UNAIDS - 17 September 2009

The Forum was held to raise attention to the human rights issues that affect men who have sex with men (MSM) and other sexual minorities, as well as the policy and structural barriers that prevent MSM and other sexual minorities from accessing HIV services, including prevention, treatment, care and support.

"We are here because it remains an undeniable fact in all regions of the world--including here in the US--that men who have sex with men lack universal access to HIV services," said Michel Sidibe.

The meeting also facilitated a conversation on how US policy makers and AIDS organizations could support PEPFAR countries in national AIDS responses that are relevant to men who have sex with men.

"If we are to see a renewed emphasis on human rights in the proposed Global Health Initiative and if we are to see commitment to MSM programming in PEPFAR II--we need to see unwavering leadership," said Sidibe.

According to UNAIDS, unprotected sex between men accounts for between 5% and 10% of global HIV infections, although the proportion of cases attributed to this mode of transmission varies considerably among countries. It is the predominant mode of HIV transmission in much of the developed world.

Evidence-based research demonstrates that providing HIV services to men who have sex with men helps to reduce the rate of HIV infection among this at-risk group. In many communities taboo and stigma towards men who have sex with men forces them to conceal their sexual practices which in turn may put their female partners at risk of HIV infection. Additionally, criminalizing men who have sex with men excludes them, or encourages them to exclude themselves, from accessing HIV related services out of fear.

In the coming months, UNAIDS and its partners will host a series of events on three high risk, marginalized populations: men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and sex workers. These meetings will build understanding of the importance of addressing the human rights needs of marginalized populations within the global AIDS response. The events will address policy and programmatic issues to increase awareness among AIDS policy and advocacy organizations to better address the needs of marginalized populations. The MSM event was the first of this series. UNAIDS will host the next Policy Forum on Sex Workers 16 October 2009.

Resources:

Policy and guidance:

Men who have sex with men - Technical policies of the UNAIDS Programme - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PolicyGuidance /Techpolicies/men_men_sex_technical_policies.asp

Men who have sex with men: Key operational guidelines of the UNAIDS Programme - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PolicyGuidance /OperationGuidelines/men_men_sex_operational_guidelines.asp

Related information:

Men who have sex with men - http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/KeyPopulations/MenSexM en/default.asp

United States of America - http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/united_states _of_america.asp

Press centre:

Read UNAIDS Executive Director's speech: "Universal access for men who have sex with men: winds of change; signs of hope" - http://data.unaids.org/pub/SpeechEXD/2009/20090916_sp_ms_msmwashi ngtondc_en.pdf

Feature stories:

Michel Sidibe presents UNAIDS' vision in Washington, D.C. (14 September 2009) - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories /archive/2009/20090914_CSIS.asp

External links:

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) - http://csis.org/homepage

U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) - http://www.pepfar.gov/

Publications:

UNAIDS Outcome Framework: Universal Access for Men who have Sex with Men (pdf, 324 Kb) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/jc1720_action_framework_ms m_en.pdf

Joint action for results: UNAIDS outcome framework, 2009 û 2011 (pdf, 396 Kb.) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/jc1713_joint_action_en.pdf

Sexual Minorities - UNAIDS Guidance for Applicants to the Global fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Round 8 Call for proposals (pdf, 127 Kb.) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/BaseDocument/2008/20080228_Rd8_SexualM inorities_en.pdf
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