The thematic segment will provide an opportunity for the PCB to discuss the inequalities that are preventing progress in the HIV response for key populations, especially transgender people, and how the HIV response can more effectively reduce the risk and impacts of HIV among these populations. Examples of initiatives being implemented in all regions will be presented, especially those tailored by and responding to the needs of key populations, especially transgender communities in all their diversity. Finally, recommendations will be made for the improvement of the HIV response at national, regional and global levels.

In particular, the thematic segment will focus on the following issues: 

1. Analyze the burden of HIV among priority and key populations through an inequalities lens (prevalence, new infections, AIDS-related deaths). Review progress against global HIV targets (including 10-10-10 targets on societal enablers and 30-80-80 targets on community-led responses) and highlight current HIV evidence and gaps;
2. Discuss the inequalities and human rights barriers preventing progress in the HIV response for key populations (access to health services, stigma and discrimination, criminalization and punitive laws, etc.);
3. Identify the challenges, needs and gaps in the HIV response for key populations, especially transgender people;
4. Identify best practices and innovative interventions that can lead the response for the achievement of the 2025 targets for key populations, especially transgender people, including on societal enablers;
5. Explore recommendations on global, country and country actions; and
6. Suggest recommendations and next steps.

Examples and learning from countries from different regions and across the Joint Programme will be highlighted during the thematic segment.

To inform the session, UNAIDS seeks case studies of successful programmes and approaches to reducing health inequities through tailored and systemic response with a focus on key populations, especially transgender people.

Scope of submissions

Specifically, UNAIDS is seeking examples of successful interventions focused on addressing the needs and challenges of key populations, especially transgender people. As you provide your information, UNAIDS is seeking details on the following:

• What key population groups were reached (men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs and sex workers and their clients)
• What are the intersecting identities and vulnerabilities considered in the intervention?
• What is the area of focus of the intervention (prevention, testing and treatment; integration of health services; research and data collection; law reform and stigma and discrimination; community-led responses; humanitarian and human right crises responses; improve of legal environment and change norms etc.)
• Where is your approach implemented (country and region - sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, etc.)
• What were the outputs/outcomes (number of people reached with services, increase in uptake of specific services, etc.)
• How this intervention is contributing to reducing inequalities and for the achievement of the HIV 2025 targets, including 10-10-10 targets on societal enablers and 30-80-80 targets on community-led responses?
• Are interventions community-led/How are people from the impacted community/community led organisations involved in this intervention? eg. beneficiaries, implementers, designers, leaders, evaluators?
• Why was your approach successful?
• What were the weaknesses of the project/what went wrong/what happened that was unexpected/unanticipated ?
• Cost of the approach and any plans for sustainability,
• Is your approach published, and if so, link to the publication, as well as links to any photos?
• Quotes or stories from individuals/organisations involved in the project.

Who can submit?

UNAIDS welcomes submissions from national AIDS programmes; Ministries of Health, and other relevant Ministries; civil society organisations particularly those representing or providing services to key populations especially transgender people; academic institutions; national human rights institutions; United Nations system and other international organizations; and other national or local entities involved in the work on HIV and men and improving HIV service uptake for those who underutilize them.

How will the submissions be used?

The submissions will be used to inform the background note to the UNAIDS 52nd PCB Thematic Segment. Some submissions may also be selected to be presented during the Thematic Day on 28 June 2023. Finally, all the submissions received before the deadline of 8 May 2023 will be compiled in a document on good practices which will be posted on the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board website.

Submissions are accepted in English and French through the below online forms by the close of business on Friday, 12 May 2023.

EN: https://forms.office.com/e/PGyRvzf7ay

FR: https://forms.office.com/e/tbbL9S5JLD

For more information on the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board, please see: UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board | UNAIDS

For questions on this call for submissions of good practices, please contact Cleiton Euzebio de Lima EuzebiodeLimaC@unaids.org and Adriana Hewson hewsona@unaids.org.

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Yesterday, March 1, was Zero Discrimination Day. But what does zero discrimination really mean? Can it be achieved in a world full of military conflicts, gender-based violence and racism, to name but a few of the issues that our societies are currently experiencing?

Well, we, the NGO Delegation representing the communities most at risk and affected by HIV, are not clairvoyants. We cannot look into 2030 and see whether the AIDS pandemic has ended or not. However, we are pretty sure about what actions should be taken in order for such an AIDS-free world to become a reality:

There is equitable and equal access to HIV services and solutions for EVERYONE;

There are no barriers to achieving HIV outcomes;

Efficient HIV responses are fully resourced, sustained and integrated into systems for health, social protection, humanitarian settings and pandemic responses.

Sounds familiar? These are the main strategic priorities of the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026. We are almost two years into its implementation but are we any closer to ending AIDS as a public health threat? Or are we going to develop the Global AIDS Strategy 2026-2030 and call it “Starting from scratch: How to end AIDS by 2050”?

March 1 comes and goes. Inequalities stay. Criminalisation stays. Discrimination stays. We love the statements organisations and politicians make every year but we love it even more when they take actions.

Take action.

- NGO Delegation to the PCB of UNAIDS

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Africa

Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Alliance Uganda - represented by Martha Clara Nakato

Martha Clara Nakato is a Health Rights Advocate who is skilled in program management, Policy Advocacy and youth movement building in the fields of HIV/AIDS, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender programming. She works with the SRHR Alliance Uganda as the Community of Action Facilitator for the WE LEAD program in Uganda.

Martha Clara is experienced in national and global HIV prevention and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) advocacy with emphasis on the promotion of young people’s leadership in HIV prevention, access to SRHR and policy development. She has developed a strong national and regional reputation for championing community rights and needs in the HIV/AIDS response with her consistent efforts in fighting HIV inequalities like stigma and discrimination and advocating for progress in the implementation of innovative approaches that ensure adolescents, as well as key and marginalised populations have access to appropriate, responsive, quality HIV and SRHR services.

She is one of the Global Faces of the fight for the sixth Global Fund Replenishment and contributor to the “People’s Voice” for PEPFAR COP20. She continues to actively engage in the Global Fund and PEPFAR COP processes in her country to ensure young people’s needs are incorporated in these decision making platforms. She is also a former HIV Epidemic Response (HER Voice Fund) Ambassador and has engaged in various policy and advocacy decision making spaces both nationally and internationally.

Before taking up her role at SRHR Alliance, Martha worked as the Policy and Advocacy Officer at the Ugandan Network of Young People Living with HIV. (UNYPA).

The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Alliance Uganda is a consortium of organisations that stand for and promote young people’s SRHR. Each organisation has a strong niche, expertise, and experience in key aspects of Policy and Advocacy, SRHR programming for vulnerable and marginalised groups of adolescents and young people at grassroots and national level.

The SRHR Alliance is comprised of Eight (8) founding members and over 40 affiliate community based, youth-led and women led organisations. The founding members are; Reproductive Health Uganda, Reach A Hand Uganda, Straight Talk Foundation, Family Life Education Program, Center for Health Human Rights & Development, Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV and AIDS, Restless Development, and the National Forum of People Living with HIV and AIDS Networks in Uganda.

The SRHR Alliance and all its members work towards strengthening youth leadership and ensuring that all young people in their diversity have access to high quality, responsive and youth friendly SRHR information and services within a supportive social and legal environment.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) - represented by Xavier Biggs

Xavier Biggs is the Monitoring & Evaluation Manager at Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL). He has been working in Civil Society (CSO) for the last 12 years. He is credited for transforming monitoring, evaluation and learning at JASL and the wider HIV CSO response in Jamaica by establishing standardised tools and knowledge products that are hailed as best practices by partners and have been adapted and adopted locally and across the Caribbean. He also provides technical support to the Strategic Information Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness through his participation in a series of technical working groups. Xavier is passionate about data-driven intervention and tries to ensure that the programs designed for PLHIV and other Key Populations (i.e., MSM, Transgender and SW) are grounded in the correct context. His experience includes the management of donor projects including those facilitated by USAID/PEPFAR and the Global FUND. His training includes Knowledge Management for Global Health Professionals at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a First Degree in Social Policy and Development from the University of the West Indies and he is currently pursuing a Master's in Epidemiology. Xavier is also a car lover, enjoys road trips and listens to a wide range of music.

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The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) was the first United Nations program to have formal civil society representation on its governing body. It is guided by the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) with rotating representation from 22-member state governments, the 11 cosponsoring UN agencies of UNAIDS, and an NGO Delegation of 10 civil society representatives. The NGO Delegation has two representatives per UN region (one main delegate and one alternate delegate). The PCB holds the Joint Programme accountable and ensures that the needs of communities affected by the HIV response are addressed in strategy and programming.

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The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) was the first United Nations program to have formal civil society representation on its governing body. It is guided by the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) with rotating representation from 22-member state governments, the 11 cosponsoring UN agencies of UNAIDS, and an NGO Delegation of 10 civil society representatives. The NGO Delegation has two representatives per UN region (one main delegate and one alternate delegate). The PCB holds the Joint Programme accountable and ensures that the needs of communities affected by the HIV response are addressed in strategy and programming.

The UNAIDS PCB is the key global forum for HIV and AIDS policy, and the NGO Delegation is integral to the active inclusion of community voices and representation of communities and civil society, including people living with HIV. Being a member of the PCB presents a unique opportunity for committed activists and advocates to make a difference in HIV and AIDS policy development, monitoring, and evaluation in their respective regions.

The NGO Delegation to the UNAIDS PCB has vacancies for a full two-year term (2023 - 2024) and is now recruiting for:

• 1 Delegate for Africa (apply)
• 1 Delegate for Latin America and the Caribbean (apply)

The NGO Delegation upholds the principle of community engagement and ownership of the response. Applications from people living with HIV, gay men and men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs, transgender people, young people, women living with/affected by HIV, indigenous people, migrants and other key populations are preferred. We also encourage applications from non-binary, gender non-conforming, and intersex persons.

The NGO Delegation is keenly aware of the importance of having balanced representation from each region. Therefore, geographic region and representation from various key populations or constituencies will factor in the decision-making processes. In addition, previous NGO Delegates and their organizations may not serve more than one term consecutively, and can only serve for a maximum of two terms total.

IMPORTANT: Please read the NGO Delegation’s terms of reference, mission/vision/principles, as well as the call for applications.

DEADLINE: Friday, 16 September 2022, 23:59 GMT

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