categories are:

•Prevention of sexual transmission

•Prevention among people who use drugs

•Treatment, care and support

•Advocacy and human rights

•Stopping new HIV infections in children and keeping mothers alive; women's health.

The selected community organizations will benefit from international visibility and an invitation to participate in the XIX International AIDS Conference. Additionally, each recipient of the award will receive a US$10,000 grant.

We call out to civil society partners around the world to spread the word that the RRA 2012 Round is now open and that their nominations of exceptional community-based organizations would be welcome. Additional information regarding the Red Ribbon Award, the categories and criteria for selection, as well as the on-line nomination facility may be found online on the Red Ribbon Award website.

Shine a light on the best that the response to AIDS can offer!