October 29, 2021

Aibar Sultangaziev: “In Kyrgyzstan, over 3 years ARV treatment has become more affordable, and state support for social services has been expanded 3 times”

The need for building sustainability in the context of the transition to national funding has been widely discussed over the past few years. Countries are reforming their health systems, but with the advent of COVID-19, other threats, such as HIV, have not disappeared, and in a number of countries the situation with detection and initiation of ARV treatment has become even worse.

We decided to find out how the region has progressed over the past 3 years and launch a new #SoS_project Small Talk, in which we want to discuss the key focuses of the ongoing efforts to achieve sustainability of HIV services in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Europe with leaders of nongovernmental organizations. With those who are at the forefront of the fight against the HIV epidemic, and now COVID-19. They work closely with government agencies to ensure that 2 million people living with HIV in EECA and SEE countries have access to quality ARV treatment and key social services for HIV in a format that is convenient and safe in the context of the COVID epidemic.

The heroes of our SmallTalk set of interviews are international partners of #SoS_project, the largest regional Global Fund project in the EECA region. They are true Sustainability Leaders, whose daily work is aimed at creating it.

#SoS_project Interviewer is Aibar Sultangaziev, public figure, expert on public health reform, expert on access to HIV/TB treatment, chairman of the Partnership Network Association (Kyrgyzstan). Aibar’s experience in the field – over 15 years.

#SoS_project: Aibar, we can name you as one of the leaders in building the sustainability of national health systems in the EECA region. After all, you are included in all planning and reforming of health care processes in Kyrgyzstan in the context of HIV, tuberculosis and COVID-19. Even more – in many projects you are the Lead. 2019-2021 brought many challenges: a transition period from donor funding to the national one, COVID-19, restarting the human rights system in the country, etc. 2020 has transformed the world into a completely different reality. A lot has changed. And in this context, let’s talk about health sustainability. So, what is it?

AS: Nowadays a lot of people are talking about sustainability. What is it? – It is a state of a certain balance, a sense of confidence, security, predictability, or in simple words, a normal state, which is simply necessary for everyone to live a normal life, and the healthcare system is no exception. This balance is needed in order to fight effectively against the epidemic, create favorable conditions for people, save and extend the lives of citizens, providing both treatment and the necessary social services. Basically, health care balance is a matter of national security in any country. Its components are constantly changing and it is very important to track key parameters and influence them in a timely manner.

#SoS_project: And in the context of fight against epidemics, how is the sustainability of services in the fight against HIV/AIDS created? What specific improvements have occurred over the past 3 years in Kyrgyzstan, due to this fact? Please, give some examples.

AS: Improvement in sustainability is created by influencing on key points. For example, speaking of the major improvements that have come about through collaboration and our partnership on the Global Fund #SoS_project platform, I can highlight the following points.

Firstly, there has been an improvement in access to quality treatment for people living with HIV and optimization of direct costs to the country at the same time. So, according to a number of strategic steps with the support of the project, we managed to reduce the cost of the most common HIV treatment regimen – TLD, which is received by more than 80% of all people living with HIV (PLHIV – SoS_project note). The price has been reduced for the country to $ 5.55 for a month course! It is $ 66.6 per year in United Nations Development Program purchases and up to $ 7.8 for a monthly course ($ 93.6 per year) in public procurement. It saves a significant portion of HIV program funds. There is nowhere below. And the list of names of ARV therapy on the Kyrgyz market has been significantly expanded, which makes it possible to effectively compete and reduce prices.

Secondly, development and construction of national system for HIV social services contracting, which are strategically important for the country and provided by specialized and experienced nongovernmental organizations. Also, for 3 years of work in the SoS_project partnership, national funding for HIV programs has increased 3 times, reaching 63 million soms ($ 745,562) annually. In 2019, the implementation of the state social contracts began and in 2021 the Republican AIDS Center allocated 5 million soms for state social procurement. And I would like to emphasize the important contribution to the achievement of such results of our partners from the Republican AIDS Center, NGO 100% Life, ItpcRu, the Institute for Analytics and Advocacy, the Alliance for Public Health, etc.

#SoS_project: So it means, sustainability in the context of HIV/AIDS is a work at the national level, with ministries and departments?

AS: Not only. The contribution in sustainability building is also very important at the municipal level. And it is logical, because large cities are home to the largest population, so they are both drivers of epidemics and the best partners for solving problems on a global scale. So, I can note that the mayor’s office of one of the largest cities in the country – Osh, has taken a number of important strategic steps over these 3 years: the Paris Declaration was signed, the city program to overcome the HIV and tuberculosis epidemic was approved and is being implemented. In 2021, in the amount of 300 thousand soms ($ 3,550), funds were allocated for the state social contract for the key groups testing component and support for the PLHIV Сenter. And we, along with partners from Center Plus, the Alliance for Public Health, UNAIDS, provided technical and expert support at all stages.

#SoS_project: So sustainability is mainly about financing treatment and support?

AS: Not exactly. The human rights field related to fight against stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV, as well as the criminalization of HIV, is also very important for sustainability. And we have made good progress in this direction, thanks to cooperation with SoS_project and national partners, including UNDP and The Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan. During these three years, we managed to introduce the REAct electronic system for documenting offenses, which is included also in the draft of the new National HIV program, as the main tool for monitoring violations of the rights of PLHIV and key groups.

We have built partnerships with the Soros Foundation street lawyers project and registered cases receive a solution in the form of legal and social consultations, legal support. To date, 1147 calls have been registered and 60% of them have already been successfully resolved, and work continues with the rest. By the way, it is very important that the continuation of the work of the base is supported within the framework of the Global Fund national grant until 2023.

#SoS_project: has COVID-19 added work, made it more difficult, or made it easier?

AS: COVID-19 made it more complicated, but we adapted very quickly and for example switched to online, like the whole world. In April 2020, at the very beginning of the COVID epidemic, we promptly developed a national action plan, which we are using up to these days. With the support of the special program of the Global Fund on COVID-19 in cooperation with the Alliance for Public Health, we officially brought to Kyrgyzstan 10,500 rapid tests with high sensitivity – STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag (SD Biosensor, South Korea). The tests were delivered to the Republican AIDS Center and then distributed to healthcare organizations, AIDS and tuberculosis centers, nongovernmental organizations working with key populations and PLHIV. It will improve the detection of COVID-19 and prevent its widespread spread among vulnerable populations to HIV. We were the first in the EECA region to get access to additional GF funding for COVID and received $ 6.6 million instead of $ 4. Their active implementation is already underway, more than 30 X-ray machines, a tomograph, tests and much more are being purchased. However, even this is an incomplete list of what has been achieved during the #SoS_project funding in Kyrgyzstan.

***

The #InYourPower info campaign was launched with the financial support and initiative of the team of the regional project “Sustainability of services for key populations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia region” (aka #SoS_project)

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October 21, 2021

Fast-Track Cities 2021 Global Conference: Best Practices in the Fight Against AIDS and EECA Countries’ Contribution to the 95-95-95 Goals

The annual Fast-Track Cities 2021 Conference is hosted October 20-22, 2021, in Lisbon by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Fast-Track Cities Institute, and other partners.

Key themes of Fast-Track Cities 2021:

  • Best practices and policy recommendations to ensure access to holistic HIV care, which supports long-term treatment success and quality of life for all People living with or at risk of HIV.
  • Set out targets and programmes for health-related quality of life that governments with HIV community must put in place.
  • Health equity, to ensure access to innovative care and better HIV health outcomes for all communities.

The delegation from the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region is also taking part in the Conference this year and represented by the UNODC Programme Office in Eastern Europe, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Alliance for Public Health, NGO 100% Life, officials of the Kyiv City State Administration.

On behalf of Vitali Klitschko and the Kyiv Mayor’s Office, Anna Starostenko, Deputy Mayor of the Kyiv City State Administration spoke at High-Level Panel on the first day: “We have made every effort to ensure that HIV / AIDS prevention and treatment programs do not stop, as well to adapt it in COVID-19 reality. Thanks to close and well-coordinated cooperation between the municipality and the state, we managed to ensure the implementation of the preventive component of the HIV response. Our prevention programs, such as mobile teams, outpatient clinics, syringe exchange points, have reached 90 percent of risk groups … All these actions did not slow down the Fast-Track goals, but also improved the achievement of certain results. According to the first 90 indicator – 77% are aware of their HIV status. According to the second 90 component – 83.4% know about the status and receive treatment. The third indicator is that we have even exceeded our expectations: 95% of them are receiving ART. Kyiv willingly shares its best practices, cases, positive experience in fight against HIV with cities in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. In particular, a year ago, our municipality, together with partners from the Alliance for Public Health, hosted delegations from more than 20 cities in our region to discuss modern and effective approaches to fight against HIV and TB. And today, more than 20 cities have already joined the Fast-Track family in the region and are implementing the ambitious 95-95-95 plans.”

Ievgen Kushnir, Manager of international programs, Alliance for Public Health notes: “Despite the “hybrid” format of the event – online and offline, the most interesting and deep program is ahead. At this Conference, it is very interesting for me to get acquainted in detail with the achievements and successful interventions in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic: what worked and what did not, in order to determine the next steps and opportunities for the cities of EECA. Our task also at Fast-Track Cities 2021 is to share tangible results of cooperation with the mayor’s offices of our region – today we are cooperating with 25 cities, 17 of which have signed the Paris Declaration and are moving towards the goal of 95-95-95 step by step. I am glad that already on the first day of the Conference, Carlos Moedas, the new Mayor of Lisbon, shared his interest and support to the Regional Initiative of the Alliance #InYourPower to defeat the HIV epidemic. It confirms once again that the effect of the global, well-coordinated work of cities in the fight against HIV will not keep you waiting long.”

The purpose of the Conference in 2021 is to analyze the success and progress of participants in the Fast-Track Cities movement, to discuss common problems for all parties involved, and also provide an opportunity to share best practices in overcoming HIV, TB, HBV and HCV in cities. In addition, the conference organizers included the COVID-19 epidemic among the issues discussed. As José M. Zuniga, President, IAPAC and the Fast-Track Cities Institute, highlighted at the Conferene Welcome: “In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fast-Track Cities are at the forefront of advancing global public health goals. City multilateralism is critical for cities to serve as engines of innovation to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.3.” Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, UNAIDS supported him as well: “Cities and municipalities will play a central role in ending AIDS. Through bold public health leadership, they can end the inequalities and social exclusion that preventing the most marginalized from exercising their right to health.”

During his welcome speech, the contribution of Fast-Track Cities was also noted by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal: “This congress is crucial to remind us of the fundamental role of cities on the health of communities. Apart from the progress made, we still have a long way to reach the sustainability goals we have set.”

Since UNAIDS engaged high-level global stakeholders in dialogue in December 2013 to develop a roadmap to expand access to HIV testing and treatment, there has been an increase in accountability and commitment between governments, NGOs and community leaders by 2030 to eliminate AIDS as a public health threat. At the same time, recognizing that the active political engagement of mayors and other municipal leaders will be critical to the fight against HIV in cities (and therefore at regional and country levels), 26 cities and municipalities signed the Paris Declaration of Fast Track in 2014 to eradicate the HIV epidemic (Fast-Track Cities). To date, the initiative has a map of more than 350 cities and municipalities around the world, many of which have made great strides in achieving and exceeding UNAIDS targets of 90-90-90. In addition, Fast-Track Cities’ work also aims to eliminate stigma and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for key populations: people living with HIV (PLHIV), tuberculosis (TB) and viral hepatitis, as it remains clear that the fight must go the same way against all these public health threats at the same time.

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October 11, 2021

Alliance for Public Health Launches Second Regional Program of the Global Fund on COVID-19

Alliance for Public Health has launched a second regional COVID-19 program funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as a part of the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). The budget is US $ 1,545,780. The implementation of the activity is for 6 months of work – from October 1, 2021 to March 30, 2022.

The coordination of the COVID-19 program at the regional level will be carried out by the #SoS_project team in 14 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“Within the framework of the first support program of the Global Fund, in 9 months we implemented catalytic measures to prevent, identify, study the impact and develop an action plan for responding to the health system in the case of unforeseen pandemics like COVID-19, in three sub-regions at once – Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Southeast Europe”, – says Sergii Filippovych, Director of #SoS_project, Alliance for Public Health. “So, 8 countries received 76.7 thousand rapid tests for COVID-19 as humanitarian aid. For example, in Moldova during 1.5 months out of 223 express tests, 26 (i.e. more than 11.6%), were positive, which indicates the urgent need for testing with rapid tests for early detection of coronavirus, reducing the risk of infection transmission and, accordingly, increasing timely access to treatment. The second support program, through the Global Fund’s regional grant mechanism, will also focus on supporting sustainability and critical interventions in the response to co-epidemics. ”

The focus of the second program is aimed at:

  • support for key groups and communities,
  • study the impact of COVID-19 on the social determinants of health and the quality of services provided to key groups,
  • support for digital technologies,
  • pprocurement of rapid antigen and PCR tests,
  • pprocurement of special vending machines (condoms/syringes),
  • other activities that will significantly support the achievement of HIV/TB programs in the context of COVID-19.

The second regional COVID-19 program expanded its geography to support country programs aimed at helping key populations. The program also includes interventions aimed at human rights, community involvement and attention to gender issues, community-based monitoring, and ensuring sustainable access to services. Our partners in the implementation of the program are – EHRA, ECOM, ENPUD, CAAPL.

Government funding for HIV prevention and treatment services for key populations and people living with HIV was extremely insufficient in the EECA region at the end of 2020. With the outbreak of COVID-19, which shook the whole world, all countries were forced to revise their budgets, setting the priority area of ​​budget spending on measures against COVID-19. It has endangered many years of work to build the sustainability of HIV services in the countries of the region.

It should be noted, that #SoS_project quite naturally became the main platform for the implementation of activities on COVID-19 as a part of the new program to support the region by the Global Fund. Existing partnerships with national partners, knowledge of the region and problems, understanding of financial gaps and opportunities, as well as the work of the #SoS_project team on budget advocacy at the national and municipal levels will help strengthen the program and provide its immediate launch and rapid implementation within 6 months. It is assumed that the services and terms of their provision will continue in the future.

C19RM Сoordinator – Nadiya Yanhol yanhol@aph.org.ua

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October 06, 2021

Elimination of stigma and discrimination and achievement of indicators 95-95-95: Kyrgyzstan sums up the fight against HIV/AIDS and prepares for a new Strategy

As of August 1, 2021, there are 10,807 registered people living with HIV in Kyrgyzstan. Along with other UN members, the country supports and implements the “Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: On the Fast-Track to Accelerate the Fight against HIV and to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030”: the sate, confirming its commitment and readiness to implement its goals and objectives, approved the Program of the Government of the Republic to overcome the HIV epidemic. However, its completion is nearing and Kyrgyzstan is starting to develop a new Strategy.

On September 28, in Bishkek, a High-level meeting was held on the topic: “Progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the national response to eliminate all forms of stigma and discrimination in relation to HIV-infection.” Participants, including representatives of the government, civil society, international organizations and medical structures, had the opportunity to get acquainted in detail not only with the results of recent years on the country’s achievements in the fight against HIV, but also to get the most detailed analysis of the situation in the context of the COVID pandemic. As Sanzharbek Isaev, Head of the Department of Health and Social Development of the Government Office of Kyrgyzstan, noted at the opening of the event: “The overall goal of the meeting is a global one… It is the elimination of stigma and discrimination in relation to key populations and the achievement of indicators 95-95-95. I want to note that our country is always open to dialogue and supports international initiatives in the field of strengthening human and public health. With each new Program, we try to increase the amount of government funding for HIV-related activities. So, despite the pandemic, not a single citizen living with HIV was left in quarantine without medicine or treatment.”

Alexander Goliusov, UNAIDS Regional Director, also supported him: “Years of experience in combating HIV infection have shown the devastating consequences of stigma and discrimination, both on individuals and entire communities, and on the effectiveness of the health system. One of the most important and complex issues in this area is being discussed – the issue of decriminalizing drug policy. We are well aware that this work is not easy. UNAIDS stands ready to provide a full support to these efforts. I hope that today’s meeting will give a new impetus to the development of partnerships, the promotion of modern, effective, scientifically and practically proven approaches to eliminating all forms of stigma and discrimination, which is a key moment in achieving our common goal of ending the epidemic by 2030”.

International experience and progressive practices show that the refusal of detention of people who use drugs in favor of their treatment not only saves the budget, but also reduces the level of infection with HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. During her speech, Tetiana Deshko, Director of the Department of International Programs, Alliance for Public Health, presented data from The Economist’s 2021 study on the approaches and costs of drug control programs in a number of EECA countries (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation) and advanced ways to reform and optimize it. “According to the received information, in Kyrgyzstan, 46% of people who use drugs have been held in penitentiary institutions at some point in their lives. Every year, millions of euros are spent from the national budget for the maintenance of such prisoners,” stressed Ms. Deshko. “Reducing the detention of people who use drugs but who are not involved in the distribution and are a subject to treatment – a total of 24.8% of sentences under ‘narcotic’ articles – will save € 1.9 million from the state budget annually, which enough for OST programs for 30% of PWUD and treatment for 81% of HIV-positive PWUD. As a result, HIV in this group will decrease by almost 70%. In fact, the HIV epidemic can be stopped without additional funds, only by properly reallocating available resources.”

The block of international practices was summarized by Dr. Jakob Huber, Senior Partner Licit, using the example of the basic principles of drug policy in Switzerland. According to him, the learning process in the country began in the 1980s and continues to this day. At one point, the society was faced with the realization that criminalization and repression only led to the marginalization of people who use drugs, and that medical and social services did not reach 95% of the PWUD community. The result is Switzerland’s 4-pillar drug strategy, which includes drug trafficking suppression, prevention, therapy and harm reduction for ordinary people who use drugs. As a result, to date, the number of AIDS-related deaths among people who inject drugs has decreased in the country by 90%, as well as the number of newly infected (-90%), drug-related crime has dropped by 70%, and the number opioid addicts decreased by 30%.

Summing up the results of this meeting, Andriy Klepikov, Director of the Alliance for Public Health, noted the indisputable achievements of Kyrgyzstan and presented three regional #InYourPower awards at once: to the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Health and the AIDS Center. Through the efforts of a number of initiatives, a lot has already been achieved – to reduce prices for ART, develop social order at the national and city levels, and launch important innovations. And the new national Strategy should reflect and continue the path chosen by the state.

Below you can find the speakers’ presentations (in Russian):

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The meeting will be organized by Association “Partner Network” with the supported by the project “Sustainability of services for key groups in the regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (#SoS_project).

SoS_project: The implementation of the three-year project coordinated by the Alliance for Public Health, in a consortium with the 100% Life (All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH), the Central Asian HIV’ Association and the Eurasian Key Populations Health Network, with the participation of national governmental and non-governmental organizations, regional key populations networks , international agencies and organizations, as well as technical partners, with financial support  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

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October 06, 2021

Speed and results: Osh city received the #InYourPower regional award for its contribution to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic

HIV is a common problem and mutual responsibility, where every victory is the result of painstaking and well-coordinated work of countries and civil society in the fight against the epidemic. Heads of government, mayors, officials and opinion leaders play a key role in this process at the national level. It is their decisions that determine what the country chooses on the way to overcome barriers and sustainability of services for key populations.

On September 27, a round table “Accelerating the response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic in Osh city” was held in Kyrgyzstan. Despite the challenging conditions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the city’s achievements in the fight against HIV over the past two years are impressive: in 2019, Osh city signed the Paris Declaration on HIV and the Zero TB Declaration. At the same time, the city Fast Track working group was created with the participation of representatives of the mayor’s office, NGOs and key groups to develop the 90-90-90 program and a year later, the city program on HIV in the context of COVID-19 for 2021-2022 was approved. As part of its implementation, over 4,000 people were tested at mobile points on the city streets, ART and food were delivered to their homes for representatives of the community of people living with HIV (PLHIV), incl. migrants to Russia, Turkey and other countries. With the support of the mayor’s office, voluntary counseling and HIV testing became possible in all hospitals in Osh city, a set of trainings and information campaigns were carried out in six local territorial offices. And for the first time, funds (USD 13,000) were allocated from the city budget for HIV and TB programs in 2019-2021. The city has already presented its achievements in 2019 at the Fast-Track Cities international conference in London and during a visit to the Mayor of Bern in June this year. And now it’s time to share them with the participants of the roundtable organized in their hometown.

It is not surprising that such a commitment and the work of local authorities did not go unnoticed by the society and invited guests, including representatives of departments, international and non-governmental organizations in the field of harm reduction and the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and social disintegration. Andriy Klepikov, Executive Director of the Alliance for Public Health, during his speech presented the #InYourPower regional award to the city of Osh city, represented by Vice Mayor Venera Ryskulova. “Not every city receives the #InYourPower award. Osh received today! This “like” is a recognition of what has been done: the signing of the Paris Declaration was followed by a municipal HIV program and its funding,” said Mr. Klepikov.

The roundtable participants were able to discuss further priorities for the city’s work in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main recommendations for the provision of services included the completion of sentinel surveillance to determine the estimated number of PLHIV at the city level, the approval of a new municipal HIV program starting in 2023, an increase in funding for programs from the local budget and testing of key groups, including migrants and the extremely poor people living in slums, providing social support for difficult patients, expanding rapid testing for COVID-19, and developing and implementing joint programs between the Ministry of Health and the Mayor’s office.

Alliance for Public Health and the #SoS_project Team sincerely congratulates Osh city on the regional award and wishes them success in the consolidated and sustainable work in a fight against HIV! We also thank Aybar Sultangaziev and the team of the Association “Partner Network”, Ravshan Mazhitov and the team of the Plus Center fund for fruitful cooperation.

***

The roundtable was organized by Association “Partner Network” with the support of the Alliance for Public Health and the regional project “Sustainability of services for key populations in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region” (#SoS_project).

SoS_project: The implementation of the three-year project coordinated by the Alliance for Public Health, in a consortium with the 100% Life (All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH), the Central Asian HIV’ Association and the Eurasian Key Populations Health Network, with the participation of national governmental and non-governmental organizations, regional key populations networks , international agencies and organizations, as well as technical partners, with financial support  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

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September 23, 2021

Bishkek will host high-level meeting on progress in fight against HIV/AIDS in Kyrgyzstan

On September 28, 2021, a high-level meeting “Progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the national response to eliminate all forms of HIV-related stigma and discrimination” will be held in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).

As of August 1, 2021, 10,807 people living with HIV were registered in the country. 4842 people are getting antiretroviral therapy.

State bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic, confirmed their commitment and readiness to implement the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS and achieve the 95-95-95 goal as well as approved an interdepartmental plan to overcome legal barriers related to HIV/AIDS.

The Government’s HIV Program is also coming to an end, and the country is starting to develop a new national strategy. The Program is expected to include substantive sections aimed at eliminating HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Strengthening these measures is necessary due to the fact that, despite the taken steps, it remains a serious challenge and barrier in the provision of services for PLHIV and other key populations. For example, in the electronic system for documenting offenses ReACT for the first half of 2021, 320 cases of violations of the rights of PLHIV and other key populations were recorded.

Among the participants of the event:

  • Zhyldyz Bakashova, Deputy Chairwoman of the Cabinet of Ministers
  • Alexander Goliusov, UNAIDS Regional Director
  • Michel Kazatchkine, UNAIDS Special Advisor
  • Andriy Klepikov, Alliance for Public Health
  • Dr. Jakob Huber, Senior Partner Licit
  • Aibar Sultangaziev, Partnership Network Association
  • Tetiana Deshko, Alliance for Public Health
  • Alexandra Volgina Global Network of PLWH GNP +

As well as Heads of Ministries and departments, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations.

The meeting will be supported by the project “Sustainability of services for key groups in the regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (#SoS_project).

SoS_project: The implementation of the three-year project coordinated by the Alliance for Public Health, in a consortium with the 100% Life (All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH), the Central Asian HIV’ Association and the Eurasian Key Populations Health Network, with the participation of national governmental and non-governmental organizations, regional key populations networks , international agencies and organizations, as well as technical partners, with financial support  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

REAct (Rights – Evidence – Actions) is a tool  that was developed by Frontline AIDS for monitoring and response to human rights violations at community level. The system is implemented by ICF “Alliance for Public Health” with a technical support of Frontline AIDS and financial support of  the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. REAct enables organizations to record cases of human rights violations among key populations and respond to human rights barriers in accessing HIV prevention and treatment, as well as health care services.

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September 22, 2021

Round table “Accelerating the response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic” will be held in Osh city

On September 27, 2021, from 09.30 to 12.30 a Round table “Accelerating the response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic in Osh city” will be held in Osh city (Kyrgyzstan).

The Kyrgyz Republic, along with other UN members, joined and is implementing the “Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: On the Fast-Track to Accelerate the Fight against HIV and to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030”.

The event organized with the support of the Alliance for Public Health and the Regional Project “Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regions” (#SoS_project) and will be attended by invited guests who will share their experiences and strategies in relation to COVID, drug policy, as well as harm reduction to health and society against HIV, tuberculosis and social disintegration.

On the Round table will be presented data the implementation of the city’s HIV program and state social contracting in Osh city. The event will host participants from international organizations, deputies of the сity, Kenesh of Osh city, representatives of law enforcement agencies, heads of medical institutions, local offices, non-governmental organizations.

Among the speakers:

  • Almaz Mambetov, Mayor of Osh city
  • Jakob Huber, Senior Partner Licit
  • Andriy Klepikov, Alliance for Public Health
  • Ravshan Mazhitov Director of the Plus Center Foundation
  • Aibar Sultangaziev, Partnership Network Association
  • Akylbek Mamaseyitov Head of the Internal Affairs Department of Osh city
  • Gulgaky Mamasalieva, Director of Interbilim Osh

As well as other representatives of departments, international and non-governmental organizations.

SoS_project: The implementation of the three-year project coordinated by the Alliance for Public Health, in a consortium with the 100% Life (All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH), the Central Asian HIV’ Association and the Eurasian Key Populations Health Network, with the participation of national governmental and non-governmental organizations, regional key populations networks , international agencies and organizations, as well as technical partners, with financial support  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

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September 06, 2021

Alliance and IAS will hold Regional Dialogue on Progressive Approaches to HIV Diagnostics and Treatment

On September 14, 2021 Alliance for Public Health, within the Sustainability of Services for Key Populations in EECA regional project (SoS_project) in collaboration with IAS – the International AIDS Society will launch Regional Dialogue on Progressive Approaches to HIV Diagnostics and Treatment in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) and Balkan countries.

This Dialogue is organized for the civil society representatives and governments who are involved into the AIDS response, as well as researchers, community, activists and policy makers from both regions with the aimto demonstrate operational research (OR) results, focusing on lessons learned and recommendations for implementing similar interventions in other countries in the region. Also, the participants will get ad hoc data on assess the situation in the region with the implementation of the latest recommended approaches to diagnosis and treatment, with an emphasis on the interventions that have been piloted within the ORs, identifying key action points/next steps/road maps for the countries of the region to improve the situation and achieve results on the implementation of interventions, as well as possibility to improve corresponding exchange of experience – information and technical support.

Languages: English and Russian (simultaneous translation will be provided)

To participate, please register here: https://bit.ly/2VepJeT

All registered participants will be sent information on participation.

*SoS_project: The implementation of the three-year project will be coordinated by the Alliance for Public Health, in a consortium with the 100% Life (All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH), the Central Asian HIV’ Association and the Eurasian Key Populations Health Network, with the participation of national governmental and non-governmental organizations, regional key populations networks , international agencies and organizations, as well as technical partners, with financial support  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Contact for more information:

Inna Gavrylova, PR & Communications manager, gavrylova@aph.org.ua

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May 26, 2021

The Second All-Ukrainian competition for the media “Drug Addiction vs. Drug Policy: problems and solutions in Ukraine”

We are pleased to announce that The International Charitable Foundation “Alliance for Public Health” is organizing a competition for the media “Drug Addiction vs. Drug Policy: problems and solutions in Ukraine” for the second year in a row. We invite the journalists of national and regional mass media to take part in the competition for the best journalistic materials on the drug policy and protection of the rights of people who use drugs/patients on substitution maintenance therapy (SMT). The activities will include visits to the regions of Ukraine and training events for the journalists.

The application can be submitted by the authors/editors or editorial teams who have published (or aired) their news/articles/videos/posts from January 1st to November 12th, 2021.

The All-Ukrainian competition for the media was created to inform the people of Ukraine about modern prevention and treatment techniques for people who use drugs with an emphasis on the peculiarities of introduction and expansion of SMT in medical institutions, increasing access for people who use drugs to comprehensive services of the national program on HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C prevention, tuberculosis, problems of observance of the human rights.

The urgency of reforming and liberalization of the national repressive drug policy of Ukraine, as well as the decriminalization for people who use drugs on practical successful examples of such work in Ukraine and effective practices of developed countries, are the priority tasks of the competition.

The jury, which will include well-known Ukrainian editors and journalists, as well as public activists and representatives of the Alliance, will determine one winner in each of the following categories:

  • Television and radio
  • Printing press
  • Online edition
  • Blogging

The winners of the journalist competition will receive diplomas and incentive prizes. In addition, this competition provides individual awards for initiative materials, such as a series of texts/articles/videos/posts, the creation of special projects, the collaboration of several editions, and so on.

Requirements for competitive works:

  • Texts/articles/videos/posts can be prepared in any language of national minorities with a translation into Ukrainian or Russian.
  • Publications should reflect Ukrainian realities and, preferably, contain references to the best world practices, demonstrate the real state of affairs with an emphasis on ways to solve these problems.
  • The jury will give preference to well-reasoned texts/articles/videos/posts, which prove the need to expand the access of people who use drugs to substitution maintenance therapy and promote their decriminalization on the examples of the best world practices. The focus should be on countering organized drug trafficking, not on stigma or discrimination against people who use drugs.
  • The publications may also cover certain aspects, such as women who use drugs and its taboos in Ukrainian society, changes in the drug scene and adolescent addiction with an emphasis on synthetic drugs, and so on.
  • All materials submitted by media representatives must be original and free of plagiarism.
  • One author (editorial team) can submit an unlimited number of works to the competition.
  • All contestants must enter information about the posted material in the registration form at the link: https://forms.gle/6xRHwdCU2f67o23s8

The deadline for submission of materials is November 12th, 2021 (6 p.m).

 Please visit our website for more information https://aph.org.ua/uk/golovna/

and FB-page https://www.facebook.com/AlliancePublicHealth.

he best materials will be published on the information resources of the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”, so when applying to the competition, the authors automatically allow such publications.

The Second All-Ukrainian competition for the media “Drug Addiction vs. Drug Policy: problems and solutions in Ukraine” is part of the project “Accelerating Progress in Reducing the Burden of Tuberculosis and HIV in Ukraine” implemented by ICF “Alliance for Public Health” with the support of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

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May 14, 2021

Open dialogue on preparation proposal under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism

We invite you to join the #Open_dialogue on preparation Regional funding proposal under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), EECA and SEE countries.
The dialogue will take place at ZOOM on May 21, 2021 from 11:00 to 13:00 Kyiv time (EEST/UTC +3).
The program of the event includes a presentation of the concept and a 1.5-hour discussion of priorities for communities of key groups in the region and PLHIV.
All interested organizations, representatives of key groups, activists and experts are invited to participate. Everyone will have the opportunity to take part in the discussion.
To participate in the Open Dialogue, fill out the registration form: https://cutt.ly/IbKnARi
All registered will be sent the program of the event and a link to zoom to participate.
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