Three people involved in fighting for the critical changes outlined in the Liu Lathu Mu COP21, Ellen, Winnie and Monica, are sharing their stories and their prescriptions for change in order to show PEPFAR, and the government of Malawi, what it means to interact with the current, failing healthcare system, and why the changes activists are demanding in COP21 are urgently needed.
In the middle of colliding deadly pandemics, PEPFAR under the Biden-Harris Administration is on the brink of making a huge avoidable mistake by slashing funding levels for the majority of PEPFAR countries, argues Health GAP and amfAR.
The following letter was sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on behalf of the global key population networks including MPact, GNP+, INPUD, GATE, GBGMC, and NSWP.
At least $1.4 billion for PEPFAR and $4 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund) is needed as part of the COVID-19 Supplemental Spending Bill, to ensure rapid restoration of HIV prevention and treatment services to levels seen prior to COVID-19 to mitigate the harms COVID-19 responses have already caused, argues Health GAP.
Today, Ambassador Deborah Birx announced that she would be retiring from leadership of the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She also announced that her deputy coordinator, Angeli Achrekar, will be the acting US Global AIDS Coordinator. In this week of political transition—Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th United States President tomorrow—AVAC marks Ambassador Birx’s departure with gratitude and a call to future action for PEPFAR and the new administration.
At the end of December 2020, the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) will publish the final version of the 2021 PEPFAR COP Guidance. It is crucial that gay men, bisexual men, and other men having sex with men, and other civil society advocates and key population-led groups be prepared to engage in the annual PEPFAR planning processes writes MPact.
The Ritshidze project today released a new website with resource toolkits on how it uses community-led monitoring to improve the quality of HIV and TB service delivery. Ritshidze — one of the most extensive community-led clinic monitoring systems — was developed by networks of People Living with HIV in South Africa to hold government and aid agencies to account to fix our broken public healthcare system.
The latest damning data on pediatric AIDS are in. UNAIDS has just released a report on the status of efforts to eliminate perinatal HIV infection, reach all HIV-exposed infants with rapid diagnosis, and ensure all 1.8 million children living with HIV have access to quality treatment. The report points to nothing short of global failure to protect children from substandard HIV care, writes Asia Russell from Health GAP.
MPact is closely following developments regarding COVID-19, and particularly its impact on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. MPact has provided short info notes with resources on a variety of topics, including: tips for LGBTI advocates; sex and sexual health; staying healthy under physical distancing and self-isolation; tips for health professionals serving LGBTI communities during COVID-19; Human Rights Advocacy & COVID-19: Considerations for LGBTI Advocates, a joint statement with UNAIDS on discrimination in the age of COVID-19 and Inclusion of LGBTI People in COVID-19 Response Efforts.
In this update, AVAC shares the essential work of civil society groups and activists who are influencing PEPFAR programming for the coming year. Their continuing advocacy led to important wins, gained over the three weeks spent at the Regional Planning Meetings (RPMs) in Johannesburg. Read on for wins from week three.