Today, on April 6th, 2016, the Mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitchko signed the Paris Declaration of commitment to fighting AIDS making Kyiv one of 60 cities globally that took this commitment. The declaration was initiated by the Mayor of Paris and UNAIDS in 2014 and sets the plan to achieve the 90-90-90 HIV treatment targets by 2020, which will rapidly reduce new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths and put the world on the Fast-Track to ending AIDS by 2030.
Today the HIV situation in the city of Kyiv is critical. Out of the estimated 32 500 people with HIV in Kyiv only some 11 700 are registered with AIDS facilities, which is 1 in 3 HIV-positive persons knowing his/her status. Only 5000 are accessing ART in Kyiv.
‘There is a strong need to substantially improve case finding in Ukraine’s capital, broaden and decentralize ART and reinforce prevention programs for men who have sex with men – the group where the HIV epidemic is actively developing and where coverage of prevention interventions is low’, says Tetiana Deshko of Alliance for Public Health.
Alliance for Public Health applauds the initiative of the Kyiv municipality and of Mayor Klitchko. Alliance has been supporting AIDS response in Kyiv for decades through the Global Fund program providing annually 34 Million Hryvnias for HIV, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C prevention, care and treatment programs using the network of HIV-service organizations and healthcare facilities. Annually, some 25 327 (81% of estimated PWID in Kyiv) PWID, 7 145 (67%) sex workers and 12 922 (36%) MSM are reached with these programs, with some 2.1 Million syringes, 2.9 Million condoms distributed for free annually.
Alliance together with Kyiv municipality led the predevelopment of the regional Concept Note to the Global Fund on HIV/TB responses among key populations in the cities of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Mayors of the 12 cities of the 10 countries in the region joined Kyiv leadership in commitment to responding to AIDS in this funding request.