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The primary goals of the workshop included disseminating PEPFAR’s 2011 MSM Technical Guidance on Combination HIV Prevention document, which describes the USG’s comprehensive package of core services for MSM, and sharing state-of-the-art knowledge on relevant topics in HIV prevention, care, and treatment for MSM and TG. The Asia regional workshop is the second in a three-part series to focus on issues specific to HIV prevention, care, and treatment among MSM and TG in their respective regions. |
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Tonga is a small island nation comprising 169 islands with 4 main island groups. Tonga has a population of 101,991 with two-thirds of the population living on the main island of Tongatapu The number of reported HIV cases in Tonga is low, with a cumulative incidence of 16.6 per 100,000 people. Of the 17 HIV cases reported to December 2008, 10 have progressed to AIDS and 9 have died of AIDS related complications. Though HIV prevalence is low in Tonga, other STI infections are more prevalent. Second Generation Surveillance (SGS) conducted among antenatal women in 2008 found a Chlamydia prevalence of 12.8 percent. |
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Gender inequity is a fundamental driver in the HIV epidemic, and integrating strategies to address gender inequity and change harmful gender norms is an increasingly important component of U.S. Government-supported HIV programs in countries with generalized epidemics. Much less prevalent are efforts to integrate gender strategies into programs targeting most-at-risk populations (MARPs), which include men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender (TG) people, injecting drug users (IDUs), and male, female, and TG sex workers, in both mixed or concentrated epidemic countries. |
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HIV prevention for Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) has largely focused on ensuring HIV negative MSM (MSM-) remain negative. MSM living with HIV (MSM+) have been cast into the role of ‘vectors of transmission’, and prevention programmes have mostly ignored the wide spectrum of prevention needs that MSM+ have that go beyond disclosing their HIV status to their (assumed) MSM-sexual partners. |
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Fortunately, the HIV pandemic is gradually slowing. UNAIDS estimates that there were 1.8 million new infections in 2009, compared to 2.2 million in 2001. Even more significant is the decrease in HIV-related mortality globally. That said, HIV is still a major health concern (especially in Africa) and while the rate of new infections may have slowed, there are still 34 million people living with HIV worldwide. |
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In low- and middle-income countries, HIV programming for gay men, other men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender individuals has consistently been absent in local, national, and international funding streams. The situation is even more dire given that MSM are 19 times more likely to be living with HIV than the general population, and little or no epidemiological information even exists for transgender individuals. Even when national governments receive funding from multilateral donors such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR to implement MSM- and transgender-specific programs, the percentage of funding that actually results in direct services for these communities is often significantly lower than what was originally planned. |
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Launched by Secretary Clinton in December 2011, the Global Equality Fund supports programs advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons around the world with more than $3 millon from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. As administator and manager of the Fund, the Department of State is also pursuing partnerships with foreign governments, foundations, and corporations in this important effort. |
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In response to the alarming growth in HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons (TG) in Asia, a broad coalition of United Nations partners, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its cooperating agencies, national AIDS programs, city governments and MSM and transgender community-based organizations joined together in a unique partnership called the MSM and TG Multi-City HIV Initiative. |
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The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) are launching a significant policy brief titled, ‘More than the virus: HIV prevention and men who have sex with men living with HIV’. The launch coincides with the XIX International AIDS Conference, held in Washington DC, from July 22-27th. |