The first meeting of a new advisory body, the Global Platform to Fast-Track HIV Responses among Gay Men, Bisexual Men and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (Global Platform), was convened by UNAIDS and the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) in Geneva, Switzerland, on 12 and 13 January. Through the Global Platform, members will provide strategic advice to United Nations agencies and other stakeholders on HIV programme needs and priorities for gay men and other men who have sex with men to urgently address the rising HIV epidemic worldwide among this population.
“The only way forward is to do more and bring more people to the centre of the response to the epidemic. Whoever you are and whatever your circumstances, we must do more for people affected by HIV. Launching this platform for gay men and other men who have sex with men is a great way to start the year,” said Luiz Loures, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director.
Around the world, gay men and other men who have sex with men remain much more likely to be HIV‐positive and less likely to have access to safe and effective services than the general population.
“To date, we have shamefully failed gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men in the global response to HIV. Establishing the first ever advisory body to the United Nations agencies and donor community devoted to this issue is an important first step in correcting the situation. I am excited to work on the platform in close partnership with an extraordinary group of dedicated advocates and allies,” said George Ayala, Executive Director of the MSMGF.
New infections among gay men and other men who have sex with men are increasing in all regions of the world, while access to HIV prevention and treatment services remains low in many countries, partially due to inefficient investment in HIV prevention. National HIV strategic plans and prevention and treatment programmes often fail to target gay men and other men who have sex with men. Punitive laws and policies, violence and human rights violations all fuel vulnerability to HIV.
“While HIV continues to affect gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men around the world, there are growing data demonstrating the potential of early HIV diagnosis, better treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis in decreasing the acquisition and transmission of HIV. This Global Platform has the potential to leverage the support needed to bring these programmes to scale and achieve the coverage needed to change the trajectory of HIV epidemics among gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men around the world,” said Stef Baral of Johns Hopkins University.
Efforts to reach gay men and other men who have sex with men are impeded by inadequate financing of essential HIV services and low national commitments to respond to HIV among the population. Challenges are exacerbated by the absence of gay men and other men who have sex with men in policy decision-making and planning processes at the country, regional and global levels.
Consensus was reached around priorities and urgent actions that need to be taken to reduce the number of new HIV infections among gay men and other men who have sex with men, starting with preparation for the High-Level Meeting on AIDS, to be held in June 2016.
The participants of the meeting included representatives of regional networks of men who have sex with men, civil society organizations, the Office of the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Elton John Foundation, youth groups, people living with HIV, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the private sector and UNAIDS.
